To complement the bread and extend the brand, we recommended that Panera develop a suite of retail products to broaden the Panera bread experience and add incremental sales.
Heckler Associates handled the launches of new products and services, including bread dipping sauces, salad dressings, coffee and catering, designing packaging as well as promotional materials.
The number of Panera company-owned and franchised stores grew from approximately 50 bakery-cafes in 1996 to over 1000 bakery-cafes in 2006. Average store sales grew from approximately $1.2 million to $2.1 million during the same time. Meanwhile, Panera became a favorite in cities and towns across America, earning "Best of" awards in many categories.
Every market introduction was supported with a neighborhood marketing plan and a local media strategy to reach new customers quickly. Heckler Associates created grand opening radio, billboard and print ad campaigns plus direct mail that could easily be customized by market. Distribution of the creative across the country soon grew to the point that we set up an electronic system for resizing and broadcasting the print and radio ads.
Panera's sales growth had always come from word of mouth and local marketing—print, radio, direct mail and outdoor that Heckler Associates created. However, many of Panera's franchisees had previous experience with the large fast food chains and national TV campaigns. But in 2001, the company decided to try national TV and we developed the media plan and Panera's first television campaign.
Panera saw an opportunity in the high volume of business at the bakery-cafes during breakfast and lunch and the realities of modern working. They developed a catering program with a limited menu. Packaging Panera menu items for easy, convenient use outside of the stores was a natural extension for the brand. To differentiate this program from the in-store experience, we created the name Via Panera, designed the logo and developed a unique, branded packaging system. It presented lunch and breakfast items in beautiful paper serving trays that were stacked in boxes designed for easy transport. The entire system was designed to be beautiful enough to place on the conference table in front of clients or guests.
