View from the C-Suite: Wendy’s CMO talks strategy behind ‘French toast guy’

It was a stunt that confused everyone.

Toronto transit riders, bleary-eyed on their morning commutes, spotted a man sitting down to breakfast. No, not taking a seat on the subway with a breakfast sandwich in hand. He had set up a small table for himself, and sat down to a comforting meal of French toast. He even had a tablecloth.

“French toast guy” went viral on TikTok, and slowly, people began piecing together that this was probably related to Wendy’s launch of its new breakfast item, French toast sticks. They weren’t wrong.

“Knowing Canadians aren’t ready to roll out a full restaurant set-up during their morning commute, this was a way to show Wendy’s new French toast sticks are perfect for on-the-go,” says Liz Geraghty, CMO, International at The Wendy’s Company. “We can all take a little inspiration from French toast guy to slow down and enjoy the sweeter moments of our morning routines.”

A solo breakfast-eater on transit was part of Wendy’s larger message to slow down and enjoy the sweet things in life.

The Toronto Transit Commission later chimed in that it had no idea the marketing strategy was taking place: “The #TTC was not involved or aware of it beforehand,” its tweet read. “Wendy’s is clearly a cereal offender when it comes to breakfast-themed stunts.”

Going viral is one way to tackle expanding Wendy’s global footprint, one pillar to its three-pronged goal-set, according to Geraghty. Here, she discusses the strategy behind unleashing French toast guy into the wild, the research behind the QSRs new breakfast item, and how its new rewards program is supporting the brand’s long-term strategies.

Can you talk about the research that went into launching this new item?

We continue to focus on our food vision of “fast food done right,” and we must deliver the high quality that people have come to expect from Wendy’s. While some of our competitors have spent time offering the same, flavourless breakfast menu items, we’ve done our research to ensure that we can provide fresher, better tasting food and great value.

Before we launched breakfast in May 2022, we spent two years preparing to deliver the breakfast Canadians deserve. We conducted a secondary data analysis to understand QSR breakfast trends and the size of opportunity, and preliminary research to get consumers’ perception on breakfast QSR competitors and their breakfast habits, menu research and forecasting, and finally, sensory studies to fine-tune our products for Canadians.

Our culinary team is constantly innovating to provide menu items with Canadians in mind. As the first sweet breakfast menu addition earlier this month, the new French toast sticks continue to deliver on our commitment to Canadians with a hint of nostalgia and a whole lot of flavour as the first sweet addition to our breakfast lineup since launch.

Liz Geraghty
CMO, International, The Wendy’s Company

What marketing strategies has Wendy’s relied on to promote its breakfast menu?

We launched breakfast in Canada with the “Where’s the Bacon?” campaign that ran nationally on television, OOH, digital, social, radio, mobile, search and online audio. This campaign was recreated and inspired by one of Wendy’s most iconic campaigns, “Where’s the Beef?” from 1984.

For the launch of Wendy’s new French toast sticks this month, we introduced “Wendy’s French toast guy.” He appeared with a restaurant style table in public locations and on Toronto transit to prepare and enjoy French toast.

To further amplify our breakfast news, we’ve conducted ongoing work with influencer partners across Canada who have curated custom content for social channels, such as Instagram and TikTok. In addition, we have a long-standing sponsorship of Big Brother Canada and were able to integrate the breakfast menu into the show and as part of the contestants’ experience in the house.

To continue the momentum and further build our relationships with Wendy’s fans, in November we launched Wendy’s Rewards in Canada. Our loyalty program gives customers the opportunity to earn points and unlock rewards for their favourite mouth-watering menu items, including breakfast items.

What goals did Wendy’s have prior to its rewards program launch?

We believe that we have the best fans, and we are excited to reward them for what they are already doing… eating at Wendy’s. With the launch of Wendy’s Rewards, Wendy’s fans can earn points and unlock rewards for their favourite menu items.

Accelerating our digital business, along with building our breakfast daypart and expanding our global footprint continue to be our three long-term strategic growth pillars at Wendy’s. The acceleration of our digital business allows us to meet the needs of our customers however they choose to engage with Wendy’s, whether through a digital platform, dine-in or via the drive-thru, mobile app enhancements, delivery expansion or through our new loyalty program.

What are the main obstacles QSRs are facing as we head into 2023? How will Wendy’s combat them?

Consumer preferences are always evolving, especially in today’s economic landscape. Many Canadians find themselves constantly on-the-go, which is why at Wendy’s, we provide a high-quality breakfast experience that is fast and affordable – without cutting corners.

We believe that now more than ever, QSR is the place to be, and our mix of convenience, affordability and speed position us to deliver against customers’ evolving expectations.