Melting Pot Case Study

“The Melting Pot is perfect for special occasions and for making ordinary occasions special.”

Challenge.

Traditionally a special-occasion restaurant, The Melting Pot was beginning to see declining sales during all days including Fridays and Saturdays, which were both historically prime revenue drivers. Push was challenged with repositioning this iconic brand and changing the perception of The Melting Pot as just a pricey, destination-event restaurant.
Strategy.

Push conducted both primary and secondary research, and utilized quantitative research, already in place and managed by The Melting Pot, to find those brand characteristics that would allow The Melting Pot to maintain its upscale position while pursuing a price-point strategy. The Melting Pot could still own special occasions, but more occasions needed to be special. Fondue is inherently designed to be gathered around, experienced and shared. As such, dining at The Melting Pot is an invitation to start up a conversation, stir the emotions and discover new experiences.
Rather than discount the entire brand by putting everything “on sale,” Push moved the messaging from making special occasions special to making all occasions special. This allowed the brand to move beyond its role as restaurant of choice for birthdays, anniversaries and graduations, to a broader consideration set. The restaurant is promoting different lower-cost items, instead of discounting the higher-priced options. This allows the overall brand to stay intact while allowing people to still enjoy The Melting Pot and all that it has to offer.
Results.

Awarded by franchisees Marketing Partner of the Year 2009

50,000 + Facebook App Registrations

The manifesto poster sparks thoughts on how to Stir Things Up by looking for a reason to celebrate.
Creative features conversation lines and visual elements matching the situation being portrayed. Here, multiple conversation lines and skewers indicate a group celebration.
To promote a romantic evening out, just two skewers are used.
The campaign also includes holiday pieces like the St. Patrick's Day one here.
Visual elements such as the spotlight and red carpet enhance the message.
Part of the campaign strategy is to stress how much fun can be had around the pot, rather than simply what's inside the pot.
Skewer handles complement the theme of the situation portrayed.
Push created an official Facebook fan page to reach current customers who consider themselves fans of The Melting Pot, and to reach new ones. An integral piece to this Facebook solution was the creation of an application called “Perfect Pairings,” inviting users to play cupid amongst their friends with the added incentive of a printable coupon for The Melting Pot.
Evite Studio enabled customized invitations to events held at The Melting Pot.
The Melting Pot iPhone app gives users access to exclusive discounts, as well as providing them with a handy fondue cooking timer

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Push.

“The Melting Pot is perfect for special occasions and for making ordinary occasions special.”