The genius behind Wendy's charity campaign
A dollar donation with a coupon attached did three jobs at once. Look for the good deed that also builds brand equity and brings people back.
Kevin C. Whelan
The other day, my wife and I stopped at Wendy’s on our way home. We couldn’t resist.
After we ordered, they asked if we would like to donate a dollar to a charity for kids. Of course, we said yes. Who doesn’t want to contribute to kids’ charities?
Then, as they were giving me the food, they also gave me a $1 coupon for my next order as a “thanks” for my donation.
Brilliant.
Not only do they demonstrate socially responsible values, which reflects well on their brand and makes me feel good at the same time as a donor, but they also gave me an incentive to come back.
I had the double satisfaction of knowing I contributed to a good cause AND it theoretically “cost” me nothing— assuming I apply the coupon to my next order—since the $1 I gave is offset in savings on my next order.
I realize this second part about “costing” me nothing is crazy. It would end up costing me more to go back and redeem it because I don’t regularly eat fast food. But as a marketer, I pay close attention to my thoughts and feelings when I buy, especially the subtle and subconscious ones.
After all, we all buy emotionally, so it’s worth studying these things.
What a brilliant three-sided initiative they’re running. It helps their brand equity, it feels good to me on multiple levels, and it brings me back to buy more (when I probably wouldn’t even go again for a long time).
Can you do something good that might also increase your brand equity while also increasing your sales?
Can you do it with three layers like Wendy’s did?