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A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger Campaign October 25 th , 2018 Prepared For: Geoffrey Bird MKTG 3339, Danielle Wilson MKTG 3317 and Erin Whittle MKTG 3320 Prepared By: Mostly Caffeinated Sally Hang, Connor Jameson, Adarsh Siddiqui, Katlin Walters, Sharon Zakerhaghighi

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Page 1: A&W’s eyond Meat urger ampaignwalterskatlin.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AW... · 2013 and 2018. A Shift in consumer preferences has led industry members to adjust their menus

A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger Campaign

October 25th, 2018

Prepared For:

Geoffrey Bird MKTG 3339, Danielle Wilson MKTG 3317 and Erin Whittle MKTG 3320

Prepared By:

Mostly Caffeinated

Sally Hang, Connor Jameson, Adarsh Siddiqui, Katlin Walters, Sharon Zakerhaghighi

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Executive Summary

A&W entered the Canadian market in 1956 with a location in Winnipeg and has expanded to over 930

stores nationwide. They are the 2nd largest hamburger chain in Canada. The Canadian Quick Service

Restaurant (QSR) industry has an average growth rate of 4% annually while earning $26.2 billion between

2013 and 2018. A Shift in consumer preferences has led industry members to adjust their menus and add

healthier options to stay competitive.

The Beyond Meat Burger competes nationwide with other QSR health-conscious food alternatives. Similar

in ingredients and price, Triple O’s vegetarian burger, and Burger King’s “BK Veggie Burger” is its primary

competitors. Indirect competition comes from “health casual” QSR’s, and secondary alternative menu

items: McDonalds Garden Fresh Salad and Freshii’s Baja Burrito.

The Marketing objective for the Beyond Meat Burger was to increase revenue by 8.35 percent for Q3

2018. To achieve the marketing objective, the campaign set multiple communication objectives.

Launching a new product, A&W had a communication objective to educate and inform its target audience

about its new offering. This communication objective was achieved by creating and delivering content

with educational information about the Beyond Meat Burger. It was promoted using a variety of tactics

carefully chosen to best resonate with their target audience.

The campaign targeted Canadian health conscious millennial female “Flexitarians” whose dietary

decisions are made based on their personal values.

The plant-based protein burger, sourced from the California-based company Beyond Meat can be

customized, served with or without cheese, and with a traditional bun or lettuce wrap. A&W uses a

“more for more” pricing strategy. For $6.99 ($7.99 with cheese) the product costs more than traditional

QSR offerings but reflects A&W’s commitment to providing quality ingredients. Using an intensive

distribution strategy, the Beyond Meat Burger was available at all of A&W’s 930 locations nationwide.

A&W has also partnered with Uber Eats for home delivery.

The Beyond Meat Burger campaign made use of both traditional and digital advertising, as well as

strategic public relation tools. Social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were

utilized as a cost-effective way to reach their target audience. Word of mouth, influencers, and bloggers

all helped A&W reach their communication objectives for the campaign.

Part two of this report will include an evaluation of the Beyond Meat Burger campaign. It will evaluate

their performance in comparison to their marketing and communications objectives. Part two will also

include recommendations for a future campaign.

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................ i

Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... ii

Table of Figures ............................................................................................................................................ iv

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1

Organization Overview .................................................................................................................................. 1

Background ............................................................................................................................................... 1

Marketing Mix ........................................................................................................................................... 2

Competitive Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 3

About the Industry .................................................................................................................................... 3

Direct Competitors .................................................................................................................................... 4

Indirect Competitors ................................................................................................................................. 5

Target Market ................................................................................................................................................ 6

Demographic ............................................................................................................................................. 6

Geographic ................................................................................................................................................ 6

Psychographic ........................................................................................................................................... 6

Behavioural ............................................................................................................................................... 7

SWOT ............................................................................................................................................................. 7

Strengths ................................................................................................................................................... 7

Weaknesses ............................................................................................................................................... 8

Opportunities ............................................................................................................................................ 8

Threats ...................................................................................................................................................... 9

Objectives ...................................................................................................................................................... 9

Marketing Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 9

Communications Objectives .................................................................................................................... 10

Campaign Overview..................................................................................................................................... 10

Tactics.......................................................................................................................................................... 11

Digital Marketing ..................................................................................................................................... 11

Public Relations ....................................................................................................................................... 11

Traditional Media .................................................................................................................................... 12

Event Marketing ...................................................................................................................................... 12

Digital Marketing Tactics ............................................................................................................................. 12

Website ................................................................................................................................................... 12

Landing Page ........................................................................................................................................... 13

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SEO and SEM ........................................................................................................................................... 13

Online Advertising ................................................................................................................................... 13

Email Marketing ...................................................................................................................................... 13

Content Strategy ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Display Advertising .................................................................................................................................. 14

Mobile Marketing .................................................................................................................................... 14

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 14

Appendix A: Posters, Flyers, and Coupons .................................................................................................. 15

Appendix B: Positioning Grid ....................................................................................................................... 18

