Three Minds On Digital Marketing @ Organic

We've talked about trading down as a social phenomenon. From Dunkin' Donuts to Taco Bell, sometimes it's about slummin' it and lovin' it.  But most brands want to move the other way.  The challenge is to avoid alienating their core audience as they chase the profit margins of higher-end customers.  For every Target success story, there are a dozen Phaeton's (VW) or Forth & Towne's (Gap Inc.).  One restaurant chain that's attempting to achieve this tricky balance is Red Lobster.

If any brand defines the a working class lets-treat-ourselves-to-dinner experience, it's Red Lobster.  Now the casual-dining restaurant, part of the Darden Restaurants group that includes Olive Garden, is going upscale.

New TV ads feature steaming fish with vegetables - gone are the lobster claws dripping with butter or fried shrimp bouncing on the plate.  Inside the restaurants, kitschy elements like fish-shaped tables and tropical-themed plates will slowly be replaced by stone, wood, and muted tones. The menu is being revamped.

Can Red Lobster survive this extreme makeover?

Misha Cornes