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Red Lobster Analysis Essay

Decent Essays

Red Lobster – Altering Perception through Improved Positioning

Given the changes in Red Lobster’s strategy over the past few years and the surprising ability to attract new, “experiential” customers, it our recommendation that they modify their strategy to focus on pursuing this type of clientele. We will go into further detail momentarily; however, the reason for focusing on the experiential customer group is that Red Lobster has the opportunity to increase revenue and net operating income at each restaurant by 20% or more. Granted, these are enormous gains and it will take a few years to realize their full potential, but for the reasons laid out below, we believe these gains are a realistic possibility.
Red Lobster’s positioning has …show more content…

Together, they developed a new menu around freshness. Next, “wood-fire grilling” was introduced, as research showed it was the most preferred way of cooking seafood. This was a very effective way of repositioning the brand, as it helped to shift perceptions away from the fried foods of the past to the new fresh preparation methods. Furthermore, “grill masters” were introduced, and the position quickly became the most prestigious job in the restaurant. This was also highly effective, as it added a higher quality feel to the food, and served a dual purpose as the centerpiece of the marketing plan in 2011. In addition, a fresh fish menu was provided to consumers, separate from the main menu, which highlighted the daily catch. Finally, select ingredients were upgraded and restaurant locations were remodeled in order to strengthen the perception of top quality and freshness, while appealing to consumers other senses.
The current Red Lobster advertisements have come a long way from the “all you can eat snow crab legs” disaster in 2003. As shown in exhibit nine, television ads in 2008 focused on the new wood fire grilling method of cooking and fresh fish. More recently in 2011, the “sea food differently” campaign has featured a grill master as the star of the commercial, explaining how they carefully prepare the food while emphasizing the pride they take in their jobs. These new

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