Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC
Senior Director of Franchising at Dippin’ Dots and Doc Popcorn, Steve’s expertise with co-branding is extensive. Steve Rothenstein was partly responsible for the integration of the brands Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC in many locations. Below, Steve shares his experience with brand integration with this and a second endeavor, so that we may learn from the successes and failures that these brands garnished.
Integration and Employment
Unfortunately, the addition of Pizza Hut and KFC to many shops put a strain on the workers. There were more menu items, insufficient training, and no monetary incentive to propel an air of accomplishment around the integration. For this reason, most locations opted to severely limit and condense the co-brand’s menu, often in the form of a small express display. As Steve Rothenstein said, “even the highest-motivated and most well-taken-care-of team, when asked to go the extra mile—day after day after day with no added pay—will have limitations.”
Physical Integration
It’s never an easy task to work two companies’ presence and products into the same space. Be prepared to make intense preparations. Set proper expectations for the crew to meet. In most cases, the integration of Pizza Hut products and branding attempts were made hastily and without proper arrangements. Sometimes the restaurants would not even be closed while changes were made.
Cold Stone, Soupman, and Blimpie’s
During this attempted merge, Steve was a field consultant with Cold Stone Creamery. It was plain to see that ice cream and soup weren’t going to succeed together, they just don’t fit. “Lobster Bisque is delicious,” Steve commented. “Freshly made waffle cones are delicious. Together, they are not ideal; an assault on the senses, in fact.”
This is a perfect example of how important it is to consider multiple companies’ most popular items sharing menu space. The integration has to make sense, or customers simply won’t accept the combination.
Read more about the importance of choosing the right brand to pair with.
Second-In, Second-Rate
Even the sandwich-ice cream combination was difficult to maintain proper attention to during rushes. Additionally, some locations saw Blimpie’s menu take a backseat when business started to pick up. The sandwich menu became too complicated. Co-brand product menus that contain a minimal number of shared ingredients provide streamlined preparation and can be easily maintained, even in the midst of chaos.
Co-Brand Respect With Integration
According to Steve, the biggest mistakes he saw while working these two integrations were related to a lack of equal respect for another company’s products or brand. There must be harmony for a combination to succeed. As Steve put it, there cannot be a favorite son. Always carefully consider every aspect of a potential co-brand, including at the production level.
If you would like to discuss the potential for brand integration and co-branding success for your company, simply call or drop me a note via my contact form found here.