One of my primary beats to cover is marketing. It’s appropriate, given that I worked on a marketing team for about seven years at the University of Louisville.
In that role, one of my biggest directives was to create, justify, and refine the marketing and content calendars. I quickly learned just how difficult that was; you’ve got to be pretty nimble, and I like knowing what to expect (ironically, as I deal in breaking news). The point is, it’s hard to keep up when the calendar gets crowded, as it does for restaurants around spring and summer — Mother’s Day, the mother of traffic! Graduation! Father’s Day! Summer Solstice! Summer hiring campaigns! National Fried Chicken Day! National French Fry Day. Etc.!
(Marketers also have to keep an eye on when the first Pumpkin Spice Latte drops because that is encroaching into summer more every year).
This year we have made extra space for not just the Fourth of July, but the 250th Fourth of July! The industry certainly answered that call. It has also answered calls for the FIFA Men’s World Cup and a full season of blockbuster movie releases (oh, and Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding). Because of these additional special occasions, overall U.S. advertising spending is projected to grow about 9.5% in 2026.
Mix in the fact that there has been a record number of limited time offer launches in the past few years, with no end in sight there, and the calendar has been downright dizzying for restaurant marketers.
In this environment, I challenge anyone to come up with a more daunting task than generating creative and differentiated ideas to generate sales and traffic. (Though I acknowledge that those in charge of menu pricing are also to be admired at this moment, as are operators juggling more channels and campaigns than ever).
Unfortunately, traffic remains down despite the increase in promotional incentives and the abundance of creativity. A report last week from Citi showed that U.S. restaurant traffic fell 2% in late June. This should concern every marketer.
Is it the result of too much noise and too many restaurants? For sure.
Is it a bigger sign that consumers are even more tapped out than they have been in recent (also slow traffic) months? Also, probably. Consumer sentiment has been flirting with historic lows for months now and a big chunk of Americans are struggling.
Neither scenario has an easy solution. You don’t want to be the only chain without an America 250 deal. You certainly don’t want to avoid value when about one-third of all restaurant visits are now driven by a deal.
During a recent webinar, Technomic Senior Principal and VP of Innovation Rich Shank said the industry needs a value proposition reset this year as the current environment (largely driven by tiered pricing) has become too crowded. What does such a shift look like? Is it an adult meal tied to a culturally relevant IP, some new sauces, and a collectible cup? Is it a new opportunity to mix-and-match meals or bundle a variety of menu options for a consistent price? Is it a gamified or exclusive experience on the app?
All these strategies are currently in play by chains across every segment. Some have found winning formulas for driving sales and traffic. But this industry tends to be a copycat industry. Once such a code is cracked, others follow at full speed, which is how we got to the reset phase in the first place.
Perhaps the ultimate lesson here is to embrace a fail-fast environment. Jumping into a marketing trend too late and you’ll simply add to the noise rather than stand out from it. Speed and differentiation matter more than ever in this crowded marketplace.
Contact Alicia Kelso at Alicia.Kelso@informa.com
Follow her on TikTok: @aliciakelso