Ever craved a chicken sandwich on a Sunday and found yourself staring blankly at a closed Chick-fil-A? (Don’t lie, we aren’t judging.) That, my friend, is a marketing genius at its finest. Chick-fil-A’s marketing strategies and positioning have helped the brand carve a distinct identity in the highly competitive fast-food industry.
Founded by Truett Cathy in 1967, it has become people’s favorite over the years. It is one of the renowned fast-food restaurant chains worldwide. Chick-fil-A has built an empire on more than just crispy chicken and waffle fries. They’ve mastered the art of making you crave chicken-based products– and loving them for it. Focusing on chicken-based menu offerings has differentiated it from other fast-food chains.
This American fast-food restaurant chain, headquartered in College Park, Georgia, operates over 3,000 restaurants across 48 states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It provides catering services and is widely known for its commitment to exceptional quality, customer service, and strong values. The brand has built its reputation on serving high-quality food made from fresh ingredients.
Chick-fil-A is one of the largest fast-food chains, offering a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu. Its positioning defines where its product stands in the marketplace and minds of consumers compared to other food brands like McDonald’s, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, KFC, Burger King, etc., offering similar products and services. Its positioning is a crucial aspect of its marketing strategy, enabling it to gain market share over its competitors.
Chick-fil-A ranked 3rd in the QSR 50 2024: Top 50 Fast-Food Chains, Ranked by Sales. One of the brand’s successful marketing strategies is the design of its menu offering and brand image to occupy a distinctive place in the minds of its target market. Despite its closed-on-Sundays policy, this creates strong customer awareness and potential profits for the brand.
Chick-fil-A marketing mix
Every brand needs an excellent, well-coordinated marketing approach to succeed in business and generate sales that result in a remarkable bottom line. This can be achieved by having a good marketing strategy that considers the four main components of the marketing mix. Product, price, place, and promotion are the 4Ps of the marketing mix.
Chick-fil-A’s effective marketing mix has been a key factor in the brand’s remarkable success in the fast-food industry. The brand uses the 4Ps as an integral part of its marketing strategy. The careful balance of these four components has been instrumental in its growth and differentiation.
Let’s examine the details of Chick-fil-A’s marketing mix, and how each element contributes to the brand’s success.
Product
The product element of Chick fil A marketing mix focuses on its food offerings. If you think Chick-fil-A’s only has chicken sandwiches, you might be living under a rock. They’ve got breakfast, lunch, and dinner sorted with a fascinating array of chicken-centric delights, from nuggets to salads to wraps. Need a milkshake or a soft drink? They’ve got those too.
Quality isn’t just a buzzword here—it’s a mission. Its foods are made from fresh ingredients and prepared with care. It uses 100% real, boneless chicken breast, with no fillers, hormones, or antibiotics to ensure quality. The chickens are raised in barns (not cages) on farms and follow its Animal Wellbeing Standards.
Chick-fil-A prepares its chicken using a unique cooking technique that ensures a tender and flavorful experience. It’s like the chicken went to a fancy spa before it ended up on your plate. The fruits, veggies, and ingredients used to prepare the food it serves at its restaurants are grown on farms across the United States. These are freshly delivered to the restaurants up to six days a week.
Offering products that cater to various dietary preferences is a key marketable factor that Chick-fil-A considers. The brand offers salads in different forms for health-conscious people. The brand has a separate section for kids’ meals, offering varieties of nuggets and other appealing items like Chick-n-Strips.
Price
Chick-fil-A uses a pricing strategy that balances affordability and the perception of value. It uses a value-based pricing strategy in marketing wherein the prices of its products are slightly higher than its competitors. This is usually justified by the quality of the products it offers; positioning itself as a higher-end fast-food option
Customers perceive Chick-fil-A’s quality food and exceptional service to be worth the value. They are usually willing to pay a slightly higher price for them, it’s a little extra for the “extra” in extraordinary! This value-based pricing strategy aligns with the brand’s targeting of selective higher-income groups that can pay a certain amount for its offerings. Thus, it enables the fast food chain to make an annual revenue of more than 10 Billion USD.
Place
The place element in Chick-fil-A marketing mix involves the strategic locations where customers can access the brand’s products. As a marketing approach, this fast-food chain strategically chooses its restaurant locations.
To ensure brand visibility and accessibility, it usually targets high-traffic areas such as college campuses, shopping centers, and busy intersections. This allows the brand to maximize its visibility and convenience for customers by making its products easily accessible.
