McDonald’s might have its Beanie Babies, but local Subway restaurant operators have decided to lock “horns” with customers with a promotion linked to the Chicago Bulls.
Beginning May 1, red Bulls helmets with seven-inch horns will charge onto the market by way of greater Chicago-area Subway operators.
“Nothing beats riding with a winner like the Bulls,” says Pam King, an account director at Hal Riney & Partners Heartland (Chicago), which conceived this promotion for 382 participating area Subway stores, including northwest Indiana. “We wanted something different, and we think we’ve got it.”
These helmets–400,000 have already been ordered–may well remind fans of the “cheeseheads” worn by Green Bay Packer and University of Wisconsin worshipers.
They’ll be available at Subway stores at a cost of $3.99, Subway proprietors hoping that customers will buy a “fresh value meal” being promoted with the helmets.
These plastic (high-density polyethylene) helmets also will be given out free during one of the Bulls playoff games in May, to the first 15,000 fans who enter United Center.
“We’re looking at giving them out in one of the games of the third round,” said King, who heads up the local Subway account at Riney Chicago. “We’re that confident that the Bulls will go all the way.”
The campaign will run through May, and during this period there will be extensive promotion keyed by TV commercials with this message: “Wear The Horns.”
“Bulls fans are the most passionate in the world, and everybody becomes a Bulls fan during the playoffs,” says Bob Ocwieja, chairman of the Chicagoland Subway Franchise Advertising Fund Trust (SFAFT), who has a 10-unit franchise operation in the northwest suburbs. “We’ve got something with this promotion to really draw attention to Subway.”
Additionally, Subway and Riney have hooked up with Kraft Foods to introduce a Bull’s-Eye Southwest Club, a sandwich consisting of turkey breast, roast beef, ham, bacon and fresh veggies all topped with Kraft’s barbecue sauce under the Bull’s-Eye name.
Subway is betting the sandwich will drive up business for its units, which average $300,000 to $400,000 in annual sales. For Kraft, the sandwich could showcase the Bull’s-Eye brand, which has been on a sales slide but still holds a 12 percent share of the $325 million-a-year barbecue sauce market. The regular Kraft brand barbecue sauce is marginally up, and leads the category with a 28 percent market share, according to Information Resources Inc.
The helmet, incidentally, was produced by Formco Inc. in Elk Grove Village, with the horns made separately under contract by Gord Industrial Plastics in far west suburban Sandwich, which assembled them and imprinted logos.
“Looks like a winner to me,” says Jim Gord, who heads the plastics firm.
Now for those Beanies: Sources say that McDonald’s ordered 85 million of them and half are gone nationally.
Berman Adwoman of Year: Cheryl Berman, an executive vice president of Leo Burnett Co. and deputy chief creative officer of the agency’s U.S.A. operation, is the 1997 Chicago Advertising Woman of the Year. She’ll be honored by the Women’s Advertising Club of Chicago, sponsor of the award, at a May 28 luncheon at the Drake Hotel.
– Separately, sources say that as many as 50 Burnett staffers in its direct-marketing operation might relocate to Blau Direct Edge, a Chicago direct-marketing firm that could be acquired by Burnett. Burnett overall has 100 staffers in its internal direct-marketing unit.
Davis to Van Kampen: Eileen Fuertes Davis, recently manager of media relations for Kemper Funds, on April 28 assumes the post of VP of public relations for Oakbrook Terrace-based Van Kampen American Capital, a unit of Morgan Stanley. She’ll report to Mark McGannon, senior VP-director of marketing for Van Kampen.
On the move: Dick Tracy, an art director at Bozell Chicago, elected a partner of the ad agency. . . . Gregory A. Staky promoted to senior director of product development at SPSS Inc.
Strictly Personal: Birthday greetings to Stacy Buhler (Mademoiselle magazine), R. Milton Lynnes, retail consultant Kurt Barnard and Rosalie Clark.
– Douglas H. Kellam, previously a top marketing executive with Austin, Nichols & Co. and Pepsi-Cola North America, became VP-marketing at First Alert Inc. in Aurora. Another management newcomer at First Alert is Edward J. Tyranski, who was named VP-operations, moving over from executive VP at Thermos Co. in Freeport.
In Germany, Volkswagen AG kept DDB Needham as agency for the $80 million Volkswagen ad account in that country, following a competition. DDB Needham does advertising for VW in 33 countries, but not in the U.S.
