New York Fries is seeking to capitalize on the growing popularity of poutine in English Canada with its first-ever radio campaign, featuring the voice of iconic Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent.
“Poutine has, over the last number of years, become one of the most popular foods in the country,” says New York Fries (NYF) president and founder Jay Gould.
“We wanted to expand a little bit more into the meal category,” he adds. “I think many people still think of New York Fries as a snack.”
Over the past several months, the 26-year-old brand has begun emphasizing poutine, which represents more than 50% of its sales, with new menu items such Butter Chicken Poutine.
It has also rebranded and redesigned 91 of its 150 locations as New York Fries Poutinerie, with plans to eventually revamp the rest.
To get the word out, Toronto-based Juniper Park created four “Poutine Perfected” radio spots that launched in March. In each spot, Pinsent lists off each specialty poutine’s ingredients before likening the dining experience to other “high-end” activities, such as buying a pair of designer jeans for a kitten.
All stores serving the new items will receive promotional POS merchandise with the slogan, “Is it wrong to undress poutine with your eyes?” Media planning for the campaign was handled by Media Experts in Toronto.