Chick-fil-A has a wide geographic presence with its outlets. It has positioned itself as a premium quality fast-food brand in the United States, Canada, and other countries globally, ensuring you can get your chicken fix without running a marathon.
The brand tends to flourish in Christian-based states due to its corporate purpose of “glorifying God.” Per its Christian principles, its restaurants close on Sundays and other Christian holidays. This strategic move appeals to the Christian demography, eventually turning them into customers.
Promotion
The Promotion element of Chick fil A marketing mix encompasses various marketing activities to communicate and promote its brand and products. The brand uses traditional and digital marketing channels, such as outdoor billboards, influencer partnerships, television commercials, print advertisements, social media campaigns, and content marketing.
Chick-fil-A usually employs creative and engaging advertising content to resonate with its target audience and drive brand awareness. They have enlisted cows, yes, cows as part of their marketers. These bovine partners are begging you to ‘Eat Mor Chikin’. Ingenious, isn’t it?
The brand uses promotional campaigns tied to specific events or holidays, such as its popular Cow Appreciation Day, where customers dress up as cows to receive free food.
Word-of-mouth marketing is highly used. The brand ensures customers have an exceptional experience and encourages them to share their positive experiences and recommendations with their family and friends.
What is the marketing strategy of Chick-fil-A?
Chick-fil-A’s marketing strategy sings a fine tune of the marketing mix framework. But let’s break down what makes up their melody:
- STP marketing (Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning)
- Traditional marketing and advertising
- Digital and social media marketing
- Exceptional customer experience
- Community involvement
- Use of targeted marketing campaigns
- Improving and introducing new products
- In-Store promotions
- Targeted advertising via the Chick-fil-A One mobile app
- Brand positioning
Chick fil A marketing strategies have played a crucial role in its success as a leading fast-food brand with a strong and loyal customer base. Despite having fewer locations than some competitors, the fast-food chain has consistently achieved impressive growth and customer loyalty, enabling it to stand out in the competitive market.
STP marketing (Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning)
Chick-fil-A’s STP marketing strategy has been key to its success as a leading fast-food brand. The brand has built a strong brand and a loyal customer base by effectively segmenting the market, targeting specific customer groups, and positioning itself as a provider of high-quality chicken-based meals. It has a brand reputation that is identified with exceptional service and strong values.
Segmentation
As part of its marketing strategies, Chick-fil-A employs several market segmentation variables to divide the market into distinct groups, like slicing a birthday cake. Demographics, behaviors, and psychographic traits—each slice catered to the whim of a different crowd, aiding the brand in serving its diverse customer base effectively.
For instance, Chick-fil-A has several family-based marketing strategies. One example is the brand’s offering kid-friendly menu options like its 5 Ct Nuggets Kid’s Meal, 2 Ct Chick-n-Strips Kid’s Meal, and 5 Ct Grilled Nuggets Kid’s Meal and play areas in some of its restaurants.
It also provides promotional activities that appeal to parents, such as the “Mom’s Valet” service which avoids parents standing in line with a group of children. This service makes parents’ lives a bit easier as they can order the family’s meals at the drive-thru while keeping everyone safely in the car. Then, when they enter the restaurant, a table is already prepared for them with high chairs if needed.
Another example of this fast food brand tailoring toward a specific target audience is tweaking its menu options to resonate with particular lifestyles like healthy living. Chick-fil-A caters to health-conscious individuals by adding grilled chicken and salad options. It offers salad options like Cobb salad, Market salad, and Spicy Southwest salad which can be ordered with its nuggets, Chick-n-Strips, or filet.
Targeting
Once its target market is segmented, Chick-fil-A selects specific segments to focus its marketing strategies. It aims straight for their hearts and stomachs by tailoring its offerings and marketing messages to resonate better with the customers’ preferences and needs.
For instance, Chick-fil-A targets working professionals who don’t have the time to cook and prepare meals. Hence, the fast-food restaurant incorporates technologies and strategies that appeal to these busy professionals. These technologies include introducing mobile ordering options, and drive-thru facilities, and emphasizing its quick and convenient service in its marketing messages.
Similarly, the brand targets college students and as a result, opens its restaurants near campuses and offers late-night dining options.
