Food advertisements tend to demonstrate unrealistic versions of the real thing. Not RocoMamas. Brand manager Adam Deane explains why they decided to go the comparative advertising route and how they went about this in a subtle way so as not to step on their competitors' toes but rather to take a stand against advertising that lies.
“Food styling and photoshopping is no secret and in an age where authenticity reigns supreme, we make it a point not to photoshop or style any of our food. We want customers to know that what they see in our advertising is what they will get in our restaurants. It’s because of this core value that we photograph all our food in one of our restaurants, made by the same staff that serve our customers and within clear view of customers in the restaurant at the time.
“The rhetoric of ‘expectation vs reality’ in the market today is more prevalent than ever.”
People are ‘woke’ about what they should be getting versus what is being advertised and aren't afraid to start a conversation about it.”This was our departure point and formed the foundation of what we wanted to address within the industry; that too often, advertising lies."
Here, Deaner (AD) and Mike Sharman (MS), founder of Retroviral, tell us how with this TVC they leveraged the fact that they have freshly made food to further drive differentiation in the market…
What was the brief / key insight?
AD: The brief stated that the TVC communication should focus on the core of the brand's target market and strengthen the current brand positioning.
There are many cases of the brand having an incredibly positive and enriching impact on employees’ lives. The brand gives people the freedom to be themselves and act in a manner that might not necessarily be anti-conformist but is true to their particular belief system, which does not follow mainstream norms.
Norms are being challenged more than ever and authenticity is the golden egg in communication today.We have an opportunity here to use our ‘smash’ concept within the context of ‘hangry’ (hungry + angry). I’m not sure this is needed right now. We tend to take for granted that we have freshly made food; this is a vital functional attribute the brand has yet to leverage and an important opportunity to further drive differentiation in the market.
The key insight was to celebrate the outliers, the brave – those who challenge convention and do things differently. ‘We’re not normal.’
How did you come up with the idea?
MS: There are key truths that the brand prides itself on, such as: fresh food prepared in front of customers in an open-plan kitchen; RocoMamas is the most ‘instagrammed’ burger in SA; and how the brand strives to bring the mastery back into 'fast food'. We leveraged these premises to tell our differentiated viewpoint of how we want to surprise and delight our customer.
What do you think makes this TVC, in particular, stand out?
AD: We want customers to hold us all more accountable, we understand ‘expectation vs reality’ will forever be a thing and no one gets it right 100% of the time but we are striving, we are passionate and we are holding ourselves accountable first to only provide the best quality and service in a way that is true, in what you see is what you get. We live and breathe authenticity and don’t compromise on quality, service or our relationships with our customers. A value that has been woven into our DNA by the brand’s founder Brian Altriche, we don’t know how to be any other way.
What was the objective?
AD: We’re not normal and simply couldn’t just make a normal TV ad. It had to be for those who expect more, who don’t fit in a box and who believe what we believe.
MS: Our agency (Retroviral) is ultimately being judged on sales, so it is our intention for this creative to cut through the clutter of the category and to make a tangible, positive business impact.
What has the response been so far?
MS: It's too early to tell but there has been some amazing feedback from industry commentators, such as Brendan Seery on Bizcommunity as well as peers in the industry and fans across social. RocoMamas has grown a community of more than 500,000 people on digital alone, in less than five years. We included franchisees in the early thinking of scripts and treatment and these ladies and gentlemen have been excited to see the final product, which is incredibly encouraging.
For more, follow RocoMamas on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter @rocomamas and go to agency Retroviral’s website to view more of their work and for links to all of its social pages.
