Biggest Ad Winners and Losers: Scale Back Alabama and Church’s Chicken
On the season debut of The Biggest Loser last week, I gave Church’s Chicken a pass when their TV spot ran a few times during the show. After all, it could’ve been a make-good for a recent campaign. Now that we’re into week two of the show multiple spots are running, it seems clear that the placement is intentional.
Photo Terry Ross, through Creative Commons
The spots are not for Church’s new “healthier” menu items. They don’t trumpet the abolition of trans fats from Church’s menu. Instead, they highlight Church’s 99-cent value menu and include drumsticks and biscuits and fried chicken sandwiches.The same spot ran twice during the second hour of tonight’s The Biggest Loser.To be fair, Church’s wasn’t the only fast food restaurant promoting cheap, less healthy food. Its menu just seems the most egregious. There were two spots during the show for Arby’s 4 for $5 promotion, which includes an Apple Turnover, Jamocha Shake and popcorn chicken. Zaxby’s ran a spot promoting its boneless wings meal, a (1,091-calorie travesty BEFORE the soft drink) with Bella Karolyi. Quizno’s touted a host of items on its menu with lower prices, but seems to acknowledge that its customers may be looking for healthier alternatives.
Perhaps the four media buyers placing these campaigns are buying straight by the numbers. The Biggest Loser is now in Season 7 and casting Season 8. No doubt it can deliver some quality impressions across broad demographics. Beyond demographics, one might argue that the audience is psychographically perfect for these quick-service restaurants. Given recent studies and projections on obesity, it’s fair to assume that anyone watching a 2-hour block of TV on a Tuesday night is likely to be a regular QSR customer. Their interest in the show doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve adopted a vegetarian diet and rigorous exercise plan.
Still, these spots are dramatically inconsistent with the message of The Biggest Loser and even their fellow advertisers. Subway has product placement on the show for its healthy sandwiches. In tonight’s episode, one contestant was shamed for eating two hot dogs and fries back at home. While the TapScan numbers may make perfect sense for these QSRs to promote their standard fare on The Biggest Loser, one has to wonder the impact on their brands. Just as Allie, the show’s host, tempts contestants with sweets or even cash to leave the show, are these restaurants fostering long-term resentment of their brands by airing these spots in the middle of an otherwise positive broadcast?
It would be bad form to advertise Budweiser during A & E’s Intervention or credit cards during Dave Ramsey. Similarly, these restaurants, it seems, could be paying to generate negative brand equity. Ironically, the time they’re buying is a huge opportunity. They could be placing spots consistent with the show’s theme and the audience’s attitudes. Whether they’re missing out because of nationally defined promotional windows or poor media buying, it’s more than a missed opportunity.
On a positive note, Scale Back Alabama’s new spot also ran during The Biggest Loser, taking advantage of the association with former contestant Roger Shultz. Naturally, that spot is consistent with the show’s overall theme and casts the state as a motivated “Rocky,” inspired by Shultz’s “Mickey.” Kudos to Luckie and Company on the production at familiar Birmingham sites including Morris Avenue and Samford.