Also, based on the quality of its foods and the brand’s prices, it targets high-income earners as its potential customers. The brand places the prices of its products slightly higher than its competitors which targets the middle to upper-middle class. Such people have the disposable income necessary to eat out regularly at Chick-fil-A comfortably. Additionally, they are always willing to pay a premium because they feel the quality of the products justifies the price.
Positioning
Positioning is another key marketing approach of Chick-fil-A. It involves showing its target audience how it wants to be perceived in their minds, to differentiate it from competing brands like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Subway.
To secure a position in the market that sets Chick-fil-A apart from the competition, the brand had to ensure its products stand out from what was already on the market. This is why the brand has successfully positioned itself as a high-quality, fresh, and delicious chicken-based fast food provider.
This chicken-based fast food chain works hard to make its product stand out. How? By emphasizing its menu that appeals to various tastes and preferences and its commitment to clean, inviting restaurants, and exceptional customer service.
Chick-fil-A also positions itself as a brand with strong values focusing on community development. Its commitment to closing on Sundays to allow employees to honor their religious beliefs and spend time with family gives customers a certain perception of the brand’s dedication to its principles.
Traditional marketing and advertising
To reach its target audience and create awareness about its brand, Chick-fil-A uses traditional marketing and advertising; also known as physical marketing. It uses offline media like billboards, mail advertisements, TV and radio advertisements, newspaper ads, and other print ads.
Although Chick-fil-A occasionally uses print ads or coupon mailers, billboards and television ads are the most common traditional advertising methods for its target audience.
Billboards
Billboards are one of Chick-fil-A’s marketing strategies. Its billboard advertisements are built on OOH advertising (Out Of Home ads). When driving along any major roadway in the USA, you will eventually come across a Chick-fil-A billboard as a friendly reminder that a Chick-fil-A restaurant is nearby.
The brand cultivates brand awareness and informs the public about its restaurant by putting up billboards. The billboards have catchy sayings that are strong enough to stick in people’s brains long enough for them to remember the brand when they’re ready for their next meal.
Through its cow campaign, Chick-fil-A has launched many successful billboards. Most of its billboards use a popular design that combines a humorous saying with Holstein cows. Cows became an integral part of Chick-fil-A marketing, with most of its billboards playing off the idea of “dumb cows” who could not write well, hence the misspelled words and sloppy paint.
The entire cow campaign started with a single billboard with three simple words “Eat Mor Chikin” which became recognizable. Over the years the font, cows, and misspelled words became a hallmark of Chick-fil-A.
As a marketing strategy, Chick-fil-A uses its competitor’s primary product (cow) as a mascot for its billboard, encouraging its target audience to eat chicken to save cows.
Television Ads
Chick-fil-A runs television ads as part of its marketing strategy, especially during the holidays and televised sporting events. Such ads reach a wider audience, including young adults, sports fans, and families.
The brand airs TV commercials for new product launches such as the Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit Commercial, and the Chick-fil-A Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich commercial.
Apart from making commercials to advertise new product launches, the brand also runs commercials that sell a feeling. The Little Things commercial, for instance, is known for its heart-warming content about kindness, joy, and exceptional customer service. This reinforces Chick-fil-A’s branding, positioning it in the minds of consumers as a restaurant chain that takes pride in its customer service.
The commercial does not directly market the Chick fil A product to the audience but sells a feeling and perception of how Chick-fil-A is highly dedicated to serving its customers and local communities. Focusing on customer experience instead of the brand drives sales and increases the brand’s profitability.
Digital and social media marketing
Another prominent marketing strategy that Chick-fil-A uses is digital marketing. The company uses the internet and other forms of digital communication to promote its brand and connect with potential customers.
The brand has a strong social media presence on various platforms and uses them to interact with a wider audience, share content, and inform customers about its product offerings. This promotional strategy has effectively brought engagement and patronage from many people across various demographics.
Facebook and Instagram
For example, as of October 2024, Chick-fil-A’s Facebook page has over 7.8 million likes. It provides links to local store pages and events, photos and videos about its products, and interactions with customers.
On Instagram, it has about 1.9 Million followers as of October 2024. It makes a new post at least every month to advertise a new menu item, share affirmations to make customers feel better, and share other information.
YouTube
Chick-fil-A shares videos on YouTube as part of its content marketing strategy. It has over 96K subscribers and millions of views on its channel. To create brand awareness, Chick fil A posts multiple videos covering various topics such as recipes, customer experiences, local store activities, dancing cows, TV commercials, etc.