Appendix C: Weekly Hours Spent Online by Millennials in Canada ............................................................. 19

Appendix D: Calculations for Marketing Objective ...................................................................................... 20

Appendix E: Media Releases ........................................................................................................................ 21

Appendix F: Traditional Media Samples ...................................................................................................... 23

Appendix G: Beyond Meat Burger Pre-Launch Event in Toronto Images .................................................... 24

Appendix H: Comparison of Website Speed Between A&W, Burger King and Triple O’s ............................ 26

Appendix I: A&W Landing Page Image ........................................................................................................ 30

Appendix J: SEO and SEM Keywords used for Beyond Meat Burger Campaign .......................................... 31

Appendix K: Mobile Advertisement Sample ................................................................................................ 33

Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 34

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Table of Figures Figure 1: A&W coupons for beyond meat burger on mobile application .................................................... 15

Figure 2: Mobile coupon for A&W's beyond meat burger combo .............................................................. 15

Figure 3: A&W's direct mail for beyond meat burger .................................................................................. 16

Figure 4: A&W's in-store poster for beyond meat burger ........................................................................... 16

Figure 5: A&W's email sign up for digital deals ........................................................................................... 17

Figure 6: How A&W positions itself relative to its competitors in the Canadian QSR landscape ................ 18

Figure 7: Average weekly time spent on the internet according to millennial users ................................... 19

Figure 8: A&W sales growth between 2016 and 2018 ................................................................................ 20

Figure 9: A&W's media release for beyond meat burger on CNW .............................................................. 21

Figure 10: A&W's media release for beyond meat burger on CNW ............................................................ 21

Figure 11: A&W's media release for beyond meat burger on CNW ............................................................ 22

Figure 12: A&W's beyond meat commercial airing nationwide .................................................................. 23

Figure 13: Erin Ireland at the Beyond Meat Pre-launch in Toronto ............................................................. 24

Figure 14: Video of Erin Ireland tasting the beyond meat burger at the Toronto pre-launch ..................... 24

Figure 15: Lauren Toyota at the A&W pre-launch event in Toronto ........................................................... 25

Figure 16: A&W's website page speed and optimization for desktop ......................................................... 26

Figure 17: A&W's website page speed and optimization for desktop ......................................................... 26

Figure 18: A&W's website page speed and optimization for beyond meat burger landing page on desktop

.................................................................................................................................................................... 27

Figure 19: A&W's website page speed and optimization for beyond meat burger landing page on mobile

.................................................................................................................................................................... 27

Figure 20: Burger King's website page speed and optimization for veggie burger on desktop ................... 28

Figure 21: Triple O's website page speed and optimization for veggie burger on desktop ......................... 28

Figure 22: Triple O's website page speed and optimization for veggie burger on mobile ........................... 29

Figure 24: A&W's online landing page for Beyond Meat Burger ................................................................. 30

Figure 25: SEO keywords used by A&W's Beyond Meat Burger for organic search ................................... 31

Figure 26: Page traffic for A&W's website ................................................................................................... 31

Figure 27: A&W's zero SEM result ............................................................................................................... 32

Figure 23: A&W's paid mobile advertisement on Instagram ....................................................................... 33

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Introduction

This report outlines and evaluates A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger campaign that commenced on July 9, 2018. This report has been authorized and requested by Geoffrey Bird, Danielle Wilson, and Erin Whittle for MKTG 3339, MKTG 3317 and MKTG 3320 course requirements. The report focuses on analyzing both internal and external tactics that drove the success of the campaign. This report does not include an evaluation of the success of the campaign, but rather discusses the tactics and promotional tools used during the campaign, as well as A&W’s objectives of the campaign. Primary research was conducted by contacting Megan Park, A&W’s Account Manager at Rethink Canada. Secondary research was conducted using online sources including IBIS World, Statista and Statistics Canada. The report contains the following sections:

Organization Overview

Competitive Analysis

Target Market

SWOT Analysis

Objectives

Campaign Overview

Tactics

Organization Overview

“At A&W, we're on a journey to source simple, great-tasting ingredients, farmed with care. We're proud to have high standards when it comes to our food and you can taste it in everything we serve. It's all part of our commitment to serve you food you can feel

good about” – A&W Mission Statement

A&W is a leader in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry and has committed itself to source simple, all-natural ingredients its customers can feel good about (A&W Canada, 2018). In 2013, A&W redirected its strategic initiatives to reposition and differentiate itself by using “better ingredients” – this included offering hormone and steroid-free meat, free of additives, fillers or preservatives (A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund, 2018).

Background A&W began operations in the United States and entered the Canadian market in 1956 with its first

locations in Winnipeg and Montreal (A&W Canada, 2018). The company became completely independent

from the American operations when A&W Canada was purchased by Unilever in 1972, followed by being

purchased by its North Vancouver-based management in 1995 (A&W Canada, 2018). A&W has grown

significantly in Canada – largely via a franchise model – and now has over 930 locations across the

country. A&W strives to use high-quality, ethically-sourced ingredients in their food so that its customers

can feel good about consuming their products (A&W Canada, 2018).

