Not digging the name? Hardee’s multi-platform campaign asks
customers to name its Biscuit Holes
Hole-y moley! Hardee’s® is adding a sweet and petite new item to its
delicious line of Made From Scratch™ biscuits – Biscuit Holes. Rolled in
cinnamon and sugar and served with icing for dipping, Biscuit Holes are
now available at all participating restaurants. And, after struggling
for months to come up with an appropriate name, Hardee’s is asking
customers to names its holes with a multi-platform, customer-interactive
promotional campaign. Both are sure to leave customers satisfied.
While developing Biscuit Holes, the menu development team at Hardee’s
knew they had a winner when they deep-fried balls of biscuit dough,
rolled in cinnamon-sugar and dipped them in icing, but they were stumped
when it came to what to call them. The internal marketing debate over
the name led to many colorful suggestions, which sparked the idea for
the product’s advertising campaign.
“We knew there would be a big market for Biscuit Holes when we learned
that some of our biscuit bakers have been making a similar product for
the rest of their restaurants’ staff and they loved them,” said Brad
Haley, Hardee’s executive vice president of marketing. “They really are
irresistible and it’s almost impossible to eat just one. But what to
call them was a big challenge. One of my favorite options was ‘Biznuts,’
a cross between ‘biscuits’ and ‘donuts,’ since the closest thing to them
are donut holes. But there were many other suggestions that were very
funny. Unfortunately, I can’t repeat them here.”
Name Our Holes
At Hardee’s, it isn’t just the menu items that are innovative. The
introduction of Biscuit Holes will be supported by a multimedia,
integrated platform including advertising, online, mobile and social
media. Key among them is a new microsite called www.NameOurHoles.com.
The new commercials were produced by Los Angeles-based advertising
agency Mendelsohn|Zien Advertising and can be viewed at the new Hardee’s YouTube
brand channel and Facebook
page. Some feature a man-on-the-street survey format in which people
were asked what they would call the new Biscuit Holes.
