It is out with the old and in with the new as Arby’s introduces its new tagline, saying goodbye to “Slicing Up Freshness”. The revamp is the first of Arby’s marketing efforts to attract younger customers and recoup sales loss.
New Heights of Meatiness
The Atlanta-based restaurant chain launched its new marketing campaign last July 28. Using the tagline, “We have the meats” and #Meatcraft, Arby’s introduced its newest limited-time sandwiches: Mega Meat Stacks. Though Arby’s have long been known for their signature roast beef sandwich, the new tagline is aimed to drive customers’ attention to the other meats available on the menu.
This fresh marketing campaign is timed with Arby’s remodeling efforts to not just reach out to a younger audience, but also move forward with the brand. The goal is to move up into its own niche in the restaurant industry and combine quick services with high quality food prep.
Arby’s new Mega Meat Stacks sandwiches is said to be the meatiest limited time offer the company has done. Mega Meat Stacks introduced new combinations of five premium-grade meats: corned beef, ham, turkey, pepper bacon and of course, roast beef. Neville Craw, Arby’s corporate executive chef said that “Meatcraft goes beyond our famous roast beef. The new Mega Meat Stacks sandwiches personify what we do best: delicious, high-quality meat sandwiches.”
The main goal of Arby’s is to serve various options of high-quality meat. Additionally, “Meatcraft” is what would elevate the brand to new heights. The restaurant also aims to develop its market approach, products and even how its restaurant looks. This will result to a brand new customer experience and a meat-forward look on the restaurant’s official website.
The New Tagline, The New Campaign
A catchy slogan or tagline can make or break a company’s branding. It can do a lot to reach out to target audience and spread the message the company wishes to convey. Effective taglines have a huge potential to last a long time, even spanning generations. They also have the potential to be iconic phrases, creating an immediate association among consumers that hear it.
However, generations come and go. Marketers constantly look for ways to develop brands and how it can attract a new breed of audience. Changing the tagline is sometimes necessary to make the brand more appealing to the new market and refresh its current patrons. One of the main reasons Arby’s changed their tagline is to catch the attention of a much younger market.
Arby’s old tagline, “Slicing Up Freshness” has been changed to “We Have The Meats”. While the restaurant has established a loyal, albeit older market base, it does not want to grow old with that same market. The new tagline aims to build a customer base among the millennial generation.
Regardless if the tagline is brand new or achieved icon status, there will come a time for adjustments to maintain the interest of target customers. Brands need to evolve to keep up with market trends and stay appealing to customers. Testing different ideas is often necessary to determine if it works with different audiences. Lastly, it is important that a brand stays on the message its tagline wishes to convey if it aims to work at all.
The new marketing campaign was the brainchild of Publicis Groupe’s Fallon in Minneapolis, which teamed up with Arby’s last January, 2014. Arby’s CMO Rob Lynch said that Fallon was chosen for the high quality ideas their creative team brought on board. The new campaign is also part of the restaurant chain’s efforts to recoup its losses from 2013. Arby’s declared a sales decline of 1.5% last year due to the increased unit count by 0.7% in its more than 3,000 locations.
The Meat Mountain
The biggest challenge that Arby’s had to deal with prior the “We have the meats” campaign is people thought they serve roast beef, period. Hence the new marketing campaign to attract millennials and give the brand a much needed jolt into the 21st century. As a continued effort to show they serve other meats, the company made a poster showing a staggering stack of every meat they have on the menu.
It got people’s attention.
Customers, not knowing what the sandwich is called, started asking for the sandwich on the poster and Arby’s simply gave them what they want. Hence, the Meat Mountain is born. This giant of a sandwich is not listed on the menu. But members of service crew will make it for anyone who asks.
With a $10 price tag, you will get a couple of burger buns and between them: 2 chicken tenders, 1.5 oz. of roast turkey, 1.5 oz. brisket, 1.5 oz. of ham, 1 slice of Swiss cheese, 1.5 oz. of corned beef, 1 slice of cheddar cheese, 1.5 oz. of Angus steak, 3 half-strips of bacon and 1.5 oz. roast beef. Clearly, Arby’s ditched its old image and flying high with its very meaty persona.
