Now that the dust has settled and Tuesday's madness at Denny’s is over, it's time to take a look at just how big of a publicity stunt the dining chain pulled. According to the USA today, Dennys spent over five million dollars in Superbowl ads and their breakfast giveaway combined.
For those who did not watch the Superbowl, Denny’s launched a series of breakfast promotions during the Superbowl where the Grand Slam, one of their breakfast meals, would be given out to customers free of charge on the Tuesday following the Superbowl between 6am and 2pm. (It can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OfMb90v4qg).
Many experts agree, however, that the publicity and future business Denny’s will receive far outweighs the 5 million dollars it spent. With the economy being the way it is, this was the perfect time to launch a free food campaign. According to USA Today, an estimated 2 million people flocked in to claim their free meal at one point or another. As for publicity, USA Today stated that Denny's received an estimated $50 million in free publicity coverage.
It will be very interesting to see how the other major breakfast chains respond to Denny's success. IHOP, for instance, is already firing back with their National Pancake Day special. On Tuesday, February 24th, IHOP served free pancakes while encouraging customers to donate to local children's hospitals. While National Pancake Day has been an ongoing annual event for IHOP, consumers can only relish the fact that free food promotions are increasing as everyone's wallets get a bit thinner due to our economy.
At the same time, it seems as though it takes a Superbowl ad to really match the success that Denny's had in getting their message out there. IHOP's Pancake special does not seem to have the same momentum behind it.
Time should only tell how other food service chains will adjust their campaigns based on the success of Denny’s and IHOP.
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