As customers drift away from fast-food dining rooms toward drive-thru and delivery orders, chains are trying novel ways to recapture more of their time and attention.
They are borrowing some tools from Hollywood.
Three big restaurant companies announced ventures with outside producers this year to create entertainment content to reinforce their brand image. Chick-fil-A recently launched a free entertainment app called Play, offering such video content as “Legends of the Evergreen Hills,” a series about a young protagonist’s adventures in a fantasy world.
The nation’s third-largest restaurant chain says the new app is a response to changes in family mealtimes, which are more often spent consuming online content. The app will also feature the company’s famous cows, scripted podcasts, recipe and craft videos, and e-books focused on themes like generosity, friendship, creativity, and problem-solving. The company hopes that providing wholesome entertainment for its 12-and-under customers will lead parents to view Chick-fil-A more positively.
Last June, Starbucks, the No. 2 chain, jumped into filmmaking with the formation of Starbucks Studios to produce original entertainment. The chain will feature stories of people “from young, emerging artists to innovators, changemakers and others who are making a positive impact on the world,” a brand executive told Fast Company. Starbucks is partnering with Sugar23, a media company founded by Michael Sugar, the producer of such films as “Spotlight.”
Another newcomer to content production is Chuck E. Cheese. The pizza chain said last January that it would tap into adults’ nostalgia for its iconic games by offering a game show for adults. The company is working with Magical Elves, the producer of the reality show “Top Chef.” In a setup similar to “Squid Game,” pairs of adults will compete in super-sized arcade games that many viewers will remember from their childhood, such as pinball, air hockey, and the human claw.
The ventures give brand executives closer control over their message, protecting them from unintended association with objectionable online content.
The strategy of using media content to sell products isn’t new. It extends back to the 1930s, when Procter & Gamble sponsored radio soap operas to sell branded soap. The latest moves are unfolding much more rapidly, however, and in some cases are likely to extend deeper into families’ day-to-day lives.
