Arby's redefines target audience after year-long review

Arby's is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The company got its start in Boardman, Ohio, in 1964 by brothers Forrest and Leroy Raffel, and has since maintained its two brand signatures – the 10-gallon hat and the roast beef sandwich.  

QSRweb.com recently had the chance to talk to Chris Fuller, VP of Brand and Corporate Communications, about the evolution of the brand, the consumer and the restaurant industry in those five decades.

QSRweb.com: In the past 50 years, what has changed the most about the restaurant industry?

Chris Fuller: More than ever before, brands have to continually evolve themselves in order to keep up with the fast-paced consumer demands, changing tastes and new technologies.

QSRweb.com: What has changed the most about the consumer?

CF:Consumers are looking to connect with companies and products through experiences that cater to them on a more personally relevant level.  Over the last year we've taken a deep look at our current guest-base and found that our guests are changing – and we need to change with them.

Since then, we've redefined our target audience to include the best of our present and the best of our future. We call our new target audience the 10 Gallon Hearts.

10 Gallon Hearts share family values and have community ties. They love to have fun, work hard and explore food. They are people ages 18 to 34 and include multicultural Millennials.

QSRweb.com: How has the menu changed to respond to the new consumers?

CF:The product development team at Arby's works hard to not only incorporate variety into our menu, but also create menu options with the signature, craveable taste our guests have come to expect.

Because we have really ramped up the number of new products we are testing (four times the number we used to four years ago), we have been able to deliver even stronger ideas to market.

A great example is the Smokehouse Brisket, which delivered the highest sales impact in recent history behind a highly compelling and unique concept. These are the types of hits we are focused on generating in the future across our menu.

QSRweb.com: What has changed the least about the industry?

CF: This industry is consistent in one respect: people love great-tasting food, and want to get the best quality for the best price. At Arby's we are working to always keep that in the forefront of our thinking and aligned with our brand purpose to ‘Inspire Smiles Through Delicious Experiences.'

QSRweb.com: What is Arby's doing throughout the remainder of the year to mark its anniversary?

CF:Our new advertising campaign that we just rolled out is called "Meatcraft." Meatcraft is a promise to our guests that when they visit an Arby's they will receive a uniquely Arby's experience driven by our passion for handcrafted, cravable sandwiches, sauces and sides that showcase a variety of our meats as they heroes we know they are.

This campaign is just one piece of a large-scale effort to propel our brand in a direction that truly embodies the journey we've been on over the past 50 years and our vision for the years to come.

We have also rolled out a large-scale restaurant redesign effort that's already taking effect in cities across the country.

Arby's has begun reimaging everything from product packaging to menu boards to uniforms and even how we train and develop our teams.

Brand reinvigoration efforts have also included a half-day, offsite Brand Camp session for all restaurant team members. In Brand Camp, team members learn about Arby's purpose, core values, and how they can deliver a better overall guest service experience. Year-to-date, over 20,000 team members have participated in this program and Arby's intends to conduct these sessions for the remainder of the system throughout the balance of the year.

We've also rolled out a three-tiered internal rewards program to reward and motivate team members to become Certified Meatcrafters.

QSRweb.com: What would the company describe as its biggest successes – either by sales or buzz – in the past 50 years?

CF: Since day one, Arby's has been built on its innovation with protein - The Raffel Brothers made Arby's famous by developing a delicious Roast Beef sandwich when other fast food chains were producing burgers.

QSRweb.com: Is there anything the brand would go back and either not do or change?

CF: We are proud of our brand and the history is what makes the story worth telling. We wouldn't be where we are today without having tried new things and learned from mistakes along the way. If we could change anything it would be exploring other proteins even sooner.

QSRweb.com: What trends do you see coming from the industry in both the near and long term?

CF: As consumer tastes and trends continue to evolve at an increasingly faster pace, brands must continuously evolve their own story and how they tell it to keep current and potential guests engaged.

For Arby's, this new campaign is the next evolution of our core story – an inspired way to present our highly differentiated, premium and innovative product to the market. We are inspired by Meatcraft and believe our guests will be as well.

QSRweb.com: What efforts/initiatives is the brand taking to ensure it will be around and competitive for the next 50 years?

CF:At Arby's we pride ourselves on delivering a quality blend of quick-service speed with fast casual, made-for-you care. We believe this, along with our great tasting line up of handcrafted sandwiches, piled high with delicious, top-quality meats and perfectly complemented by our sides and drinks, creates a unique, fast-crafted experience for our guests unlike anything currently available in the QSR category.

Enhanced sales performance across company-owned and franchised restaurants supported by a reimagined restaurant experience and innovative product offerings, combined with an aggressive expansion in the U.S. and, over time, in selected global markets, will enable Arby's to continue to serve, refresh and delight our guests for the next 50 years.