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Marketing Mix

For A&W to have completed a successful campaign for the Beyond Meat Burger, it needed to understand

the fundamentals of their product, price, place, and promotional strategies.

Product

A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger is made using 100 percent plant-based protein, which includes peas, rice,

mung beans, coconut oil, pomegranates, potatoes, apples and beets (A&W Canada, 2018). The patty is

not made by A&W itself but is sourced from a private, fast growing, California-based company, Beyond

Meat (Grief, 2018). The Beyond Meat patty is accompanied by lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles,

ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, and can come on either a sesame-seed bun or inside a lettuce wrap

(Takeuchi, 2018).

The Beyond Meat Burger is new to the Canadian market – it was first introduced on July 9, 2018 (A&W

Food Services of Canada Inc., 2018) and has moved through the introduction stage of the product

lifecycle (Product Lifecycle Stages, 2018). During this stage, A&W established branding and product

quality for the burger, as well as secured exclusive rights to the patty (Park, 2018).

Price

The Beyond Meat Burger (not including cheese) is sold for $6.99, and $7.99 with cheese included (A&W

Canada, 2018). A&W uses a premium pricing strategy, charging a higher price than its direct competitors.

The Beyond Meat Burger is positioned as a premium burger using “better ingredients” (A&W Revenue

Royalties Income Fund, 2018) – the pricing reflects A&W’s commitment to using high-quality ingredients

to create a high quality, healthier fast-food option (A&W Canada, 2018).

Place

A&W is a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) and offers the Beyond Meat Burger at all of its 930 locations

nationwide, which are a mix of stand-alone restaurants or counters in malls and food courts (A&W, 2018).

A&W uses an intensive distribution strategy, offering the Beyond Meat Burger at all of its locations

(LearnMarketing, 2018). In addition, A&W recently partnered with Uber Eats to provide home food

delivery (A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund, 2018). The Beyond Meat patty is exclusive to A&W – no

other QSRs in Canada have access to the product due to a non-compete clause. However, the Beyond

Meat patty is sold through premium casual restaurants in Canada, such as Heirloom and Meet in

Vancouver.

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Promotion

Both traditional and digital advertising mediums were used to promote the Beyond Meat Burger

campaign.

Traditional According to information provided by Megan Park, the A&W Account Manager at Rethink Canada,

traditional advertising mediums such as posters, flyers, coupons, radio and television advertisements

were used to promote the Beyond Meat Burger campaign. Posters were displayed in store locations and

were posted in train stations. Flyers and coupons were distributed through direct mail and throughout

various A&W locations throughout Canada. To see examples of flyers and coupons used during the

Beyond Meat Campaign, please see Appendix A.

Radio advertisements were aired on radio stations playing “adult contemporary music” such as Cornwall

Ontario’s 104.5 Fresh Radio (Fresh Radio, 2018), and Kelowna British Columbia’s 103-1 Beach Radio

(Beach Radio, 2018). Television advertisements were also used to increase reach to help create

awareness and of the Beyond Meat Burger (A&W, 2018).

Digital According to information provided by Megan Park, the Beyond Meat Burger’s promotional strategy relied

heavily on digital advertising tools, including email, YouTube advertisements, and sponsored social media

advertisements. A&W used two main influencers to promote the Beyond Meat Burger on social media:

Erin Ireland and Jillian Harris.

Competitive Analysis To investigate the competitive landscape of the QSR industry in Canada, this section analyzes A&W’s main

direct and indirect competitors for the Beyond Meat Burger and explores the factors that affect the

company’s competitive advantage.

About the Industry The Canadian QSR industry is estimated to have generated $26.2 billion in revenue from 2013 to 2018

and is categorized as being highly competitive with low barriers to entry (IBIS World, 2018). Over the past

five years, the Canadian QSR industry has experienced a steady expansion despite a shift in consumer

preferences as people become more health conscious and increasingly demand more sustainably sourced

foods; Canadians increasingly want high quality, ethically sourced ingredients (IBIS World, 2018).

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Overall, the Canadian fast food industry has expanded at a steady annual growth rate of four percent (IBIS

World, 2018). As consumer’s habits have been changing in recent years, major QSR players have had to

revamp their menu offerings to offer healthier and more sustainable food options to remain relevant

(Hennessy, 2016). Appendix B describes how A&W and its competitors position themselves in the market.

Direct Competitors A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger’s direct competitors include Triple O’s and Burger King. These companies are

the only other QSR companies in Canada that offer plant and vegetable-based burger options.

Triple O’s

Triple O’s is an extension of Canada’s longest-running restaurant chain, White Spot (White Spot, 2018).

White Spot launched Triple O’s to offer a faster and more convenient way for consumers to enjoy their

burgers and fries on-the-go (White Spot, 2018). With annual revenue of $100 to $500 million, Triple O’s

has become a well-established Canadian fast food restaurant (Glassdoor, 2018). In 2012, Triple O’s added

a vegetarian burger option to their menu, the Veggie Burger (The Other Press, 2015).