Some of the channel’s videos are about Chick-fil-A’s products, while most focus on the brand’s customers or community service.
Posting consumer-generated content like the CFA Couches series and value-based content like the animated Stories of Evergreen Hills on YouTube sell a feeling to viewers. It creates a perception in their minds that the brand has strong values and has its customers and community at heart.
This content marketing strategy sells the brand and positions it in customers’ minds as a customer-oriented brand, committed to providing exceptional customer service and not only high-quality, fresh, and delicious chicken-based fast food.
Exceptional customer experience
This involves improving how consumers encounter and interact with Chick-fil-A products and services. The brand ensures every touch point consumers have with it as a brand is exceptional; from their first interaction until they become lifetime customers.
Chick-fil-A’s customer service is the high note that leaves competitors clucking in frustration. The brand meets customer expectations and has positive interactions, conversations, and engagements. It is known for its efficient service, friendly and attentive staff, and clean and welcoming restaurants.
It puts many resources into training and paying its employees well enough to deliver outstanding customer service. This results in positive interactions that leave a lasting impression on customers.
Chick-fil-A is so particular about quality products and services that it runs a unique business model, enabling the brand to control its high standards in locations tightly. It is one of the fast-food industry’s most selective chains as it accepts just 0.4% of people who apply to become operators.
Operators must pass an extensive interview process and training regimen to become franchisees. Those selected are restricted to opening only a single location. This is another rarity in the fast-food industry where many franchisees have dozens of locations. Such restriction and other specific standards of the brand helps to guarantee that locations across the US maintain the same level of quality and customer service. This leads to sustained success and high customer satisfaction.
The brand employs a generous approach to customers that makes them feel cared for. Its restaurant design is warm and inviting so customers want to return and spend time in it. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s (ACSI) annual restaurant report, 2024 was the eleventh year in a row that Chick-fil-A has earned the top spot in the fast-food industry as the chain with the best customer satisfaction score. It earned an ACSI score of 83 out of 100 points!
The brand has continued to set the standard with its exceptional customer service, polite employees, and cleanliness. Thus, exceptional customer experience and unfailing hospitality have been a huge part of Chick-fil-A’s success.
Quirks, such as, workers saying “my pleasure” instead of the common “you’re welcome.” Little gestures like placing flowers on tables, and offering free food are all marketing strategies of Chick-fil-A. All these have helped it maintain its top spot for best customer service.
Community involvement
Chick-fil-A gets it. People crave connection. Thus, they have cleverly positioned themselves as a community hub by sponsoring major sporting events like the Peach Bowl and charitable initiatives. They also participate actively in local events and support youth development programs.
These in turn enhance Chick fil A brand image and create brand awareness, strengthening its connection with its customers and fostering goodwill.
Sponsoring charitable initiatives
One prominent Chick fil A advertising strategy is sponsoring charitable initiatives and engaging in philanthropic efforts. The brand is known for supporting various charitable organizations and initiatives that focus on SDGs 1 (no poverty), 2 (zero hunger), and 4 (quality education).
As part of its 2023 charitable initiatives, the brand awarded about $5.4 million in True Inspiration Awards grants, and donated more than 7 million meals to those in need. For each new Restaurant opening, the company donated $25,000 to Feeding America or Second Harvest in Canada to help fight hunger and food insecurity in the community.
The brand empowered 560,000 students through its partnership with Junior Achievement. It helped 33,000 cultivate leadership skills through the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy. These initiatives may not directly market the brand’s product but help to strengthen its brand image and foster a sense of goodwill among customers.
For instance, operators donating quality, uneaten surplus food to shelters, local soup kitchens, and other nonprofits to feed children, seniors, and others through the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program sends a strong positive message to people. It shows that the brand is highly committed to its community and has strong principles and values. This is one factor that makes Chick-fil-A unique among its competitors.
Such publicity moves are effective marketing strategies because they highlight the brand’s strong values to its target audience. This wins the hearts of many customers and makes them emotionally attached to the brand. Thus, resulting in increased patronage and a larger loyal customer base.
Participating in local community events
Each Chick-fil-A location works hard to connect to the local community by engaging in local customs and events. This is peculiar to Chick-fil-A and part of its advertising strategies. The brand actively participates in community customs and events, decorates with local/regional specific marketing pieces, and provides in-store promotions and activities. This aids in creating awareness about the brand in the immediate community.
