October 8, 2009
Wendy's says the new campaign, its biggest in years, includes 25 TV and 23 radio spots, 16 billboard ads and a slew of online promotions. The chain plans to spend about $75 million on the effort in the fourth quarter, according to people familiar with the matter.Wendy's, part of Wendy's/Arby's Group, of Atlanta, will use the slogan "You know when it's real" to tout the freshness of its food and poke fun at competitors....Wendy's—the country's third-largest burger chain by sales, afterMcDonald'sand Burger King—has struggled to define itself since the death in 2002 of Dave Thomas, its founder and former pitchman."The brand is not where it needs to be," says Ken Calwell, Wendy's chief marketing officer."It's still unclear to me what Wendy's stands for," says Ron Paul, president of Technomic, a restaurant consulting firm in Chicago....Wendy's also says it will spend less money promoting its value menu over the next few months. Food-industry experts say that dialing back on value advertising is risky amid the recession, and that fast-food operators need to tout both value and quality. But straddling the line between the two messages is difficult and expensive, and could give McDonald's a leg up because of its heavier ad spending.