Family Marketing with Swiss Chalet

Swiss Chalet is a casual/family restaurant chain that has been serving Canadians for more than 50 years. Their first eatery opened in 1954 in downtown Toronto, and since then they have gone on to become one of the most recognizable names in Canada when it comes to fast food ideals with restaurant services.

They specialize in rotisserie chicken dishes, although they do offer other options as well. While I’m not a fan of the food personally (I find it pretty bland, although their burgers are pretty good), I am a fan of what they try to do when it comes to encouraging family life.

Their slogan is “Family Happens at Swiss Chalet”, and their current TV advertising campaign shows families either sitting at restaurants or eating home delivery. The message is that no matter how busy your day, family time is important and Swiss Chalet helps make that happen.

This week, starting today and ending on Friday February 20, they’re running a promotion called “Family Appreciation Week”. For every adult entree purchased, you can get a free kids meal up to the value of $5.99 for any kids under 12-year old. Swiss Chalet are advertising this deal through a special 4-page newspaper insert that also has puzzles and games for kids to play.

They’re also partnering with kid favourites like LEGO, TeleToon, Hubba Bubba and What’s Up Kids magazine to offer special promotions throughout the year.

I’m a huge fan of this kind of marketing. We get so wrapped up in both our online and offline communities and business needs that we often neglect those that matter the most. David Mullen offered a sombre reminder of this last week in a heartbreaking post.

What about you? Are you more attracted to companies that offer family-based marketing? Are there any businesses that you use because of their family ethics? Do you offer family marketing yourself? I’d love to hear about them.

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Rob Metras

Swiss Chalet is family. Go in anytime and see the clientelle. Usually 3 generations at the same table. Loved by seniors and young families. And with prices that in this economy make sense and provide great value" u can dine for 5.99. They get their market and have the colouring stuff on the table to amuse the little ones. They also do great couponing when you on site to bring you back in. Thanks for your insight.

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Mickie Kennedy

If I were running a restaurant, I would completely use this marketing strategy. If you're owner of an establishment that allows children (and most do), you have to realize the correlation between your own life and getting and retaining customers. What would or what did you like? When I think back to my childhood and eating at restaurants, I remember places that were different, fun, or interesting, and I always asked my parents to take us to eat at those locations. Places that had coloring activity menus, wooden peg games, or somehow incorporated interactive and engaging activities that held my interest and gave my parents a break I'm sure. This seems like such a no-brainer to incorporate these, and I have thought about this before when I see kids jumping over booths or hitting their parents in the head with forks.

Danny

I think it's definitely the way ahead for marketing companies, Tim. They're realizing that families are becoming more important again as people look at what really matters in uncertain times.

As you say, though, it needs to be both respectful and unobtrusive, or else it'll just come across as contrived and insincere, and be worse than not marketing towards this group at all.

Tim Jahn

I'm more attracted to family-based marketing because family is important to me. And I think that is true for a lot of people.

Our families are our closest communities, usually the ones we are with the most and feel the most comfortable with.

Tapping into that feeling (in an unobtrusive and respectful way) will definitely result in successful marketing.

Jan

Does anybody know if the male actor in the Family Happens at Swiss Chalet TV commercial is Kevin Dunn who played Joel Horneck in the Jerry Seinfeld episdoe titled "Male Unbonding"?

Danny Brown

Businesses spend millions on marketing and advertising campaigns every year. Yet is family marketing the new approach to real success? Swiss Chalet think so.
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