For example, Chick-fil-A celebrates the Fiesta ten-day party in San Antonio which dates back to 1891. It even has its own collectible Fiesta medal each year. Being part of such local customs sells a feeling of belonging that resonates with many customers.
The locally themed decorations used and location-specific activities that Chick-fil-A participates in, provide good potential for word-of-mouth advertising. Consumers tend to discuss the items or activities unique to the brand within their peer group, thus creating brand awareness.
The brand also hosts its own local events as a form of advertising. For example, the Cow Appreciation Day is an annual event that encourages patrons to come to the restaurant dressed as Cows.
Some locations even host Stuffed Animal Sleepovers, School Spirit Nights, or Kid’s Nights. Such events include games for kids, contests, and free food, which leave a long-lasting memory in the minds of consumers, and encourage subsequent patronage. These local events help build a sense of community with families and help to encourage brand preference among families and youth.
The use of targeted marketing campaigns
One of Chick-fil-A’s marketing strategies is using targeted marketing campaigns. The brand strategically crafts an organized course of action and activities that resonate with its target audience. This is aimed at promoting and selling its products.
The company highlights its commitment to quality, customer service, and community involvement in its targeted advertising campaigns. It reinforces its brand messaging through various marketing campaigns. It also leverages various advertising channels, including social media, television, and outdoor advertising, to reach a wide range of customers.
Popular marketing campaigns of Chick-fil-A
The Little Things campaign
Due to increased competition and the fact that most consumers desire personal connections with brands, leaving an impression has become more difficult for many fast-food brands. This has forced many brands to enhance their marketing efforts up a notch.
Chick-fil-A created the “It’s the Little Things” campaign to highlight brand intimacy, an intangible quality that the brand brings to its customer interactions. The campaign highlights the little things Chick-fil-A employees do to improve their customers’ lives. It tells the story of little moments of joy between the brand’s team members and customers.
The “Little Things” campaign rolled out nationally and has continued to flourish with many local stores creating their version of the campaign, including flower giveaways on the street.
Through this campaign, memorable stories have been shared. One is the story of an employee running down the block to catch up with customers who forgot their food. Another one is, of an employee who held onto a customer’s forgotten change until he returned to the restaurant a month later.
Another example is the story of an employee who translated the company’s app for a customer who spoke only Spanish. These shared stories, show a special heartwarming moment between Chick-fil-A team members and customers.
Looking at this campaign from the surface, it looks like Chick fil A is not trying to sell us anything because its product is featured as a subtle piece of the story in the background. But, if you look deeper, you will understand that the essence of this campaign is to sell us a feeling and perception.
Sharing such stories celebrates and highlights the brand’s dedication to serving its customers and local communities. It sells the narrative that while the quick-service restaurant chain is well-known for its chicken sandwiches and waffle fries, it also takes pride in its customer service. This is a very effective marketing strategy because, through the #thelittlethings campaign, the brand sends a strong message that appeals to every consumer who desires and loves an exceptional customer experience.
Together Time ad campaign
The Together Time ad campaign is one of Chick-fil-A’s popular marketing campaigns. This campaign was likely one of the reasons for the fast food chain’s strong fourth-quarter performance in 2019. The brand’s year-over-year foot traffic shares for the quarter grew by 18% in 2019.
Chick-fil-A commissioned a Bantam Group Survey in 2019. Over 90% of respondents agreed that the best holidays equaled time spent with their loved ones, over food and gifts. Hence, the brand created the “Together Time” ad campaign in response to this survey.
The “Together Time” campaign was fronted by a two-minute animated story introducing a magical world called the Time Shop. In it, Sam learns about “lost time,” “time that flies” and “together time”.
During this campaign, customers create a custom Time Card for anyone they like, especially someone they wish to give a little together time. Chick-fil-A prints and ships the cards to the recipients for free.
Chick-fil-A’s benefit from this campaign is the positive brand association and many email addresses for possible inbound email marketing. This marketing approach is unique because by meeting a need, solving a problem, and fulfilling a desire, people feel good about the brand and are drawn to it. This in turn results in more patronage and an extended customer base.
Aside from the “Together Time” invitation created to send to a loved one, Chick-fil-A went as far as creating a 130,000-square-foot replica of The Time Shop in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. As a marketing approach, the brand made it free for families to read books, eat snacks, build snowmen, and share some quality time in the Time Shop.
