Wendy's is adding a player to its 4 for $4 value roster and will heavily promote the plan on Monday, which happens to be the fourth day of the fourth month of the year.
Wendy's introduced the 4 for $4 meal, which includes a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, small fries and a small drink, in October. Now patrons will be able to choose between the burger, which the chain often calls its "JBC," and a Crispy Chicken BLT.
The 4 for $4 meal was meant to be a limited-time offer. It still is not being called a permanent addition to the menu but it does not look like it will be going away anytime soon, especially as other chains have been promoting their own value options.
"As long as it's interesting to customers it's going to stay around," said Wendy's Chief Concept and Marketing Officer Kurt Kane.
Adding a chicken sandwich to the 4 for $4 and as an a la carte item may help Wendy's win over patrons who want a little variety with their value. Since Wendy's introduction of the 4 for $4 in October, more chains have promoted bundles at various dollar price points. McDonald's, for example, had a McPick 2 for $2 menu in early 2016 followed by a 2 for $5 promotion on some of its classic favorites.
"We love the other value plays that come out," Mr. Kane said, adding that each time other chains advertise, people buy more 4 for $4 meals at Wendy's.
The chain is stepping up its own advertising, starting Monday. During the day it plans to do promotional giveaways during some local Major League Baseball broadcasts, particularly during the fourth innings of games.
And while it is not an official NCAA sponsor, having a 4 for $4 menu and the final game of the Final Four happening on 4/4, "we were missing something if we didn't make a big deal about that particular day and this deal," Mr. Kane said.
Wendy's plans to run its spot during one of the very first commercial breaks during the championship game on TBS. It will advertise during the first primetime commercial break across a total of 35 networks Monday night, including during "The Voice," "Dancing With The Stars" and "The Big Bang Theory."
Wendy's tested the chicken sandwich in four markets: Colorado Springs, El Paso, Kansas City and Springfield, Mass. It found customers really liked the idea of being able to pair the chicken sandwich with the chicken nuggets. The JBC still continued to be "very compelling and was the lead choice," but a lot of people liked both offers, which led to a "nice uptick in frequency," Mr. Kane said.
VML created the general market spot, while Bravo did one for the Hispanic market that uses Spanish and English. MediaVest is Wendy's media agency.