Triple O’s Veggie Burger is A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger’s main direct competitor. It is made from a

combination of brown rice, mushrooms, and onions, and has been described as having similar flavors to

an all-beef patty (The Other Press, 2015). Triple O’s also provides an option to substitute the bun for

lettuce (Triple O's, 2014). This menu addition was created in response to a change in Canadian consumer

preferences and was a contributing factor in A&W’s decision to create the Beyond Meat Burger (Sou,

2012).

Burger King

Burger King is an American fast food company operating in Canada that specializes in hamburgers and

fries. Like Triple O’s, Burger King has a vegetarian burger option on its menu: the BK Veggie Burger. The

BK Veggie Burger has a vegetable and soy-based patty which also contains egg whites and milk. Although

the BK Veggie burger is not vegan, it is still a healthier meatless burger alternative to the company’s other

burgers available to consumers interested in reducing their meat consumption (Fooducate, 2014).

Burger King is a well-established brand that has been in the Canadian Fast Food industry since 1968

(Burger King, 2009). As a result, Burger King has been competing to catch consumers’ attention with their

healthier vegetarian burger option and can distract consumers’ attention from A&W’s Beyond Meat

Burger.

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Competitive Advantages and Disadvantages

A&W faces several advantages and disadvantages in relation to their competition despite offering a

higher quality product.

Advantages: A&W is the first Canadian QSR operator to introduce a 100% plant-based burger patty to the

Canadian market. Being the first, it has established itself in the minds of its consumers giving it an

advantage over its competitors.

Disadvantages: Triple O’s and Burger King both offer products directly interchangeable with the Beyond

Meat Burger and therefore have the potential to steal market share from A&W. If A&W were to run out

of the Beyond Meat Burger, as it did after its initial launch, A&W’s customers could look elsewhere for an

equivalent QSR vegetarian option.

Indirect Competitors This section focuses on companies that offer products that satisfy the same need as the Beyond Meat

Burger – i.e. healthier, non-meat food alternatives. Although these companies do not offer products that

are directly interchangeable with A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger, they still have the potential to satisfy the

same needs of A&W’s target audience.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s Canada is Canada’s largest QSR operator, owning 17 percent of the Canadian QSR industry’s

market share and serving 2.5 million people daily across more than 1,400 locations nationwide (IBIS

World, 2018).

McDonald’s Garden-Fresh Salad is A&W’s main indirect competitor from the McDonald’s brand. Both

products satisfy the same need of the target audience, which is to have a healthy food option in a quick

service environment, but with a different product.

Freshii

Freshii is a Canadian health-casual QSR franchise founded in 2005 offering consumers a healthy, high-

quality food alternative at a higher price point relative to other QSRs (Freshii, 2018). Freshii’s high-

protein, vegetarian Baja Burrito is one of A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger’s indirect competitors. The Baja

Burrito is a vegetarian dietician recommended product (Huff Post, 2015), that has the potential to take

consumers’ attention away from the Beyond Meat Burger. Freshii’s mission statement is “to help citizens

of the world live better by making healthy food convenient and affordable” (Freshii, 2018). Freshii offers

health-conscious foods which allow the company to portray its brand as a healthier alternative to

companies like A&W.

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Target Market A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger campaign targeted one main audience – flexitarians. Flexitarians are defined

as individuals (primarily millennials), whose dietary decisions lean toward “eat[ing] healthier, [to] prevent

animal suffering and fight climate change” (Rinaldi, 2015). By targeting this segment, A&W sought to

deliver its brand proposition, “Good food makes good food” to its target market.

This section expands on the demographic, geographic, psychographic, and behavioural segments of the

target audience.

Demographic

Millennial flexitarians are defined as individuals between the ages of 18 to 35 years old. According to

Megan Park, A&W’s target segment was millennial female flexitarians. This segment consists of 4,188,000

females, or 11.4 percent of the Canadian population (Statistics Canada, 2016). The 2016 Canadian Census

shows that 40.7 percent of females in this age group have a bachelor’s degree or higher (Statistics

Canada, 2017). An article published by Science Daily stated that people with a higher level of education

make healthier dietary choices (Science Daily, 2013), making them more likely to choose a healthier,

more socially conscious food decision when eating at a QSR.

A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger campaign targeted Canadian millennial women aged 18 to 35 with an

average income above ~$40,000 (Statistics Canada, 2016) (Hodges & Brown, 2015). People with an above

average income are more likely to purchase healthier options, which tend to be costlier (Rae, 2018).

Geographic The A&W Beyond Meat Burger campaign ran nationwide. The campaign primarily targeted health-

conscious millennial women from the ages of 18 to 35 located within major parts of Canada. A Canadian

trend shows that female millennials are moving to major urban areas such as Toronto, Montreal, Calgary,

Waterloo, and Kelowna (Huffington Post, 2017).

