Red Lobster, in collaboration with VIRTUE Worldwide, has launched “The Red Lobsttery,” a festive campaign designed to drive consumer engagement through the end of the year. This initiative follows the release of seasonal cocktails and utilizes a retro game-show aesthetic to promote holiday gift card sales, offering a $5 bonus coupon for every $25 gift card purchase.
Complementing this gamified approach, the 15-second “All the Love for Seafood” spot emphasizes the quality of the product and the core brand identity, introducing two new seafood boil flavors.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the :15 spot.
The Details:
- The :15 “All the Love for Seafood” performed efficiently at informing on the new menu items with clarity, as well as an overall brand reminder:
- The new :15 generally met restaurant advertising norms (past 90 days benchmarks) across breakthrough (Attention and Likeability) and Relevance but outperformed in delivering Change and Information to viewers. This indicates that viewers didn’t just see another seafood ad; they received a specific message that the brand is moving in a new direction, effectively combating menu fatigue.
- This success was reflected both in the playback of Yummy and Value response in viewer comments (measured through emotional profiling) as well as in the brand and product itself standing out as the Single Best Things about the short-form spot vs other category ads.
- The creative also resonated at normative to above-norm levels across age/gender, with 63% reporting an increased likelihood of purchase (within the 61% Top 2 Box intent norm range).
- Moreover, over eight in ten easily recalled Red Lobster after a single viewing (unaided), ensuring the brand was placed top of mind.
- The new :15 generally met restaurant advertising norms (past 90 days benchmarks) across breakthrough (Attention and Likeability) and Relevance but outperformed in delivering Change and Information to viewers. This indicates that viewers didn’t just see another seafood ad; they received a specific message that the brand is moving in a new direction, effectively combating menu fatigue.
- Viewer engagement and response was particularly high among the most frequent casual dining intenders dining with Red Lobster – and was positive across all customers of the brand:
- In fact, two in three casual dining intenders reported increased intent (excluding those indicating that they never dined at Red Lobster), which outpaced the category benchmark by +7 pts.
- Viewer sentiment on the new :15 reveals that the ad’s strongest success was in the appeal of the food and generating visceral hunger. The visual presentation of seafood boils was very effective and the product photography resonated strongly across demographics.
- While the CEO presence saw a bit of disagreement, the ‘comeback’ story was received very positively. CEO presence can be a double edged sword in that it builds brand authenticity and resonates with audiences appreciating leadership transparency, but it can create some friction or confusion for viewers unfamiliar with the brand’s story.
- Some confusion was also seen around what was actually ‘new’ and of course relevancy was low among non-seafood fans.
- In fact, two in three casual dining intenders reported increased intent (excluding those indicating that they never dined at Red Lobster), which outpaced the category benchmark by +7 pts.
Sample comments on “All the Love for Seafood” :15
“The ad effectively highlights the variety of flavors, making the product seem appealing and versatile. The bold, colorful presentation grabs attention and suggests freshness and quality, though the branding could be more distinctive.”
Male 36-49
“I have liked Red Lobster ever since I was a kid and I will always want to go back to that restaurant. It is a very comforting and relaxing atmosphere usually. I haven’t been to one yet that I have been uncomfortable in.”
Female 36-49
“The new flavors sound seriously delicious, and I like that they put the new CEO himself in an ad. I’m a fan of his from what I’ve read and it sounds like he’s incredibly smart and doing great things for the brand.”
Female 21-35
“I don’t think that’s Red Lobster’s real CEO.”
Male 21-35
“Sharp dude – speaks clearly. As for the ad itself – inspiring. I got hungry right away, not funny at all. Now I’m craving Red Lobster. Message is clear and delivered its purpose.”
Male 36-49
“I don’t have strong opinions about it. I don’t know why the CEO had to introduce the new flavors. I think they tried to make him seem more approachable, but I don’t know anyone who necessarily cares about the CEO when considering where to eat.”
Female 21-35
“The seafood boil looks like it tastes good. I’ve heard good things about the new Red Lobster CEO so it’s cool to see him in this.”
Female 21-35
“Good ad. No more fancy is needed for this recognized brand. The announcement of new flavors on new products is awesome. Can’t wait to taste it. Nice ad, nice photos.”
Male 50+
“It needs more time focusing on the food instead of a spokesman trying to sell me on a product.”
Male 21-35
“It doesn’t add anything to what the brand is or any improvements to it. What is new? What is the catch to make me come in? There was none of it”
Female 50+
“I was more surprised to see a young CEO. And a black guy too. Wow. Nice.”
Male 36-49
“Love Red Lobster, but the guy was boring and talked too much.”
Female 36-49
“I think it was a great ad. It’s nice to see Red Lobster coming back with new things, much brighter than it’s been in a long time.”
Female 36-49
- “All the Love for Seafood” performed within range of many other recently released casual dining ads:
- Applebee’s “Create Your Own” stood out to viewers as highly Authentic and a good Value (“Ultimate Trio” of 3 appetizers and 3 sauces for $14.99 offering 80,000+ available combinations).
- The Chili’s “Big QP” spot also mentioned price ($10.99) and Outback did the same ($14.99) to better cement value perceptions while the $19.99 price point in the BWW ad might have limited intent for some viewers.
- Applebee’s “Create Your Own” stood out to viewers as highly Authentic and a good Value (“Ultimate Trio” of 3 appetizers and 3 sauces for $14.99 offering 80,000+ available combinations).
- The brand’s “Red Lobsterry” :55 sweepstakes ad successfully communicated the promotion and generated awareness, but execution issues undermined effectiveness vs other restaurant ads:
Key Highlights:
- The comedic approach showed promise with some reservations. The lobster claw visual is a keeper—it’s distinctive and memorable.
- The end cards with clear steps were a positive, but at the end of a longer ad. iSpot offers a non-skippable testing environment to ensure response is measured to the full creative as it was intended to be viewed; however, ad skipping is likely.
- The gift card angle resonated as appropriate for holiday gifting.
Opportunities:
- Length and lack of food visualization are fixable notes from viewers.
- The creative has bones—but could benefit from refinement.
Ineffective creative, even if delivered to the right audience, results in missed opportunity and performance shortfalls. Great creative delivered poorly also results in failed campaigns.
Schedule a demo to find out how your brand can partner with iSpot to quickly solve both challenges simultaneously, delivering high-performing creative while boosting the effectiveness of planning and in-market execution to achieve—and outperform—campaign objectives.
Creative Agency: Barkley