Any chance you can name the current tagline for Wendy's? If I asked this just a month ago, you would have correctly said, "It's waaaay better than fast food, it's Wendy's." But what was correct a month ago is not correct now.

Wendy's, like most large corporations, no doubt reviewed several campaign themes before settling on the "waaaay better" idea. And like most large corporations, Wendy's probably did some follow-up research after launching and executing that campaign for a few months. Apparently, the results were less than spectacular, because the tagline abruptly changed.

Now, in the same media and same frequency of advertising as before, we hear a jingle saying, "You know when it's real."

What to learn? If something's not working, pull the plug! But don't leave a vaccuum, fill the void with something better!

Wendy's no doubt had the "real" theme waiting in the wings, a second choice in case of emergency. And based on audience response to their previous theme, they decided they had to change course.

I'm not going to do an autopsy on their "waaaay better than fast food" theme, other than to say Subway has pretty well established that same positioning ("Eat Fresh"), and a burger joint was going to have trouble inhabiting the same property.

The lesson for us is to be aware when our efforts are falling flat, and have a backup plan so one stumble doesn't lose you too much ground. I have a vibe that Wendy's latest campaign will work a little better for them. Is your backup plan ready too?

Labels: advertising, management, marketing, messaging, strategy