Psychographic

Millennial flexitarians “consider the food source, animal welfare issues, and environmental impacts when

making their purchasing decisions”. This group of consumers values the protection of the planet and

want to ensure that animals are being treated humanely (Pellman Roland, 2018).

For many of them, purchase decisions are heavily influenced by reviews, technologies and especially by

their peers because of millennials “inherent distrust of brands and traditional advertising” (Arnold, 2017).

Millennials are more likely to trust the reviews of their peers and their preferred social media influencers

when learning about new brands and products (Join Marketing, 2018). This allows social media

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influencers to create long-term, meaningful relationships with their audience by creating content that is

relatable, trustworthy, and engaging (Join Marketing, 2018).

Millennials are budget conscious consumers; however, they are willing to spend more on items deemed

important or having a perceived higher value (Goldman Sachs, 2018). A large portion of this group makes

their purchasing decisions based on information gathered from blogs or other compelling online content

sources and are not as influenced by traditional advertising (Schawbel, 2015). They are highly engaged on

social media spending 8.1 hours per week on YouTube, 7.4 hours on Netflix, 7.3 hours on Facebook, and

3.9 hours on Instagram (eMarketer, 2018). Please see Appendix C, for more information regarding

millennial social media usage.

Behavioural

Millennials are spending more, but they have low loyalty to brands because they are price conscious and

highly “exposed to price promotions” (International Journal of Marketing Studies, 2017). However, a

survey conducted by Bustle states that millennials demonstrate brand loyalty if they are purchasing

“products that are environmentally-friendly” (Richards, 2017). For products that align with their values,

millennials are quick to become brand “evangelists” using word-of-mouth marketing for both their

positive or negative experiences (Norris, 2016).

Female flexitarians are socially conscious, interested in converting to healthier, more plant-based diets,

and are willing to pay a higher price for higher quality (Pellman Roland, 2018). They want to know where

their food – particularly protein – comes from and they want to feel good about what they eat. They also

want ethically sourced safe, healthy food with a small environmental footprint (Pellman Roland, 2018).

It is important to note, however, that this group still eats meat. Their decision to move to a plant-based

diet is because they care about what they eat, they care about their resulting environmental impact, and

they want to feel that they are making environmentally-friendly decisions (William-Ross, 2018).

SWOT

A&W’s and its Beyond Meat Burger’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are discussed

below.

Strengths Reputation: Over the last 60 years, A&W has established a strong presence as a QSR and is Canada’s

second-largest QSR operation (Martin, 2018). Being a well-known and trusted Canadian brand helps build

relationships with Canadian consumers looking to support Canadian businesses.

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Transparency and Trust: A&W takes special care in its preparation, using only the freshest, high-quality

ingredients. By focusing on better ingredients, reducing its environmental impact (with initiatives such as

eliminating the use of plastic straws), not using hormones and steroids in their beef, and antibiotics in

their chicken, the company reinforces customer trust (Skerritt, 2018).

Business Strategy and Value Proposition: Beginning in 2013, A&W shifted its strategic initiatives, including

repositioning and differentiating the A&W brand by using “better ingredients” (A&W Revenue Royalties

Income Fund, 2018). The company has been successful in communicating its value proposition through all

their customer touchpoints.

Strong Partnerships: A&W has an exclusive partnership with Beyond Meat, the producer and supplier of

the Beyond Meat Burger patty (Park, 2018). This exclusive partnership has given the company a

competitive advantage in Canada as no other QSR operator can sell this product in Canada.

Weaknesses

Availability and Quantity of Raw Materials: A&W sales are dependent on the availability and quantity of

raw materials used in products sold by A&W, resulting in heavy reliance on third-party food suppliers

(A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund, 2018). A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger is manufactured by the

California-based company, Beyond Meat. Less than six weeks after launching the Beyond Meat Burger,

A&W ran out of patties, leading to a supply gap that lasted several weeks until its relaunch on October 1,

2018 (A&W Food Services of Canada Inc., 2018). A disruption in the supply of certain products to A&W

could have an adverse effect on sales.

Rebranding and Re-strategizing: Since 2013, A&W has been working towards repositioning itself in the

QSR landscape to appeal more to the millennial consumer (A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund, 2018).

Historically, A&W has marketed itself to the traditional burger-loving Baby Boomer, but with this strategic

change, A&W needs to reestablish its core customer base. As a result, A&W’s success is now dependent

on millennial tastes and preferences (Hemmadi, 2017).

Opportunities

Shift Towards Socially Conscious Purchasing Behaviour: Canadian Millennials are seeking out more

information about their food: they care about the supply chain and how their food gets to them. They

have a desire for ethically sourced food from sustainable farms and companies. “Where does it come

from” and “how has it been made” are key questions (Massow, Weersink, McAdams, & University of

Guelph, 2018). A&W has appealed to this demographic by changing its menu to reflect millennial desires

for “sustainable and ethical practices” (Hemmadi, 2017).

