Chili's 2015 Annual Report Download - page 14

Advertising and Marketing
Our brands generally target the 18 to 59 year-old age group. It is our belief that these consumers value the
benefits of the casual dining category for multiple meal occasions. Brinker has launched several brand initiatives
aimed at making both brands more “New School” or specifically more relevant for today’s evolving consumer. In
doing so, we focus on the largest segment opportunities such as guests we have identified as “Win-backs”, who
have stopped using the brand six months or more ago, and “Switchers”, who are not loyal to one brand.
Initiatives include restaurant reimages designed to provide a more comfortable, up-to-date environment; new
kitchen equipment and procedures that deliver a more consistent food experience; food innovation with quality
ingredients, made with care and presented with pride; and brand messaging that showcases the vibrant
experiences of our restaurants, while demonstrating our quality, freshness and the care we put into the
preparation of our food. We engage with our target groups, through a mix of national television, digital
advertising, database marketing and social media with each of our restaurant brands utilizing one or more of
these mediums to meet our communication strategies and budget. We recently launched an industry-leading
loyalty program enabling members to earn and redeem what they want, when they want on the device they
want—online, mobile app or tabletop tablet.
Our franchise agreements generally require advertising contributions to us by the franchisees. We use these
contributions, in conjunction with company funds, for the purpose of retaining agencies, obtaining consumer
insights, developing and producing brand-specific creative materials and purchasing national or regional media to
meet the brand’s strategy. Some franchisees also spend additional amounts on local advertising. Any such local
advertising must first be approved by us.
Team Members
As of June 24, 2015, we employed approximately 53,000 team members, of which 615 were restaurant
support center personnel in Dallas, and 4,007 were restaurant area directors, managers, or trainees. The
remaining 48,394 were employed in non-management restaurant positions. Our executive officers have an
average of 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry.
We have a positive team member relations outlook and continue to focus on improving our team member
turnover rate. We have a variety of tools and strong resources in place to help us recruit and retain the best talent
to work in our restaurants.
The majority of our team members, outside of restaurant management and restaurant support center
personnel, are paid on an hourly basis. We stand firm in the belief that we provide competitive working
conditions and wages favorable with other companies in our industry. Our team members are not covered by any
collective bargaining agreements.
Trademarks
We have registered and/or have pending, among other marks, “Brinker International”, “Chili’s”, “Chili’s
Bar & Bites”, “Chili’s Express”, “Chili’s Margarita Bar”, “Chili’s Southwest Grill & Bar”, “Chili’s Too”,
“Maggiano’s”, and “Maggiano’s Little Italy”, as trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Available Information
We maintain an internet website with the address of http://www.brinker.com. You may obtain, free of
charge, at our website, copies of our reports filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the “SEC”) on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. Any amendments to such reports are also available for viewing and
copying at our internet website. These reports will be available as soon as reasonably practicable after filing such
material with, or furnishing it to, the SEC. In addition, you may view and obtain, free of charge, at our website,
copies of our corporate governance materials, including, Corporate Governance Guidelines, Audit Committee
Charter, Compensation Committee Charter, Governance and Nominating Committee Charter, Code of Conduct
and Ethical Business Policy, and Problem Resolution Procedure/Whistle Blower Policy.
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