Improving and introducing new products
Another Chick fil A marketing strategy is its continuous menu innovation to meet changing marketing trends and customer preferences. Introducing new menu items, such as breakfast options, spicy chicken variants, and salads, enables the brand to stay relevant and attract new customers.
For instance, in 2016, the brand eliminated coleslaw, which had been on its menu for 49 years, replacing it with a kale and broccolini salad. Recently, it tested new menu items, including a smokehouse-barbecue bacon sandwich and a side of a baked potato at select restaurants. The brand also launched frosted lemonade nationwide.
Introducing unique offerings markets the brand because satisfied customers use word-of-mouth advertisements to their family and friends, making Chick-fil-A stand out. This strategy also helps to retain loyal customers and encourages them to explore different offerings.
In-Store promotions
Another prominent Chick fil A marketing strategy is in-store promotions. This involves bringing people into the store to purchase specific items that particular stores offer.
Many Chick-fil-A restaurants offer free breakfast items and other offers that are peculiar to their stores. These items are usually not advertised on other platforms besides in-store or on the store’s Facebook page. By offering specific menu items in-store, the brand encourages foot traffic and consequently patronage at its restaurants.
Targeted advertising via the Chick-fil-A One mobile app
The Chick-fil-A One mobile app connects consumers on the go with the brand; enhancing customer experience and driving engagement by informing them about new menu items and other hot deals.
This digital innovation provides shopping convenience and a loyalty program for customers. Customers can customize their meals, conveniently place orders, and earn rewards through the mobile app. The customer loyalty program on the app offers free menu items after a certain volume of food purchases, resulting in repeat purchases.
Chick-fil-A takes advantage of the app’s engagement and runs targeted advertisements by providing personalized recommendations and exclusive offers to customers. Customers get a customized experience, interactive menu, store location, and information about local operators through the Chick-fil-A One mobile app. This keeps customers engaged and encourages repeat visits and purchases.
Brand association
Brand association is a negative or positive personal connection that a customer forms between a brand and an experience, personality, emotion, attribute, or activity, strongly influencing purchase decisions.
One of Chick-fil-A’s marketing strategies is creating positive brand associations. Its strong values and corporate culture have helped in its success and positive brand association. Many of the brand’s values are influenced by the Christian religious beliefs of Truett Cathy, the founder, who was a devout Southern Baptist.
The 2024 American Customer Satisfaction Index confirms that Chick-fil-A has remained the country’s favorite fast-food chain for 11 consecutive years. The brand is known for its strong commitment to operating on Christian principles. Some of which include closing its stores on Sundays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day to allow employees to honor their religious beliefs and spend time with family. This is one factor that makes Chick-fil-A unique among its competitors.
Such a strong emphasis on core values impresses many customers and contributes to the brand’s positive image. For instance, during the Western Christian liturgical season of Lent, the fast food brand promotes fish sandwiches, due to the Christian tradition of abstinence from meat during Lent. Such thoughtful acts appeal to many Christians who interact with the brand during Lent, aiding to build strong positive associations over time.
Positive brand association has been Chick-fil-A’s most effective marketing strategy because it increases sales and raises the brand’s standing in consumers’ minds.
What is Chick-fil-A’s positioning strategy?
Chick fil A positioning strategy is built on key factors such as convenience, price, competition, differentiation, brand association, and quality. The brand has carved a distinct identity and successfully differentiated itself from other fast-food chains by building a reputation known for quality chicken-based menu offerings, strong values, and commitment to exceptional customer service.
Direct and indirect interactions with a brand influence customers’ perception of the brand. This is why factors such as quality, pricing, customer experience, brand influencers, and even online reviews can affect a consumer’s perception of a brand.
A brand can control factors like the prices of a product, quality, and customer experience. Chick-fil-A controls such factors by providing a healthier alternative to hamburger franchises (i.e., serving only high-quality chicken entrees), charging its customers a slight premium over its competitors’ prices for similar offerings, and providing a customer-centric dining experience.
As a positioning strategy, Chick-fil-A’s core business practices are designed to maximize every customer interaction with the brand so that it occupies a distinctive place in the minds of its target audience. Business practices like customer appreciation events, attentive service, and even the simplest things like an employee responding “My pleasure” to a customer’s “thanks,” are all strategies that help to reinforce the brand positioning.
