Red Lobster reels in 18-34 year-olds

Ted MarzilliCEO YouGov Direct
August 11, 2011, 5:41 PM GMT+0

Red Lobster’s new “authenticity” campaign featuring real people who bring the food to the chain’s tables is registering strongly with adults 18–34 years old, but not as well with other age groups, according to YouGov BrandIndex.

Since the “Sea food differently” campaign launched Monday, July 25, across TV and social media, Red Lobster’s buzz score for the 18–34 demographic soared from 2.7 to its current 24.9

The campaign, however, has not fared well with other age groups, who seem unmoved by the “let us show you the people behind the scenes” theme – an approach which competitors Domino’s and Taco Bell, among others, have also recently employed. Among its biggest supporters, the boomers, Red Lobster lost some steam since the campaign began, shaving off some Buzz points, from 35 to 31. The 35–49 age demographic stumbled a little more, going from 26.2 down to 20.6.

Red Lobster was measured with YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score, which asks respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"