Wendy's gets rid of "That's Right™"

Wendy's is ending their 8-month old (and often mocked) "That's Right™" campaign which featured people in red wigs in favor of focusing more on the logo and a new slogan--"It's waaaay better than fast food. It's Wendy's".

The campaign, which debuted during the season finale of "American Idol" in May, has generated attention, but hasn't translated into improved sales, the company said.

"It was a love it or hate it kind of spot," said Bob Holtcamp, Wendy's vice president of brand marketing.

The campaign was built on the slogan "That's right." It was meant to rely on humor to emphasize the chain's made-to-order food and unfrozen beef it sought to build sales among younger consumers. In several ads, customers wear a red wig that looks like the pigtails on Wendy, the chain's mascot based on founder Dave Thomas' daughter of the same name.

The slogan for a new campaign, released Monday at Wendy's national convention in Orlando, Fla., is "It's waaaay better than fast food. It's Wendy's."

The red wig remains part of the campaign, designed by kirshenbaum bond + partners, but the focus is on the company's familiar Wendy logo.

The logo opens and closes each ad. An animated Wendy holds a fishing rod in one ad to introduce the new fish sandwich. In other ads, she takes a bite out of a hamburger or holds a piggy bank to promote Wendy's super value menu.

The new campaign better represents Wendy's traditions while still focusing on the key target audience of 18-to-34-year-olds, Kerrii Anderson, Wendy's president and chief executive, said in an interview. "It feels like Wendy's again," she said.

Holtcamp said Wendy's emphasis on its quality food was getting distracted by the red wig campaign.

So basically, what we will extract from their comments is that there wasn't enough product shots in the ads to please the big wigs - pun intended.

I'm still not sure how much better of a line "It's waaaay better than fast food. It's Wendy's" is compared to "That's Right™". They are fast food. I see where they are trying to take it with the idea of the line, but...just not sure that it works. Plus, note the four "a" spelling of "way". That's important. ;-)

Superadgrunts, check out some of the "That's Right™" commercials:

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Anonymous Adgrunt's picture
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claymore's picture

It's fast food.

caffeinegoddess's picture

"That's Right™" ---- sorry I couldn't help myself. ;)

Allan1's picture

No, "That's Wrong!™". [Or should that be "That's Just Wrong!™".]
;->

Allan...
"Remember, no matter where you go... There you are." (Buckaroo Banzai).
"Hey, barkeep, 2 Rock Over Hip-Hops and 1 Bach Over Vivaldi with ice."

TDD's picture

When I watch those ads, all I see is Pippi Longstocking (Pippi Långstrump).

"Happiness is overrated."

Wendall's picture

Good riddance. That latest one with the cannibals is just painful to watch.

TDD's picture

I agree.

I dug out my old Cultural Anthropology textbook from college just to smack my computer screen with it as the cannibal commercial played. I'm not sure what the point was in doing that, but it felt good to do.

"Happiness is overrated."

Dabitch's picture

Damn right.