Debonairs Marketing Strategy

Good morning Mrs ….

Today I will be discussing the HISTORY

Debonairs “Celebrate Different” marketing

Campaign and the McDonald’s “Any Excuse

For a Big Mac” Campaign.

The Story of Debonairs in South

Africa all began in 1991 with two university students,

From Pietermaritzburg. The Founders are Craig McKenzie and Andrew Harvey. Craig, now the ex-CEO of Debonairs Pizza, was a 23 year old, second year

BSc Agriculture Student at UKZN.

He was on a gap-year trip to Los Angeles when

He came up with the idea. He and Harvey started making

Pizza’s after hours in their parents garage in Pietermaritzburg.

They began a delivery service using good-looking young

Male drivers dressed in bow-ties. The business grew

From the garage to the back

On 9 January 2018 Debonairs’ launched their “Celebrate HOW LAUNCHED

Different” Marketing campaign. They used a half minute

T.V. commercial, aired on SABC, eTV and DSTV channels to launch their “Awesome

Foursome”, being a super pizza made up of 4

17cm X 17cm pizza squares, where customer’s may choose 4 of 6 different flavour combos.

Show video of the commercial now

The goal of this campaign was to acknowledge the

Vast range of South African society and culture aiming

At various groups of families and friends that form Debonairs

Pizza’s broad target market being male and females, 25

To 49 years of age. The commercial is about a young lady

Who had brought home a variety of

Interesting individuals to dinner at her

Folks house. Her old fashioned dad

Had difficulty relating to any of them.

When he meets the latest guest it turns

Out to be an attractive woman doctor. Although

He is surprised that she’s a woman he

Is more excited about her being a doctor,

Someone he can relate to.

Some of the marketing mix tactics used

Are that no new product is being offered

Instead it is being offered in a different way

To any other pizza – it’s square.

The pizzas unique selling point is

Stores are easy to find e.g. at Shell

Garages.

The TV advert to promote the

“Awesome Foursome” used a marketing strategy aimed at the LGBTQ community so that Debonairs appears to make a connection with them.

By Debonairs showing diversity in

This advert in order to connect with

Different groups, it will have helped them

Connect better with the LGBTQ community.

The message that comes across in this

Marketing campaign is that Debonairs

Would like their audience to be tolerant

Of others and celebrate people’s differences,

The same way they do. This would create positive

Brand awareness for them.

By using the marketing campaign to BRAND CONTRIBUTION

Promote the Awesome Foursome their

Brand’s visibility increased. The use of

TV for advertising suggests that Debonairs’

Target a market that spend time watching

TV. The constant adverts will allow their

Product to generate a high level of brand

Awareness.

Debonairs will also been seen as being

Innovative by coming up with different

Ideas around their pizza’s which contributes

Positively to the reputation of the brand.

Having Coca-Cola as a sponsor for their

Awesome Foursome also adds to