Chick-fil-A’s positioning strategy
Positioning is one of the most powerful marketing concepts. Good brand positioning is why a customer would prefer a brand over another. This involves creating a brand persona that connects authentically with consumers. Once a brand has achieved a strong position, repositioning can be challenging…
In a marketplace filled with many products and brands offering similar benefits, good positioning is key. It makes a brand or product stand out from the rest. Companies can create an image of an inexpensive or premium brand or emphasize the distinguishing features of their brand as a means of brand positioning.
For instance, in an attempt to position its products, Chick fil A emphasizes its distinguishing feature of providing high-quality, and fresh chicken-based fast food.
Chick fil A has a good positioning, which is why it can charge a higher price and stave off competition from other fast food brands. Its good positioning has been a key factor in its marketing strategy, giving its offerings a USP (Unique selling proposition) and allowing the brand to navigate economic downturns more easily.
Convenience and strategic positioning of stores
A convenience-based positioning strategy communicates and gives customers the perception that a brand can help to make their lives easier. Convenience sets brands apart in terms of brand location, ease of access, or general usability.
As a positioning strategy, Chick-fil-A establishes its restaurants in strategic locations with high traffic such as busy intersections, college campuses, and shopping centers. This ensures accessibility, and convenience for customers as they can easily access the brand’s products without a hassle.
Customers know they can easily get good food options in a nearby Chick-fil-A store. This positions the brand in the minds of consumers as the convenient go-to choice for chicken lovers. The store’s strategic positioning in high-traffic areas ensures brand visibility. It subconsciously positions Chick-fil-A in the minds of passersby, making it the go-to option when needing a quick bite.
Positioning through Chick-fil-A One App
Chick-fil-A introduced mobile payments and ordering in 2014 to simplify the ordering process and enhance customer convenience.
The app’s user-friendly interface and intuitive design, online ordering system, and rewards programs create a seamless and engaging customer experience. Customers can also customize their meals and track their orders in real-time.
This app’s ease of use provides shopping convenience for customers, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to exceptional service. This, in turn, positions Chick fil A in the mind of its target audience, selling the perception that the brand is committed to outstanding service beyond its restaurant’s walls.
The customer loyalty program on the app gives Chick fil A a distinctive place in customers’ minds. People are motivated to become repeat customers when they know they will get free menu items after a certain volume of in-app purchases. By making these repeat online purchases, the mobile app is seamlessly integrated into their lives, further positioning Chick-fil-A.
Positioning through innovative and customer-centric service
No matter how much hard work and money a brand invests in running ads and marketing campaigns, one bad customer service experience or negative word-of-mouth marketing from customers can ruin all the hard work.
Chick-fil-A has integrated a consumer-focused strategy focusing on high-quality products, excellent customer service, and a family-friendly, values-centered environment to control and prevent such bad publicity.
For instance, the “Mom’s Valet” service appeals to many parents because it eases their eating out experience. With this service, parents don’t have to wait in line with their children. Instead, they can order directly from the car and get a table prepared for them before they get into the restaurant. This unique offering has successfully boosted the brand’s ranking, positioning it as the most convenient option for families.
Chick-fil-A quickly responds to customer satisfaction stories and complaints, puts adequate resources into training, and pays its employees well enough to ensure they deliver outstanding customer service. Having its employees enjoy their jobs and value the opportunity to serve others results in positive interactions that leave a lasting impression on customers.
The positive treatment of customers whenever they interact with Chick fil A, goes a long way in supporting the family-friendly, values-centered store image. Simple gestures like putting fresh flowers on customers’ tables, delivering food to tables with a smile, meeting customers in parking lots with umbrellas when it’s raining, and employees always answering a customer’s ‘Thank you’ with ‘My Pleasure’ instead of the common ‘You’re Welcome’, makes customers feel valued.
If customers don’t feel like they’re getting value from a brand and its products, they won’t patronize the brand. Perceived value gives customers a perception of a brand and this is why Chick-fil-A restaurants are meticulously designed to provide a comfortable atmosphere that reflects the brand values.
Every aspect of the in-store experience carefully creates a welcoming and enjoyable in-store experience for customers. From a pleasant dining atmosphere to a clean dining area and a friendly and efficient ordering process. This leaves a positive impression on customers and contributes to customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Such thoughtful services create positive brand associations and good memories in customers’ minds, making the experience at its restaurants different from that at other fast-food restaurants. Its exceptional customer service, polite employees, and cleanliness keep earning it the top position in the customer satisfaction index.
