To be effective in Restaruant marketing, you do not need to discount. At the bottom of this page you have a recap of the marketing that Wendy's has done over the last twenty years.

Wendy's has positioned itself as the "Adult Hamburger" with a much better-tasting product than its competition. A hamburger that is fresh and delicious. Wendy's has always prided itself on the speed of its drive-thru window with a product that is "prepared to order".

In 1984, Wendy's introduced the commercial "Where's the Beef?" which was designed to point out that their burgers were bigger, not smaller, than the competition. This commercial was voted the most popular commercial in America in 1984. You can have the best product in the world, but if your Target Market doesn't know it, you will not be a success.

Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's, became the "old fashioned guy" with the "old fashioned philosophy" about quality who stated: "Our hamburgers are the best in the business, or I wouldn't have named the place after my daughter."

This is the type of "Quality" that will have tremendous success without discounting. You must provide real value and then tell the right people.

Wendy's - 20 Years of Marketing Quality

Burger Wars In the summer of 1983, the stage was set for one of the most popular advertising campaigns in Wendy's history. Wendy's decided to enter the "Burger Wars," blasting the competition with several hard-hitting commercials depicting the customer as a victim of "those other hamburger places." Hapless customers were ordered to "Step Aside" or "Park It" and wait for "Frozen Stiff" hamburgers.

Where's the Beef? In January 1984, Wendy's attacked the misconception that its Single Hamburger was smaller than competitors' "big name" hamburgers. Wendy's advertising agency collaborated with acclaimed commercial director Joe Sedelmaier on a campaign that made advertising history: "Where's the Beef!" a total of four commercials featured Clara Peller and sidekicks Mildred Lane and Elizabeth Shaw. "Where's the Beef?" registered the highest consumer awareness levels in the advertising industry's history. It stole the show at the 1984 Clio Awards, winning three of the industry's highest honors. It was voted the most popular commercial in America in 1984. Hamburger A, Hamburger B In June 1987, the company introduced the successful "Hamburger A, Hamburger B" campaign where an interviewer asked people to choose between Hamburger A, a fresh Wendy's hamburger, or Hamburger B, an unappealing hamburger made from frozen beef.

In April, 1989, Dave Thomas returned to the commercials with news about Wendy's latest taste test victory in the hamburger wars. The commercials featured Thomas offering a money back guarantee if consumers didn't agree that Wendy's has the best-tasting hamburgers in the business. This commercial was supported by one of the largest testimonial advertising campaigns in television history. The ads made television stars out of nearly 400 consumers nationwide.

Old Fashioned Guy Next came the "Old Fashioned Guy campaign," featuring Dave in a Wendy's restaurant expounding on his "old fashioned philosophy" about making hamburgers. Inviting people to "Come on in" to Wendy's for an old fashioned hamburger, the commercials ended with Thomas saying, "Our hamburgers are the best in the business, or I wouldn't have named the place after my daughter."

The 1990's and Beyond Dave continues to star in Wendy's advertising. His honesty and old fashioned values shine through and have solidified his — and Wendy's — popularity. His commercials continue to focus on the wide variety of Wendy's menu items, from specialty sandwiches such as Monterey Ranch ChickenTM to the Super Value MenuTM to Fresh Salads to Go. Dave has emerged from Wendy's advertising campaigns as an American folk hero. American consumers find him very approachable and will often stop to shake his hand and say hello. Dave's credibility as a spokesperson has helped Wendy's to consistently record its highest advertising awareness figures, surpassing the phenomenal "Where's the Beef®?" campaign.