{"id":24411,"date":"2022-12-19T13:45:57","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T13:45:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/19\/how-wendys-is-turning-an-all-american-chain-into-a-brand-for-brits\/"},"modified":"2022-12-19T13:45:57","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T13:45:57","slug":"how-wendys-is-turning-an-all-american-chain-into-a-brand-for-brits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/19\/how-wendys-is-turning-an-all-american-chain-into-a-brand-for-brits\/","title":{"rendered":"How Wendy\u2019s Is Turning an All-American Chain Into a Brand for Brits"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\n
<\/p>\n

\n

Since its U.K. relaunch in <\/a>mid-2021, Wendy\u2019s has opened 25 restaurants in the market, with sites in London, Sheffield and Brighton. Now, following a successful 18 months, it has ambitious plans to ramp things up with new spaces in Liverpool and Greater Manchester. The Republic of Ireland is also on the menu for 2023, with a blueprint to launch franchises on the European continent too.<\/p>\n

The Ohio-founded chain\u2019s most recent debut in the U.K. marked its third crack at the market following two previous unsuccessful forays. This time around, though, the burger brand has gained traction with a mix of tech-enabled stores and drive-thrus, reporting international sales (which includes the U.K.) to have grown 18.3% in the three months to November to reach $413 million.<\/p>\n

The home of the Baconator picked the U.K. arm of VMLY&R, its longstanding U.S. agency partner, to helm its marketing strategy in the market. For Tony Barr, senior director of international marketing for Wendy\u2019s, the focus has been on maintaining the brand\u2019s challenger attitude while building an affinity with diners who might typically choose McDonald\u2019s or Burger King.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had to be genuine and authentic, and not just make noise for the sake of it,\u201d he explained, during a recent session at Social Media Week Europe<\/a>, saying a smart social strategy has been key to helping the brand take a big bite out of the U.K. market.<\/p>\n

Firing up social media<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If you\u2019re one of the 3.9 million people that follow Wendy\u2019s on Twitter, you\u2019ll know it best for its quick-witted, savage replies. The brand\u2019s grinning redheaded mascot can often be found digging into competitors and fans alike on the timeline: from calling a McDelivery van a \u201cgarbage truck\u201d to clapping back at Gordon Ramsay on National Roast Day.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
<\/figure>\n

Barr said, prior to launch, his team conducted a lot of research into what people knew about Wendy\u2019s and what they were excited about. While many were experiencing the chain for the first time, he said \u201cmany had already interacted with the brand on social.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using this as a starting point, the business enlisted VMLY&R London\u2019s head of social Christina Miller to fire up a social-first launch strategy to drive cultural relevance. Miller decided to build upon the brand\u2019s already strong foundation and adapt its \u201cscale of sass\u201d (or tone of voice) for Brits.<\/p>\n

\n

We think about awareness, reach, affinity and engagement and these things feed back into the decisions we make.<\/p>\n

Tony Barr, senior director of international marketing, Wendy\u2019s<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe asked what that looks like for British culture, British language, and we built something new to apply to how we talk to customers here,\u201d she said, adding the brand\u2019s prerogative on social was to \u201cmake new friends and invite them to lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though it has found success with Twitter in the U.S., it has focused on building brand awareness and footfall through TikTok and Instagram in the U.K., where \u201cmore of its U.K. audience\u201d can be found. On the latter, it\u2019s been slowly cultivating a young, Gen Z and millennial community by reposting customer-created content and highlighting new stores as they open.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

For Barr, it\u2019s still early days, but Wendy\u2019s has been measuring its social success in the U.K. by a mix of qualitative and quantitative testing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think about awareness, reach, affinity and engagement and these things feed back into the decisions we make. We also want to make sure we have room to experiment and make new things. You don\u2019t behave like a challenger brand by following everyone else\u2019s playbook.\u201d<\/p>\n

It has also launched a dedicated U.K. Twitter account that references everything from London\u2019s Notting Hill Carnival to the dismal British weather.<\/p>\n

A local character<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Beyond social, Wendy\u2019s has been getting hyperlocal with its creative activations, which celebrate the U.K.\u2019s distinct regional identities.<\/p>\n

In June 2022, it gave its famous mascot a Camden twist, paying ode to the London borough\u2019s eccentric art and music scene (which spawned the Sex Pistols and Amy Winehouse) by replacing Wendy\u2019s pigtails with punk-inspired hair spikes, a flowing emo fringe and a bouffant quiff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat really caught people\u2019s imagination,\u201d said Barr. \u201cIt took off.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

Some ideas have taken the team back to the drawing board, though, said Miller, but it\u2019s all about testing and learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had some ideas before we launched and one of them was to play off the Sunday Roast, which is a very big part of British culture. It hasn\u2019t taken off quite as much as we want to. We still get people asking us to roast them here though, so there\u2019s an appetite for it. We just need to find the right way to do it. Eventually, you\u2019ll see something,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Barr said, for his marketers, there\u2019s a fine line between wading into cultural or viral stories and knowing when to be reactive and when to hold back. The brand has already navigated its response to Covid-19 waves and Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s death since it landed in the U.K.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about keeping our feet on the floor, and remembering that, at the end of the day, we\u2019re just a burger brand,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re here to engage people and be entertaining. Sometimes, the time is not right to roast the competition. We have other ways to keep people interested in the brand.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n