Marketing
Virtual experiences + '90s nostalgia = perfect Valentine's Day for Shake Shack, Panera
Shake Shack and Panera bread are combining virtual experiences with '90s nostalgia to win customers' hearts on Valentine's Day.
February 12, 2021 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
Valentine's Day has always been a popular holiday for dining out, and although the pandemic is changing the way we're celebrating, fast casuals are getting more love than ever, considering fine-dining isn't an option for so many this year.
In fact, UK-based GlobalData anticipated an explosion of interest in romantic meal kits as people seek to create intimate, restaurant-quality dinners at home.
"Throughout 2020, we saw a significant shift towards people recreating out-of-home experiences within the home," Ryan Whittaker, GlobalData consumer analyst said. "As consumers in 2021 are still unable to visit their favorite restaurants, we expect many will buy the next best thing — Valentine's meal kits to recreate at home."
We love the '90s
Shake Shack and Panera Bread are doing their best to entice customers to include them in their at-home Valentine's Day celebrations by relying on a bit of 1990s nostalgia.
Shake Shack, for example, has partnered with '90s R&B group, Boys II Men, while Panera has tapped one of the decade's favorite couples, Corey and Topanga from the TV show, "Boy Meets World."
"Boyz II Men is a great partner for this campaign because so much of their music is about romance and special moments," Shake Shack CMO Jay Livingston told FastCasual. "They are really a perfect partner for Valentine's Day. And many of our fans are dining at home this year, so we're hoping this partnership helps bring a little romance into this unusual year."
The partnership includes the Berryz II Men shake, a chocolate-covered-strawberry shake, available through Feb. 14, as well as a virtual performance by Boys II Men at 5 p.m. on Facebook and Instagram.
"We thought there was no better way to put a fresh spin on Valentine's Day than looking back to the '90s, which have become associated with a more lighthearted, fun era," Livingston said.
The marketing team at Panera agreed; its latest campaign is an ode to the beloved Friday night TV block of the '90s. The TGIF (Thank God It's Flatbread) promo code gives customers 50% off any flatbread from Feb. 9-19 when they enter the promo code in the Panera app. The chain also teamed up with Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel — best known as Cory and Topanga from "Boy Meets World" — to create a pizza-fueled digital short, "Forever Flatbreads." Directed by Fred Savage, the rom-com features the on-screen love duo serendipitously reuniting at a Panera and falling in love all over again via Panera's Pepperoni Flatbread.
"During these crazy times pop culture nostalgia feels like a great big hug for the past," marketing guru Stacey Kane told FastCasual. "It reminds people of 'simpler' times regardless if you lived through then or not. The explosion in popularity of 90's tv shows like, 'Friends' due to access via streaming services and style trends such as doc martens combat boots proves that everything old is new again."
And if smaller brands can't afford expensive collaborations, they can still get a piece of the '90s action by incorporating well-known references from '80s or '90s TV shows, movies and music.
"My only advice is don't go too obscure in the way back time machine, and make sure that anything you do meets current cultural norms," said Kane, who has worked over a variety of fast casual brands over the years.
Whittaker said themed meal kits and cocktails were a great way to attract customers.
"People like to engage with brands that make their at-home experience better, more exciting or funny," he said. "Restaurants, pubs and bars still have a golden opportunity to capture at-home consumption share from supermarkets and other retailers by offering something the supermarkets cannot; in-speriences will be a solid investment until the end of lockdowns and likely beyond.
"Innovating at-home experiences will provide a much-needed boost to local pubs and restaurants, which will be vital for their survival in 2021."
About Cherryh Cansler
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