Movement Towards Flexitarianism: According to a Nielsen study, 43 percent of Canadians are moving

towards increasing their plant-based food intake at the expense of meat (Nielson, 2017). Stated reasons

for moving towards a plant-based diet are the cost of meat (26 percent), watching weight (26 percent),

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animal welfare (22 percent), ease of digestion (22 percent) and environmental considerations (20

percent) (Harris, 2018). A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger is a direct answer to the flexitarians’ need for a

meat-less burger alternative that still tastes great.

Millennials are Ordering More Takeaway Food and Increasing Delivery Service Use: Millennials have the

highest per-capita restaurant consumption on average than any other consumer in Canada and account

for 28% of restaurant traffic (Hemmadi, 2017). Complementing this trend is the recent proliferation of

food delivery options in Canada (e.g. Uber Eats, Deliveroo, DoorDash, SkipTheDishes, etc.). Millennials are

the largest spenders on foodservice in Canada, spending the highest amount on food delivery services

(Restaurants Canada, 2018). In August 2018, A&W partnered with Uber Eats to make their menu offerings

more convenient and accessible to customers (Fund, 2018). In order to succeed as a QSR in Canada, it is

necessary to appeal to this group of millennials.

Threats New Competitors: While A&W currently has the only plant-based fast food alternative in Canada,

McDonald's is currently testing a plant-based burger in Europe (Brehaut, 2017). As new competitors enter

the space and expand their product offerings, A&W will experience increased competition for plant-based

burgers (Overgaard, 2018).

QSR Competition: A&W competes with several other well-capitalized QSR operators, and periodically chains from the U.S. may decide to expand into the Canadian market, increasing competition (A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund, 2018).

Increasing Cost of Goods and Operational Costs: A&W is at risk of deteriorating margins from increasing

costs of raw materials used to make their food products and from increasing operational costs such as

increases in minimum wage and rent (A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund, 2018). If consumers are not

willing to pay more for the Beyond Meat Burger, this will reduce A&W’s sales and profitability.

Objectives A&W set marketing and communication objectives to measure the campaign’s success.

Marketing Objectives

The goal for the Beyond Meat Burger campaign was to generate incremental sales and increase overall

A&W revenue by 8.35 percent for Q3 2018. The product launched on July 7, 2018 and was received

extremely well by consumers. The Beyond Meat Burger sold out across Canada within three weeks – by

early August all A&W locations were sold out, and customers continued to inquire about its return at

several locations. As a result, revenue in Q3 2018 increased by 13.0 percent over Q2, which itself had

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increased by 6.6 percent over Q1 (A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund, 2018). Please see Appendix D

for more information regarding the Marketing Objective.

To achieve the marketing objective, the campaign set multiple communication objectives, which are

described below.

Communications Objectives Increase brand awareness of the product among 70 percent of the target audience. The Beyond Meat

Burger is a new product which was previously unknown by A&W’s target audience, so it was essential to

the success of the campaign to make A&W’s audience aware of the product. Building and maintaining

top-of-mind awareness helps consumers think of you first when considering a product category.

Build a customer database by 50 percent. A&W sought to increase its customer database by providing

email notifications to customers who were interested in learning about when the Beyond Meat Burger

would return.

Educate consumers about the Beyond Meat Burger. This includes messaging about its overall consumer

value, including a reduced environmental footprint from using sustainably sourced vegetable products

and being a healthy high-protein alternative to meat.

Influence purchase intent. This includes emphasizing the Beyond Meat Burger’s unique benefits to the

target audience, which align with the wants and needs of their target audience as they desire a more

socially conscious dietary alternative to meat that is both tasty and healthy.

Stimulate trial purchase and connect with new consumers. To accomplish the goal of taking away

hesitation and getting consumers to try the burger, promotional coupons and/or discounts on the burger

to persuade first-time customers to try the Beyond Meat Burger were offered. This advanced exposure to

the chain’s unique “Ingredients Guarantee” brand platform, promising simple, great-tasting ingredients

farmed with care.

Campaign Overview

A&W Canada launched its brand-new the Beyond Meat Burger product in a competitive industry to great

success. Instead of trying to tell consumers about its great product, the company encouraged people to

try it for themselves. A&W used traditional and digital marketing effectively in combination with a strong

public relations platform to achieve success. Social media and influencers were used to connect with the

target audience in a meaningful and impactful way.

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According to Megan Park, the Beyond Meat Burger and its related campaign were less about how the

burger fits with A&W and more about how it fits with A&W’s core message that “Good food makes good

food.” The company wanted to deliver a healthy, plant-based alternative for socially conscious

consumers.

The Beyond Meat product was A&W’s fastest product launch ever. The company first met with the

Beyond Meat company in November 2017, subsequently launched on July 9th, 2018 and sold out within

weeks. The campaign, aimed primarily at female millennials looking for plant-based alternatives, was

successful in A&W’s target markets. Coverage with earned media coverage and on social media found

support with meat eaters and vegans alike. The campaign resulted in “insane growth” and the strongest

quarter that A&W has ever had (Park, 2018).

Tactics

To connect with its target audience and deliver its message, A&W used a range of tactics. The company

launched a new product in an old market with a heavy focus on digital and word-of-mouth advertising.

