Dickey’s Barbeque Restaurants launched its first multimedia advertising campaign with the new tag line “We Speak Barbecue,” which effectively uses both music and visuals to leverage the craftsmanship and heritage associated with the brand across multiple platforms.

The launch of the “We Speak Barbecue” operation marks the most significant repositioning effort in the company’s 73-year history. Created by Dickey’s in-house marketing team, the creative platform debuts the new motto and includes multiple 30-second national television spots, radio advertisements and a digital campaign aimed at showing consumers how the brand starts the slow-smoking process long before guests arrive.

“Consumer’s interactions and control over media consumption continues to evolve rapidly,” said Christie Finley, chief brand officer at Dickey’s. “Ensuring our campaign  messaging  is relevant and compelling across all channels that our target market interacts with regularly is pivotal to our campaign’s success.”

“The social aspect to our campaign gives our guests an opportunity to interact with our brand campaign on multiple platforms.  It also allows us to expand the story through guest engagement and really personalize the campaign for consumers,” she said.

Slow roast
The television spot features a reverse deconstruction technique and also a signature new song, “Take Me Back.”

Commercial content

In conjunction, Dickey’s is also launching a social media contest that asks guests “What is barbecue to you?” and incentivizes them to upload a photo or video on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #WeSpeakBarbecue for a chance to win a year of free barbeque.

Picking effective channels well is important when considering multichannel marketing. Sending out marketing materials on multiple channels does not mean a company running a multichannel campaign; it has to combine the channels to extend the reach of the marketing.

By adding social media activations, Dickey’s encourages consumers to interact and share with their social media profiles, and broadens the reach of its message by attempting to redirect them to other material on YouTube and their native homepage.

“The omni-channel dynamic has taken over retail in recent years, but now has a new entrant which is social,” said Djamel Agaoua, CEO of MobPartner. “Retailers are just starting to address social in a distinct way versus simply integrating it into their omnichannel mix.”

The great thing about linking to digital is it provides analytics that can be used to learn what marketing constituents are working the best for a brand. The integrated promotion further demonstrates how any marketing initiative should be an extension of a brand with consistency from the start to create trust via imagery, the type of language used and prices advertised across different mediums.

Holistic performance
A mix of channels is now required to elicit interest from consumers in a variety of situations both on and offline, but many brands continue to struggle in creating an integrated campaign that delivers a consistent message across all disseminations.

According to a recent IBM survey, almost four in 10 marketers are failing to adopt a unified approach that is not hindered by poor or inconsistent experiences. A lack of multichannel integration results in nearly $83 billion in lost sales each year, the report said.

Part of the problem derives from the naïve mindset that longer-established channels such as print and outdoor need to be separated from new ones such as social media. However there should not be a divider between online and offline, but rather a marriage between channels and the different roles they play in supporting each other.

Marketers also need to understand their audience before embarking on a campaign and learn how their fans prefer to engage before using a platform for the sake of it. For instance, Facebook “likes” are unlikely to yield results if they do not point to brand page visits or increased foot-traffic. And while print may attract attention, it can be supported by interactive and digital elements to bring that message to life.

Moreover, digital media has caused a shift from awareness creation to engagement, where it is no longer enough to simply tell a consumer in an age where they expect to be engaged. For this reason, stagnant advertising no long captures the imagination of consumers.

Many brands also need to tailor content according to each channel and should avoid using the same strategy across print and digital platforms.

A still frame from a TV commercial posted onto a Facebook page may be cost effective but does not excite fans, comes across as lazy, and misses the opportunity the medium form offers.

The real challenge for marketers is to ensure brand messages are consistent when delivered on different channels. When print and digital are fused, if the messages are different they will cause confusion.

“We strive to convey the essence of our brand, staying true to our roots and using visual techniques to really capture everything that goes into preparing authentic barbecue,” Ms. Finley said.

“We are focused on creating a consistent consumer experience that is reflective of our brand promise across all digital channels.”

“In addition, our web site is optimized for mobile access to ensure a positive guest experience and our digital advertising is geo-fenced so that users will be served a Dickey’s digital ad on various sites when they are within 10 miles of one of our restaurants,” she said.

Final Take
Michelle is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York