How Applebees Rebooted Its Marketing With an Inflatable Doll

Is there any category with more clichd advertising than the casual dining segment?

Think about it: That ad with the upbeat music showing happy people sitting down to their mouth-watering plates of honey chicken and ribs ... was that for TGI Friday's, Houlihan's or Applebee's? Hard to recall, right?

A talent or creativity deficit isn't to blame. Instead, this appears to be a case where the marketer's demands hem in creativity. After all, if your ad agency is on the Houlihan's account, there's only so much you can do if the client insists on ads with upbeat music, happy people and money shots of mouth-watering plates of food.

With the Great Recession of 2008, though, came a gener…
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