A&W’s advertisements were rooted in a straight-forward message: “Good food makes good food.” A&W’s

tactics and marketing style for the campaign are described below.

Digital Marketing

A&W used social media for the campaign, specifically paid advertising and sponsored content on

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The company used the various social platforms’ advertising tools,

reach and frequency to target its female millennial audience (Facebook, 2018). Moreover, A&W aired ads

that were also hosted on its Canadian YouTube channel. The social media advertisements’ initiative was

to help reach the communications goals of educating A&W’s target audience and to encourage customers

to try the Beyond Meat Burger.

Public Relations

Public Relations has played an important role in promoting the Beyond Meat Burger campaign. Media

Releases were issued prior to the launch of the Beyond Meat Burger, when it ran out, and on the re-

launch of the burger.

A&W used two primary social media influencers: Erin Ireland and Jillian Harris. Ms. Ireland is a Vancouver-

based “super vegan” influencer/blogger who helped A&W gain the support of the vegan community. Ms.

Harris is a Canadian TV personality with a female-dominated audience. Communicating to audiences

through social media and blogs, they both provided a trusted secondary source of information regarding

A&W’s new product. By delivering the message from health and food conscious sources, A&W’s

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positioning was believable, trustworthy and easily accepted (Park, 2018). Please see Appendix E for all

Public Relations promotional materials.

Traditional Media

Television, radio, flyers, posters, and coupons ran in tandem with their digital media promotions. The

coupons complemented the television advertisements’ message of “Try the new plant-based Beyond

Meat Burger today.” The television advertisements were showcased on Canadian television channels

including, Global News and KBD Productions TV, with content that showed the average millennial citizen

trying the Beyond Meat Burger and their reaction when they discovered that it was a plant-based burger.

Other traditional channels such as radio were also used during this campaign. As stated previously,

several radio stations including Cornwall Ontario’s 104.5 Fresh Radio and Kelowna British Columbia’s 103-

1 Beach Radio (Fresh Radio, 2018) (Beach Radio, 2018). Please refer to Appendix F for traditional media

samples.

Event Marketing One of the Beyond Meat Burger campaign’s communication objective was to raise awareness. To

generate buzz and raise the desired awareness, A&W held a pre-launch event in Toronto. The CEOs of

A&W and Beyond Meat, Susan Senegal and Ethan Brown, respectively, were present at this event along

with several other high-profile names.

For the event, an A&W food truck was parked in front of one of its locations, and the attendees had a

chance to taste the Beyond Meat Burger. By documenting the event and broadcasting it over social media

via key influencers, including Erin Ireland, A&W was able to reach much of its target audience (Murray-

Ragg, 2018). Please refer again to Appendix G for pictures of the event.

Digital Marketing Tactics

Analyzing what A&W has done “behind the scenes” to support the campaign is important to understand

the campaign’s success.

Website

A&W has a Canadian specific website domain both for its general website and the Beyond Meat Burger

landing page. The website runs smoothly with an “average” speed in comparison to A&W’s designated

Beyond Meat Burger’s competitors, Burger King and Triple O’s. The Beyond Meat burger ranks “average”

for website speed and “medium” for website optimization on a desktop (Google PageSpeed Insights,

2018). Consumers come into contact with A&W’s webpage at the discovery stage in the customer journey

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process, as it provides information about the Beyond Meat Burger. Please see Appendix H for more

information on website speed.

Landing Page

The Beyond Meat landing page functions to inform consumers about the new product. The landing page

fulfills A&W’s communication objective of providing information and education to consumers regarding

the Beyond Meat Burger, including a description of the ingredients in the burger patty (A&W Canada,

2018). Prior to launching the initial campaign, A&W had created a microsite for the Beyond Meat Burger,

it has since been removed since the initial campaign has ended. Please see Appendix I for more

information on the landing page.

SEO and SEM A&W makes use of relevant keywords for its Beyond Meat Burger campaign. The company also has

approximately 80 backlinks to its Beyond Meat Burger webpage which has an impact on its search

ranking. These ads also connect with the customer at the research and discovery stage of the customer

journey (SEMRUSH, 2018). With respect to paid search, the Beyond Meat Burger campaign did not make

use of any paid Google advertisements. For more information regarding SEO and SEM please see

Appendix J.

Online Advertising

Google Universal Analytics and Google Analytics are the two marketing tools that are used on the A&W

Beyond Meat Burger web page.

Email Marketing

A&W sends coupons by email as a reward for signing up for its newsletters. The company also accepted

consumers’ email addresses after selling out of the Beyond Meat Burger to notify them of when it was

back in stock. Both these methods helped to build A&W’s customer database. The coupons are aimed at

customers when they are in the purchase decision stage.

Content Strategy

Content on A&W’s web pages and advertisements are aimed at informing customers about the new

product. The content explains the differentiating properties of the Beyond Meat Burger and encourages

potential customers to try it for themselves. Staying consistent with the rest of A&W’s advertising

platforms, consumers were interacted with the brand at the discovery and research stages of their

journey, during which their main objective is to find information about the product.

