Chick Fil a Mr. Cathy,

Chick Fil A

Mr. Cathy, founder of Chick Fil A, is a man who stands by his word and his beliefs and that is what has made him so successful. Consumers, like me, take pride in a company that has strong, family values and shows it. Consumers take pride in a man that has a strong faith in God and stands by that. He is outspoken about his faith in God and many companies will not do that.

Many companies make donations, and give to the communities but they do it for other purposes, such as tax deductions. Mr. Cathy, however, does it because he believes in that actions speak louder than words. He knows first hand by being a positive influence in the community will continue to bring him success. In 1973, Mr. Cathy created his Team Member Scholarship Program to his employees to further their education. At that time it was the only program offered by any fast food restaurant. To date over 20 million dollars have been awarded to employees. No other company to this day has given so much in the scholarship department as Chick Fil A, according to the Council for Aid to Education.

Mr. Cathy is not only committed to enhance the lives of his employees. One of his main priorities in his fifty-six years in business has been to develop future leaders among our youth. The WinShape Foundation was developed in 1984. WinShape is a scholarship program at Berry College in Georgia. Berry College is also a Foster Care home. They house up to 12 children with 2 full time parents. Winshape and Berry

College offer up to $24,000 to first year students. To this day over 700 scholarships have been awarded and the college is one of the top regional liberal arts schools in the country. They now have 14 homes across the nation and one in Brazil for these children.

Mr. Cathy realized being successful is not only about having quality products. By giving back to the community and being socially responsible he will achieve success year after year.

The statement "your brand is your future" is enormously accurate. It is a representation of you and your company. When consumers think about eating fast food they run every "brand" out there through their minds. When watching a commercial it is the brands that are the main focus.

The brand makes the company. It has to be fun, easy to remember, and the product must back up the brand. The employees of the company represent the brand, such as wearing uniforms, serving the consumer, and just basic conversation about the company. The brand must be something to be proud of.

When the Richards

Group came up with the Slogan "Eat More Chikin" in 1995, it was a huge hit with the consumers and increased Chick Fil A sales by 81%. Since that time the "Eat More

Chikin" logo has continued to increase sales and the motto will always be known for the brand Chick Fil A.

It is very hard for me to say what problems Chick Fil A has using mainly secondary media resources. They could advertise nationally and/or locally on television as their competitors do, but their media strategy is working for them and has been for years. It is the uniqueness of their ads that have been working for them.

Chick Fil A is mainly a Southern-based company; they have just recently started moving to Western states. Nevada, Washington and Oregon don't even have any Chick

Fil A's. Chick Fil A only has 1,197 chains nationwide and they are the second largest chicken fast food chain in the country. With this in mind, their sales last year were 1,746,398,916. That is an increase of 13.8% since its 2003 figures. Granted they opened up eight in California and two in Arizona but the way they advertise is obviously working. Example, when opening the Arizona store last year their media advertising was "First 100 Fans." The first 100 customers, when it opened, would win a year's worth of Chick Fil A meals. That is a small advertisement, however it was so successful it was implemented for every newly opened chain. The unusual form of advertising has become the greatest asset for Chick Fil A. The competition is very willingly paying more for national advertising, but it is the product itself, and their ads being an enjoyable experience that is beating the competition.

Now that Chick Fil A is opening up more chains nationally, it will become more difficult to stay where they are on the advertising level. With the lack of funds to advertise nationally on television, better advertising plans need to take affect. The billboards, radio spots, and outdoor events could be maintained in the cities the new chains are opening in.

Chick Fil A knows this is an increasing issue and to increase sales and keep advertising on the same level, they have increased their menu. They have added a breakfast menu, they were the first fast food chain to add the fruit salad, and for the healthy consumer they have added a Charbroiled Sandwich. Adding healthier items to their menus, research has shown this to increase their sales as well. The ad campaign "Eat More Chikin" has done amazingly well. Reminding consumers chicken is a better alternative to hamburgers and the ad is amusing to see. Consumers not only want quality fast food but they want it to be a healthy alternative as well.

Chick Fil A is a family oriented company, they take pride in being a family community," to that aspect they could increase their sales and have a new ad campaign by adding a play area for children in their free standing chains. They could have it enclosed such as some McDonalds have for weather purposes. Their competition has done it and has shown to be a success. Bring in the kids on a hot or rainy day and enjoy the food while your kids play. It could be an added bonus parents would enjoy.

Consumers have shown they can find amusement in almost any aspect. The "Eat

More Chikin" campaign has really been a success. It is all over, from cups to banners to wallpaper for computers and even magnets. When a consumer see that ad, the immediately think of Chick Fil A. None of their competition has come up with something so amusing and fun to see. By making it fun, amusing, and catchy it is something that sticks to the mind. What started out as a simple advertisement has become logo for the company and is a key symbol for the company. In keeping with the "Eat More Chikin" motto, the advertising agency will have to keep this in their campaigns. It is what the consumers want and it has been a success for Chick Fil A.

Chick Fil A has again made it's mark on the consumers. Even though they are on a budget with their advertising they have proven by keeping ads simple and unique will keep increasing their sales.

In society today, consumers are more aware of the need to be healthy as opposed to say ten years ago when everything was about "meat and potatoes." What you ate wasn't as big a factor as it is today. Consumers also eat in fast food chains more than they did ten years ago.