Let’s Talk About White Castle
White Castle’s conversation-inspiring promotion.
Dining on Slyders®
by candlelight
What’s Wrong with this Picture?
This street sign isn’t advertising a 4-star restaurant, it’s a 24-hour White Castle that serves miniature hamburgers called Slyders®. A regional player, they consistently rank among the Top 100 U.S. foodservice companies, serving over 500 million burgers a year.
White Castle is running a serious business, but not too serious.
Love is in the Ambiance
A kitsch castle motif and hamburger joint ambiance doesn’t register as a romantic destination for most couples. Nor does dining on steamy Slyders® in a stainless-steel and plastic-laminate setting on candlelit, linen-draped tables. Which is exactly why White Castle’s charming Valentine’s Day promotion works.
Not your typical White Castle experience: waiters, flowers, candlelight and tablecloths.
Embrace Yourself
From a strategic marketing standpoint, White Castle understands and embraces their market space and brand persona—and are willing to leverage it by poking fun at themselves. This promotion transcends a one-way communication, inviting consumers to interact with the brand—sharing a little levity with others at White Castle’s expense.
Instigating Viral-ability
The promotion’s self-effacing humor became an opportunity for consumer-generated online viral buzz. The Brainstorm employee who took the picture emailed it to 3 people; two within Brainstorm and one in Oregon. Several weeks later she received the image back in an email from a former co-worker, unrelated in any tangible way to the original recipients with the subject ‘Valentine’s Day dinner plans?’ Who knows how far it traveled or how many people saw it?
Share the Love
Socially shared experiences both on and offline begin with transparency, relevance, and often wit. Inspiring people to talk positively about your brand requires involvement and reaching out to engage.
[Restaurant interior photo: Girlieleep]
March 24th, 2008 at 10:02 am
I know what I’m going to have for lunch today!!! mmmm, i have a mild addiction to white castle.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:57 am
@Jeff - There is no shame in harboring, “The Crave.” You’ve taken a bold first step in admitting it aloud. You are not alone (he intimated). ;)