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Display Advertising

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram display advertisements were used on both mobile and desktop

platforms. These advertisements showcased the product itself, consumers trying the product, and the

product’s ingredients.

Mobile Marketing

A&W used multiple mobile marketing platforms for the Beyond Meat Burger campaign. Platforms such as

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were all used to host a variety of A&W Beyond Meat Burger

advertisements. Consumers experienced these ads during the awareness stage of the customer journey,

giving them insights and information about when the campaign was to launch and what type of product

would be entering the market. Samples of the mobile advertisements are provided in Appendix K.

Conclusion

A&W’s Beyond Meat Burger campaign was launched with the marketing objective to increase its Q3 2018

revenue 8.3 percent from Q2 2018. Its communication objectives were to increase brand awareness,

build a customer database, educate consumers about the product’s value, and stimulate a trial purchase.

To maximize the success of the overall campaign several tactics were chosen to support the campaign.

Traditional tools such as television and radio advertisements were used by A&W to promote the message

of “Try the new plant-based Beyond Meat Burger today”. The television ads focused on content showing

people trying the burger which complements A&W’s initiative to drive product trials. Coupons were also

available online through their mobile app supporting the message delivered through its television

advertisements.

Digital tactics were used to reach the target audience through social media advertisements on platforms

such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, emails and short YouTube video advertisements. This initiative

was used to support the brands communications objectives for the campaign.

The Beyond Meat Burger campaign attracted a large amount of publicity which resulted in extra unpaid

exposure for the launch of the new product. Instagram influencers such as Erin Ireland and Jillian Harris

were also used to promote the new product launch via social media, giving the target audience additional

exposure to the Beyond Meat Burger.

Now that A&W has established and positioned the Beyond Meat Burger in the market, they face the

challenge to maintain attention around the product. A&W must now establish how they plan to continue

to engage its customers to ensure continued public interest and success of the Beyond Meat Burger.

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Appendix A: Posters, Flyers, and Coupons

Figure 1: A&W coupons for beyond meat burger on mobile application

Figure 2: Mobile coupon for A&W's beyond meat burger combo

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Figure 3: A&W's direct mail for beyond meat burger

Figure 4: A&W's in-store poster for beyond meat burger

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Figure 5: A&W's email sign up for digital deals

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Appendix B: Positioning Grid

Figure 6: How A&W positions itself relative to its competitors in the Canadian QSR landscape

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Appendix C: Weekly Hours Spent Online by Millennials in

Canada

Figure 7: Average weekly time spent on the internet according to millennial users

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Instagram

Facebook

Netflix

YouTube

HOURS SPENT WEEKLY BY MILLENNIALS IN CANADA

Hours spent weekly by millennials in Canada

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Appendix D: Calculations for Marketing Objective

Figure 8: A&W sales growth between 2016 and 2018

Marketing objective of increasing overall revenue by 8.35%:

5.3% - 3.1% = 2.2%

6.6% - 5.3% = 1.3%

2.2% + 1.3% = 3.5%

3.5% / 2 = Average of 1.75%

6.6% (2018 Q2) + 1.75% = 8.35%

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Appendix E: Media Releases

Figure 9: A&W's media release for beyond meat burger on CNW

Figure 10: A&W's media release for beyond meat burger on CNW

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Figure 11: A&W's media release for beyond meat burger on CNW

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Appendix F: Traditional Media Samples

Figure 12: A&W's beyond meat commercial airing nationwide

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Appendix G: Beyond Meat Burger Pre-Launch Event in Toronto

Images

Figure 13: Erin Ireland at the Beyond Meat Pre-launch in Toronto

Figure 14: Video of Erin Ireland tasting the beyond meat burger at the Toronto pre-launch

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Figure 15: Lauren Toyota at the A&W pre-launch event in Toronto

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Appendix H: Comparison of Website Speed Between A&W,

Burger King and Triple O’s

Figure 16: A&W's website page speed and optimization for desktop

Figure 17: A&W's website page speed and optimization for desktop

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Figure 18: A&W's website page speed and optimization for beyond meat burger landing page on desktop

Figure 19: A&W's website page speed and optimization for beyond meat burger landing page on mobile

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Figure 20: Burger King's website page speed and optimization for veggie burger on desktop

Figure 21: Triple O's website page speed and optimization for veggie burger on desktop

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Figure 22: Triple O's website page speed and optimization for veggie burger on mobile

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Appendix I: A&W Landing Page Image

Figure 23: A&W's online landing page for Beyond Meat Burger

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Appendix J: SEO and SEM Keywords used for Beyond Meat

Burger Campaign

Figure 24: SEO keywords used by A&W's Beyond Meat Burger for organic search

Figure 25: Page traffic for A&W's website

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Figure 26: A&W's zero SEM result

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Appendix K: Mobile Advertisement Sample

Figure 27: A&W's paid mobile advertisement on Instagram

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