<a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=180,height=415,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://www.whitehotcenter.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/11/garfieldwendys021108_2.jpg"><img class="alignright" style="width: 131px; height: 303px;" title="Garfieldwendys021108_2" src="http://www.whitehotcenter.com/influence_by_design/images/2008/02/11/garfieldwendys021108_2.jpg" border="0" alt="Garfieldwendys021108_2" /></a>I am usually not that interested in advertising. But lately, as I snoop around around the trade press, I run into stuff that absolutely makes me crazy... and the latest bro-ha-ha over the red wig bit found in Wendy's  TV spots is another case in point of advertising that is not based in a compelling positioning.

See the AD AGE story by  pundit Bob Garfield: <a href="http://adage.com/garfield/post?article_id=124975">http://adage.com/garfield/post?article_id=124975</a>

Here's another marketer that allows it's agency to mastermind an absurd idea to break through the crap/clutter to engage young males to buy Wendy's burgers. Of course, it did nothing to increase Wendy's same store sales, the CMO behind it leaves along with the agency behind it,  and a new agency comes in to create an even more unforgettable effort.

Like my last rant/post, the problem lies not in the advertising, but  in the positioning of the brand... or lack thereof. Wendy's is a brand that is lost, and whenever marketers get lost (nobody cares) they resort to tactics that are solely based in getting attention. But no matter how much media money is spent on these "big ad ideas"... the brand suffers. Nobody is listening because nobody cares. Here's why:

Wendy's has lost it's relevance. It's only differentiating functional attribute–unfrozen beef patties cooked to order– no longer means that much to anyone. There is no white hot center of competitive advantage that grounds Wendy's messaging.

Wendy's food quality and delivery is no better or worse than the competition, so why bother.

Wendy's apparently does not value creating a customer experience that people love to engage in and sneeze to others. The stores are dull and generic.

Wendy's (along with a host of other marketers) who have no compelling brand positioning will always be victimized by the "creativity" of advertising agencies who's only purpose is to make attention-getting ads, not build brands.

With regard to the competitive landscape, you would never see IN &amp; OUT BURGER resort to these aimless messaging tactics. They don't have to, they have what Wendy's does not– a compelling value proposition that manifests itself into a long line of cars around its drive through windows, and a wait for a table inside their wonderful store environments.

Dave is not happy...