Shake Shack's motivations for challenging Chick-fil-A revealed.
Shake Shack Unveils Weekly Football Promotion with a Twist
In an unusual move, fast-food chain Shake Shack has introduced a new campaign offering free Korean Style Fried Chicken sandwiches with a $10 purchase every Sunday throughout football season. While the promotion does not mention Chick-fil-A directly, its eerily similar timing and focus on chicken sandwiches in a market dominated by the competitor are not lost on observers.
The free chicken sandwich offer is exclusive to orders made via the Shake Shack app, website, or kiosks and is not available in drive-thru, counter, or third-party orders. The promotion aims to boost app adoption and gather customer contact information but also raises questions about Shake Shack's motivation and strategy.
So, why chicken sandwiches on Sundays? A series of questions arises as people try to decipher the thought process behind the campaign:
- How many Shake Shack outlets are located within close proximity to Chick-fil-A branches?
- Why were football Sundays chosen for the promotion?
- Which specific chicken sandwiches does the offer apply to?
- Is there a hidden agenda against Chick-fil-A within Shake Shack's corporate team?
- Did Shake Shack run out of ideas, and this promotion was a quirky, fun campaign conceived by their agency?
- What were the 9 other ideas that were pushed aside for this one?
Some insights shed light on the situation:
- Shake Shack operates about 510 locations worldwide, while Chick-fil-A operates roughly 3,059 outlets.
- The average unit value for a Chick-fil-A is 9.3 million, while Shake Shack comes in at 3.6 million.
- Questioning the impact of the free chicken sandwich offer on Shake Shack's bottom line, one marketing expert points out that the promotion could potentially add a significant amount to each location's annual revenue.
- According to the research conducted at Handcraft Burgers and Brew, which uses data analytics tool Bikky, the spicy chicken sandwich is a crucial retention item, promoting earlier marketing efforts to introduce it to customers.
- The free chicken sandwich promotion only applies to the Korean Style Fried Chicken sandwich, which boasts a spicy gochujang glaze and white kimchi slaw, distinguishing it from Chick-fil-A's traditional offerings.
In an effort to understand the rationale behind the campaign, the marketing expert opens the floor for anyone with answers to weigh in on the topic. Fascinated by the mystery, the expert has offered to interview someone at Shake Shack or its agency on LinkedIn or podcast, extending an open invitation.
In the meantime, the expert shares some recommendations for any restaurant looking to drive additional revenue:
- Create a value promotion: In the current economic climate, it is essential to offer value to price-conscious consumers.
- Create a premium offer: A barbell marketing strategy can work wonders by combining value promotions and premium offers.
- Identify opportunity: Analyze areas where improvement is needed, be it boosting average order value, increasing foot traffic, or acquiring new customers.
- Define & track KPIs: Determine benchmarks to measure success before implementing a campaign.
- Write it down: Record every detail of successful campaigns for future reference and playbook creation.
The detailed analysis and expert advice might help others in the industry gain insight into the inner workings of Shake Shack's mysterious chicken sandwich promotion and learn from its strategies to boost their own revenue. If you have any insights regarding the matter or require assistance with your restaurant's marketing, Shake Shack enthusiast Rev Ciancio welcomes contact at [email protected].
- In an intriguing development, the marketing expert has proposed to interview someone from Shake Shack or its agency on a podcast to delve into the motivations behind the chain's exclusive Korean Style Fried Chicken sandwich promotion during football season.
- Additionally, the expert has suggested that restaurants seeking to generate additional revenue should consider implementing value and premium offers, identifying areas for improvement, defining and tracking key performance indicators, and preserving records of successful campaigns for future reference.
