News

Whataburger debuts new marketing campaign

October 4, 2011

Whataburger will launch an all-new marketing campaign during the week of Oct. 10, the chain's first new campaign in nine years.

The documentary-style campaign will reflect the customer loyalty, employee pride and craveable menu that has fueled the burger icon since 1950. It will feature actual customers and employees across a fully-integrated, multi-cultural platform of traditional and digital media.

Crews filmed customers, employees and food preparation during the course of a normal day of operations in more than 20 Whataburger restaurants throughout Texas and Alabama, going behind the scenes to capture the spirit of the brand.

The new ads highlight what sets Whataburger apart from the burger crowd – its people. The campaign features personal connections made every day at Whataburger by customers and team members from various backgrounds and cultures.

"What makes Whataburger different isn't a secret sauce or a recipe locked away in a safe; it's our people, who always serve customers like guests in their own homes," said Rich Scheffler, Whataburger Restaurants LP, group director of Marketing. "When you walk into a Whataburger restaurant, the pride is evident - you can feel it. This new campaign is our way of bringing that pride to life."

Expanded platform reaches digital, mobile and Spanish-speaking markets

Using a multi-faceted strategy, the campaign will reach all of Whataburger's customer touchpoints through TV, radio, outdoor and online advertising, in addition to public relations and social media. The campaign expands Whataburger's presence in digital media and mobile marketing with interactive ads on Hulu and Facebook.

"The digital elements of our campaign focus on the quality food and service our customers receive in our restaurants," Scheffler said. "Harnessing the latest capabilities available in digital marketing allows us to bring that personal interaction to a whole new generation of customers."

Whataburger will also expand its presence in Spanish-language TV and radio with a new Hispanic-focused campaign. Created by San Antonio-based FPO Marketing, the Spanish-language campaign is not a translation of the English campaign, but a separate, parallel effort that features real Spanish-speaking customers and employees at Whataburger restaurants.

"We do business in many Hispanic communities and we wanted our loyal Spanish-speaking customers to share their thoughts and feelings about our restaurants and our food in their own words," Scheffler said. "Our Spanish-language campaign isn't an adaptation, but rather a culturally-relevant, organic effort to showcase our fresh food, our people and our service."

Whataburger's new marketing campaign, developed with the help of Austin-based McGarrah-Jessee, breaks the week of Oct. 10 with new TV and radio ads airing in markets throughout the 10 states in which it operates.

Read more about marketing and branding efforts.