IHOP 2014 Annual Report Download - page 12

In 2014, Applebee’s had
over 2.8 million YouTube
views and received
Facebook’s “Smartest
Storyteller” award.
17
People love our brands. For the last seven years,
Applebee’s® and IHOP® have retained the number one
positions in their respective categories, based on U.S.
system-wide sales.
15 In 2014, we continued to create
meaningful roles for Applebee’s and IHOP in the lives
of our guests. Whether they’re millennials, Gen Xers
or baby boomers, we strive to gain insights about
the complexity within each audience, so that we can
reach out in ways that are most relevant to them.
Gaining ground in social media
Social media is a prime example. Today, Applebee’s
is the largest social marketing brand in the casual
dining space and a recognized industry leader in
social media, with approximately six million fans on
Facebook and over 400,000 followers on Twitter.16
We’re continually looking for new ways to commu-
nicate with guests on a one-to-one basis, with fun,
interactive activities like the Fantographer promo-
tion currently running on Instagram, and more.
In 2014, IHOP expanded across the social media
channels that are most popular with our family dining
generational audience segments. We dialed up the
excitement throughout the year by aligning digital/
social campaigns with limited time offer promotions,
and also realized significant local activation wins
with National Pancake Day, Scary Face Pancakes
on Halloween and IHOP’s 56th Anniversary. Each
event generated a huge response, with dramatic
increases in fans and followers, celebrity and guest
engagement, re-tweeting and user-generated
content. It’s all part of our strategy to help further
elevate IHOP’s position as an exciting, fun and
relevant brand in the digital and social media space.
Refreshing and expanding advertising
We’re evolving the advertising at Applebee’s
and IHOP with fresh approaches that support our
overarching visions for each brand. In November
2014, Applebee’s launched their new advertising
campaign behind the All-In BurgerTM introduction.
This was the first wave of new advertising support-
ing the “The Bar & Grill is Back” campaign idea.
At IHOP, we’ve increased our media presence and
refined our advertising strategy, in order to choose
media vehicles and messages that will resonate with
each of our core target segments. During the second
half of 2014, DineEquity® and a large majority of its
IHOP franchisees worked together to increase the
total annual contribution percentage of restaurant
gross sales to the IHOP National Advertising Fund.
Collectively, we believe that additional advertising
will continue to bolster our lead in the family
dining category.
Capitalizing on trends with
consumer-facing technology
We’re also enhancing one-to-one relationships with
guests by aligning consumer-facing technology
with our overall strategic goals of driving our brands
forward and supporting positive traffic growth. We’ll
be expanding our initiatives to grow the business
and further engage with consumers through various
touch points.
15 Nation’s Restaurant News, “Top 100,” June 30, 2014. [Applebee’s® rank based on U.S.
system-wide sales in the “casual” dining category; IHOP® rank based on U.S. system-wide
sales in the “family” dining category.]
16 Be The Change Revolutions: “Applebee’s Social Media By the Numbers, 2014 Annual Report.”
17 Be The Change Revolutions: “Applebee’s Social Media By the Numbers, 2014 Annual Report.”
18 MRM//McCann: “IHOP by the Numbers.”
Con
10 DineEquity 2014 Annual Report