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Topics: Business, Five Guys, Food And Drink
James Moorhouse
Topics: Business, Five Guys, Food And Drink
It seems remarkable in the world of social media and crazy advertising that one of the world's biggest food chains claims to have no advertising whatsoever.
But that's the case with Five Guys, according to CEO John Eckbert, who suggested that the US company has never bothered with advertising despite having 2,000 stores across the globe.
You only need to look at some of the viral advertising campaigns out there, with Curry's recently doing one with Big John to show off their new Bosch selection, to see how effective they can be.
Who could forget seeing Mr T in the Snickers adverts, the Cadbury's Gorilla, or the iconic Just Do It Nike campaign? But despite never seeing them on TV, Five Guys have still found success and certainly have a reputation when it comes to adding just way too many chips in your bag.
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Back in 2022, Eckbert explained the advertising strategy, or lack thereof, when speaking on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast.
He said: "When you think about the dashboard that most food and beverage executives have, you have an advertising dial that you can crank up. You can choose the quality of your messaging, the budget you put into it and the way that you spend it. All those dials are gone, and off the table.
"It does focus you on the things you can do, which is making great burgers and fries, hiring people who are passionate about it. The people who are in the store make such a difference. Food, fundamentally, is about passion. You remember the great food experiences you have. If you're on holiday, having great food is part of that experience. Having a passion about food is so important."
Now, the cynics among you would argue that appearing on a podcast is technically advertising, in the same way that having social media accounts on Instagram and TikTok where you share deals and videos of your food and drink.
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But while some older heads will remember seeing the 'I'm lovin' it' McDonalds adverts on TV or maybe even the classic Pizza Hut commercial featuring Gareth Southgate, that's something that we might never see with Five Guys, which you'd think they can certainly afford given their receipts often go viral with people shocked at their prices.
Founder Jerry Murrell has spoken out about their prices, saying: "Our food prices fluctuate. We do not base our price on anything but margins.
"We raise our prices to reflect whatever our food costs are. So, if the mayonnaise guy triples his price, we pay triple for the mayonnaise!
"And then we'll increase the price of our product."