After 18 months of homeschooling and working from home, Applebee’s wants people to go out again and enjoy date night.
The brand is encouraging consumers to get out for a date night to the tune of Walker Hayes’ hit song-turned TikTok trend ‘Fancy Like.’ In a nod to the song, Applebee’s wants guests to be “fancy like Applebee’s on a date night” with a “Bourbon Street Steak with the Oreo Shake.”
“With so much noise in the world of restaurants today because everyone is trying to promote deals and recover from the last 18 months, the strategy behind our new campaigns is to focus on the emotional connection that Applebee’s has with its guests,” said Joel Yashinsky, chief marketing officer at Applebee’s. “We believe that it’s important and relevant now more than ever to emotionally connect with guests to show them that we’re truly here for them.”
The campaign includes two different commercials featuring Walker Hayes’ song along with videos of guests dancing at the restaurant including Walker and his daughter cutting the rug.
“We’re targeting everyone in the neighborhood! From our loyal Applebee’s guests to family, friends and music lovers to show them and remind them of all the great times to be had together at their local Applebee’s restaurant,” said Yashinsky.
Applebee’s is also offering specials to help draw people including its $5 Mucho Cocktails and new Summertime Sips. The $2.99 Oreo Cookie Shake also features in the spot.
“By focusing on the emotional connection with guests we hone in on listening to what they want. With the Fancy like ads for example, we’re taking the great music people have come to know and love about our ads and giving our loyal guests the spotlight. Walker even inspired us to bring back a classic menu item, our Oreo Cookie Shake for $2.99 and guests can expect more surprises like that over the coming year,” Yashinsky commented.
“Music is a big part of Applebee’s brand DNA, that’s why as soon as we heard ‘Fancy Like’ and saw the dance videos at our restaurants, we knew we had to do something fun to celebrate this viral sensation.”
