METHODOLOGY

INSPIRE BRANDS: BUFFALO WILD WINGS

2017:

• On April 19, as a part of their Team Up for Kids mission, more than 950 Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants across the US donated 10% of total sales from that day together with 100% of all guest donations made for their annual Community Day fundraiser in support of a local area Boys & Girls Club.
• On June 4, Buffalo Wild Wings announced two new small-format restaurants in Minneapolis metro market called B-Dubs Express. These restaurants were to serve their wings and other flavors in a faster streamlined, counter-service, and sports filled environment to their customers.
• On June 26, Buffalo Wild Wings announced the nationwide rollout of their loyalty program called Blazin' Rewards. Customers could earn points while dining in their restaurants.
• On October 3, as a part of their Team Up for Kids mission, Buffalo Wild Wings announced the start of their annual fundraiser to support Boys & Girls Club youth sports program nationwide.
• On November 15, Buffalo Wild Wings launched their new website to improve ordering online. They created a more dynamic, responsive, and personalized user experience on their website so customers can also enjoy ordering food.

2018:

• On March 13, Buffalo Wild Wings launched a series of in-restaurant and Final Four activations that was aimed at rewarding fans and enhancing their watching experience of the NCAA March Madness.
• On April 18, as a part of their Team Up for Kids mission, more than 1,020 Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants across the US donated 10% of total sales from that day together with 100% of all guest donations made for their annual Community Day fundraiser in support of a local area Boys & Girls Club.
• On September 9, Buffalo Wild Wings announced their partnership with DraftKings for a custom game exclusive to their restaurants. They revealed their new advertising campaign called Escape to Football, and also featured a football-focused menu during the 2018 football season.
• On September 17, Inspire Brands announced that Lyle Tick had become the new president of Buffalo Wild Wings. Lyle Tick was previously the Managing Director for Walgreens Boots Alliance beauty brands business in the Americas.
• On October 3, as a part of their Team Up for Kids mission, Buffalo Wild Wings announced the start of their annual fundraiser to support Boys & Girls Club youth sports program nationwide.
• On October 18, Buffalo Wild Wings debuted their new logo which featured a more distinctive design.
• On December 17, Buffalo Wild Wings unveiled a new design in their restaurant which featured state-of-the-art entertainment system and seating. This new design was first introduced to two locations in Texas, and two more were expected to follow.

2019:

• On January 23, Buffalo Wild Wings announced that they would give everyone in America free chicken wings if the football game on February 3 in Atlanta went to overtime.
• On March 14, Buffalo Wild Wings rolled out custom-designed stools called Jewel Stools in a location in New York and Los Angeles. The stools featured a cooling apparatus for the men's "Jewels" as well as a beer button.

Methodology

2011

• Roark capital did not immediately change Arby's marketing campaigns after its acquisition of Arby's. It continued with the 'Good Mood Food' campaign. The campaign focus was to develop a personal brand profile by increasing employee friendliness to customers. It also included acknowledging customer names by replacing order numbers with customer names.
• Arby's set a fall launch of its Angus sandwiches and a sweet potato snack. Additionally, Arby's relaunched its Market Fresh sandwich lineup.
• In 2011, Arby's enhanced its social media engagement with consumers by increasing its outreach on Foursquare as well as Twitter and Facebook. In its social media forays, Arby's developed a local and personal approach that often involved reaching out to celebrities, political figures, and individuals.

2012

• Recognizing Arby's was poorly differentiated from its competitors, it engaged marketing company, Crispin Porter + Bogusky to re-brand it. The contracted marketing company developed a marketing campaign whose focus was to uncover the truth of Arby's fresh slicing to consumers. The ensuing marketing campaign was relayed on television, print, and digital advertising that featured a former NYC Police Detective.
• Arby's introduced Turkey Roasters to its menus.

