Summary
Church's Chicken, owned by AFC Enterprises, had a reputation for serving traditional Southern-fried chicken as well as other Southern favorites, such as fried okra and biscuits with honey. But the chain was falling behind its competitors and had just a 6 percent market share in 2001. To reestablish brand identity and reconnect with consumers, the chain launched three marketing campaigns in as many years. Beginning in 2000 the company launched "Maybe It's Your Cooking," which was followed in 2001 by the reintroduction of one of its classic themes from the 1980s, "Big Pieces, Little Prices." When those campaigns failed to get the results the company wanted, it launched, in 2002, the "Full Flavor, Full Pockets, Full Life" slogan and marketing campaign. Shortly after its launch the campaign was renamed "Full Flavor, Full Pockets."Developed by the company and its Atlanta-based agency BaylessCronin, the campaign was described by AFC Enterprises as "the most powerful brand launch in its history." The $15 million campaign included television spots, radio, print, and billboard ads, and an interactive website tie-in. It also launched the company's new theme, "Full Flavor, Full Pockets, Full Life," and introduced the chain's cartoon mascots, named Full Flavor and Full Pockets. Church's chief marketing officer, Ann Stone, said of the characters, "Since they don't resemble anyone, they can be anyone, and our guests in market research validated that."While the campaign was created to capture the brand's true essence and to resonate with consumers, it fell flat. Prior to the campaign's launch Church's sales were climbing; following its 2002 introduction sales began to fall, and customers failed to connect with the cartoon mascots. In 2003 the company shifted most of its creative work from BaylessCronin to Gecko Motion, an agency based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the campaign was revamped. "Full Flavor, Full Pockets" was replaced in 2004 with a new campaign, "We Got the Crunch," aimed at the chain's multicultural, multiethnic, urban customers.