The Vagaries of Branding
So yesterday evening my son patronized the drive-through at Arby’s to grab the fam something quick for supper. The first thing he ordered was a roast beef sandwich, which has been an Arby’s stalwart for decades.
“I’m sorry, we’re out of roast beef,” the poor attendant told him.
Wait!… What?!
In other words…
“ARBY’S: WE DO NOT HAVE THE MEATS!”
It’s probably an issue with supply; all kinds of industries and business sectors are still having difficulty overcoming supply-chain problems that became obvious, and disrupting, during the pandemic. Regardless of whether that’s the problem, I doubt the Arby’s brand manager is going to be able to simply shrug this one off.
Doubly disastrous for Arby’s, the situation calls to mind one of its competitors (decidedly not the goal of branding). Back in the day, the competitor’s little old lady inquired with incredulity…
“WHERE’S THE BEEF?!”
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