2013

• Arby's 2012 logo refresh failed to impress. It received poor reviews from 93% of respondents in a survey reviewing the logo change. In response to the outcry, Arby's relaunched the logo. The new logo was a refreshed version of the old favorite logo attracting positive public reviews. 
• In 2013, Arby's had two major product launches. It introduced a Salted Caramel Shake. In partnership with King's Hawaiian brand, Arby's restaurants refreshed the classic Roast Beef sandwich for a limited time. Arby's offered two variants: King Hawaiian Roast Beef as well as King Hawaiian Roast Beef and Swiss. The partnership also included a Hawaiian Gateway Sweepstakes for a round trip ticket to Hawaii that gave customers a chance to experience the Hawaiian culture.
• Arby's began its first text messaging campaign to drive its 2013 menu changes.

2014

• Arby's ditched its "slicing up freshness" tagline for "We have the Meats." The tagline change was after a recognition that Arby's was missing out on millennial customers. At the time, Arby's had the second oldest customer base in the QSR industry.
• In line with Arby's new tagline, the brand engaged in launching a new steak sandwich lineup. It also engaged in a national advertising campaign to promote its new menu options.
• Arby's received a social media boost after engaging Pharrell Williams during the 2014 Grammy award ceremony. The celebrity had a hat that was a look-alike of the Arby's hat logo. Arby's tweet in response "Hey @Pharrell, can we have our hat back? #GRAMMYs” generated massive publicity. The brand utilized the opportunity to reactivate its social media engagement after realizing a sales increase.

2015

• Arby's refreshed its restaurant outlook by shrinking its back house by 20%. Arby's utilized the additional space to make its restaurants roomier rather than increasing seating capacity, Arby's had a new kitchen layout featuring a window for guests to see their food being made. It also added a “crow’s nest” for restaurant managers to interact with staff and customers. Arby's made its restaurant edgier to attract millennials by adding dark wood paneling as well as bright electronic menu boards. 
• Famous talk show host Jon Stewart started picking on Arby's with a slew of jokes at his talk show. Arby's CEO took it in stride and became a show guest. His easy-going nature during his appearance attracted positive publicity for the brand. Arby's utilized the opportunity to boost its brand by catering for the show's crew. It also gave a farewell video for Jon Stewart's last show that featured his selection of Arby's zingers set to the Golden Girls theme song. The video generated massive publicity by generating over 1.3 million Youtube views. 

2016

• The brand introduced new chicken breast fillet for its sandwiches. Besides being bigger, it has a better taste as the chicken breast fillet was marinated in buttermilk. The new chicken breast fillet will be used in Chicken Bacon Swiss, Chicken Cordon Bleu, and Crispy Chicken menu options. Arby's launched a limited edition Buttermilk Buffalo Chicken Sandwich to commemorate the introduction of the new chicken breast fillet.
• In 2016, Arby's began serving deer meat (venison) at its restaurants. The launch was specific to seventeen locations as the new product only catered to the tastes of markets where deer hunting is popular.

2017

• Arby's canceled Pepsi's soft drinks contract replacing them with Coca-Cola soft drinks. Coca-Cola Co replaced Pepsi after it had been its sole supplier for a decade. The new soft drinks supply contract would begin in 2018.

2018

• Arby's launched a new tagline “Arby’s. We Have The Meats … for Sandwiches,” a change from its tagline "We have the Meats." The new tagline also features comedian H. Jon Benjamin in advertisements playing as the official Head of Sandwiches. The change of Arby's tagline was to shed its roast beef only image and introduce consumers to its 17 other sandwiches.
• After an early disastrous season for the Red Wings, Arby's changed its promotion for Red Wings games from when a player scores a hat trick to when three goals are scored in a game.
• Arby's launched a limited offer for duck sandwiches at select 16 restaurants located in duck hunting areas. The new menu option is seared and fried plus presented in smoked cherry sauce and crispy onions.

Loyalty Programs

Marketing Strategies

Operational Changes

Menu Options