By positioning away from chicken restaurants, Chick-Fil -- a avoids direct comparisons with those restaurants but allows for direct comparison against burger joints. In terms of strategic planning, the objectives of this ad campaign were most likely to raise awareness of Chick-Fil-a, to create interest in the brand and to improve both sales and market share. When the outputs are concerned, the only reasonable conclusion is that the ads are successful. The ads stick in people's heads more than most fast food ads, and Chick-Fil -- a has become more successful since the campaign began. The campaign has been ongoing since the mid-1990s, indicating that the company's financial and market outcomes in that period have been positive, and that follow-up market research has indicated that the campaign has been part of that success.

Batra and Stayman (1990) note that when advertisements create positive moods, brand attitude change is facilitated. Every element of the Ear Mor Chikin campaign is designed to facilitate a positive mood. The use of anthropomorphic animals is almost always a winner with consumers, and indeed the cows actually replace an anthropomorphic chicken from earlier campaigns. The intentional misspellings and dark humor also elicit good feelings from consumers, again creating a positive brand image.

Conclusion

The Eat Mor Chikin campaign is highly effective, and has been an unqualified success for Chick-Fil-a. The campaign works on all the key levels that one would want an advertising campaign to work at. For example, it elicits good feelings in the consumer, and therefore creates positive brand associations. The ads are also quirky and unique, relying on both animals and gallows humor. The former might be common in quick service restaurant advertising, but the latter is not. The ads are disarming in their nature, which can quiet people who would otherwise be critical or skeptical of the company....

Yet, even though they play on the fact that cows are killed to make burgers, the ads do not seek to alienate consumers by portraying a vegan point-of-view.
The outcomes associated with the campaign are also positive. Clearly, since the campaign has been running for over fifteen years, it has proven to be effective. Eat Mor Chikin has created positive brand associations and at this point has played a key role in the perceptions of the Chick-Fil -- a brand for many consumers. The company's revenue and market share have improved, and the campaign has allowed the company to move beyond its southern base into fertile new markets in California and the Midwest. By all measures, therefore, the Eat Mor Chikin campaign has proven to be successful and arguably is the single most important factor in the growth of Chick-Fil -- a over the past fifteen years, from a regional chain to one that it gaining in national relevance, as the #12 quick service restaurant in the country, ranking between Jack in the box and Arby's. (QSR Magazine, 2010).

Works Cited:

Batra, R. & Stayman, D. (1990). The role of mood in advertising effectiveness. Journal of Consumer Research. Vol. 17 (1990) 203.

Cao, J. (1999). Evaluation of advertising effectiveness using agent-based modeling and simulation. University of Warwick. Retrieved April 25, 2012 from http://stuff.mit.edu/~caoj/pub/doc/jcao_c_adver.pdf

Daye, D. & VanAuken, B. (2008). Evaluating advertising effectiveness. Branding Strategy. Retrieved April 25, 2012 from http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2008/05/evaluating-adve.html

QSR Magazine. (2010). 2010 QSR Top 50. QSR Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2012 from http://www.qsrmagazine.com/reports/2010-qsr-50?page=2

Trout, J. (2007). How to evaluate advertising. Forbes. Retrieved April 25, 2012 from http://www.forbes.com/2007/05/17/jack-trout-marketing-oped-cx_jt_0518trout.html