Friday, November 22, 2013

Branding and Reputation

              Jimmy Johns is a very recognizable sandwich chain that has a distinct marketing strategy. The company has branded itself as a fast food chain in a very literal sense – the stores are known for their speedy service in-store and through delivery. They also brand themselves as slightly off-kilter through their menus and store decorations. There are funny, off-beat phrases and jokes in everything, like a sign that says “free smells” and including jokes on their menu item descriptions. While many would say Jimmy Johns is very similar to other sub shops as far as their actual food goes, they set themselves apart through their marketing and branding.
              Jimmy Johns has a reputation for providing good food quickly and cheaply. It’s not 5-star cuisine by any means, but it’s a viable option for anyone who wants something they’ll like without having to wait very long and without having to spend large amounts of money. This is especially important for college students, since most students are working with a limited budget and are incredibly busy.

              I think the Jimmy Johns franchise is aware of its reputation and uses it to enhance their branding. Their commercials highlight how “freaky fast” their service is, which is an important part of their reputation with their customers. Since one of their most important target demographics is young people (or milennials), they incorporate things that milennials care about into their branding strategy – like a fun, off-beat atmosphere in their stores, created through their fun phrases & signs. On the whole, it’s important for branding and reputation to reinforce one another to create a cohesive image for a company, and I think Jimmy Johns does that very well.

1 comment:

  1. Do you know that the company started in CU? The hole in the wall place they have in the small mall off of Green between Neil and 1st was the first location, if memory serves.

    You might have asked here about how they succeeded, given that there were other competitors in the space already - Blimpies and Subway - and then still others later Quiznos. Then of course there are many more competitors in the broader category of fast food. You could then argue about how the branding helped them grow (as did the quality of their product).

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