Food Trends and Brand Expansion

Unfortunately, healthy eating is a trend. The phenomenon began in the late eighties/early nineties, and has seen many iterations: the salad boom, low-fat, low-carb, no-trans-fat, organic, etc. Recently, we have seen some popular restaurant chains adding not just new items to their menu, but entire sections. To their credit, these additions weren't simply bolted onto the menu; rather, they were smart brand extensions.

A few examples of this would be Burger King's "fire grilled" message along with its higher-end sandwiches, the TGI Friday's Right Portion, Right Price menu, and Red Lobster's new Wood-Fire Grill selections (albeit, these items are advertised as literally dripping with melted butter). The common thread within these examples is that each one is carefully integrated within the brand. Each is presented using the imagery and messaging that consumers have come to expect from these restaurants.

When introducing a new product that runs contrary to other products in your line (high-end vs. cheap burgers, slim vs. large portions, etc.), it is of the utmost importance to think ahead and plan on how you will integrate them without reinventing your brand. Usually, it is about mapping out the marketable elements of the new product and then matching them with your existing brand attributes. Do this, and consumers will see it as a natural extension, rather than an alien offering that looks like it is jumping on the bandwagon.