The company’s consumer-focused approach has been incredibly effective as 10–15% of customers at Chick-fil-A would proudly call themselves ‘raving fans’ of the restaurant.
Sharing positive experiences from customers
One efficient way Chick-fil-A has enhanced its positioning in the marketplace is by sharing positive customer experiences. Regarding brand positioning, a customer’s word of mouth is important and depends on their perception of a brand.
Many consumers share their positive or negative restaurant experiences with their family and friends. Unfortunately, most of these customers are more likely to share poor service experiences than the good ones which can solidify a bad reputation for a brand. This is why Chick-fil-A protects its reputation by controlling customer perception and influencing the narrative surrounding its customer experience.
By sharing stories of customers who have had positive interactions with the brand, Chick-fil-A influences customers’ opinions about it. It shows its target audience how the brand has impacted customers’ lives. Once customers can see how others have been impacted and satisfied with Chick-fil-A’s product and service, they are more likely to perceive the brand positively.
For instance, ‘The Little Things’ campaign tells the story of moments of joy between the team members in Chick fil A and customers. This influences how customers see the brand because it highlights the intimacy it brings to its customer interactions. By sharing heartwarming stories like the moment an employee went out of her way to care for and comfort a Dad in the drive-thru who was getting emotional over taking his daughter to college, and the thoughtful moment an employee ran after a customer to give her the milkshake she forgot.
Stories of an employee translating the company’s app for a customer who spoke only Spanish and many more, highlight the value of what Chick-fil-A is bringing regularly. This sells a certain feeling and perception to customers. It makes customers see the brand’s value and dedication to serving its customers.
This campaign reinforces Chick-fil-A’s positioning by making customers see the brand’s dedication to serving its customers, thereby appealing to any consumer who loves and desires exceptional service.
Competitor-based differentiation as a positioning strategy
Competitor-based positioning is another notable Chick-fil-A positioning strategy. This entails a brand highlighting an area its competitor is falling in and offering an alternative to a shared audience. That is, indirectly pointing the finger at established competitors and using them as a reference point to differentiate a brand.
This positioning strategy highlights a key difference that a brand offers to make its product seem unique and favorable compared to other options in the marketplace. Since many fast-food chains sell beef burgers, Chick-fil-A has already differentiated itself by selling chicken-based food. It uses its competitor’s primary product source (cow) as its billboard mascot, with write-ups encouraging its target audience to eat more chicken to save cows.
With every billboard conveniently placed on busy highways, water towers, and stadiums, the brand finds creative ways to encourage people to put down their regular burgers and eat chicken sandwiches instead. It uses its competitor’s primary product source (cows) as its billboard mascot.
This billboard slogan indirectly discourages people from eating Chick-fil-A’s competitor’s primary product (beef). It positions Chick-fil-A in the minds of consumers as the better option, driving the sale of its chicken-based meals.
For instance, it swapped its coleslaw for health purposes. With salad options like Cobb salad, Market salad, and Spicy Southwest salad. It even added grilled chicken to cater to health-conscious individuals. This makes Chick-fil-A stand out, positioning the brand as a go-to choice for healthy living.
Chick-fil-A’s differentiation value proposition which is its focus on chicken, commitment to quality ingredients, and dedication to customer convenience gives it a unique competitive advantage that its competitors have found difficult to match.
By consistently delivering on these aspects, Chick fil A reinforces its branding and gains a larger market share than its competitors. This, in turn, drives the sale of its chicken-based meals.
Pricing, as one of Chick-fil-A’s positioning strategies
Consumers subconsciously tend to associate a higher price with higher quality. Thus perceiving a higher-priced product as superior, even if the difference in quality is minimal.
Knowing that there is a relationship between price, quality and the consumer’s perception of a product’s value, Chick fil A uses pricing as a positioning strategy. It uses a value-based pricing strategy, pricing its products slightly higher than its competitors to justify its food quality.
A high price creates an image of exclusivity and superior quality, becoming a prestige statement for consumers. This also influences ranking wherein Chick-fil-A is likely to be positioned above other food brands in the minds of consumers because when comparing the brand’s prices with other fast food, a consumer is likely to assume that Chick-fil-A’s food which is higher in price is higher in quality.
This value-based pricing strategy aligns with Chick-fil-A’s positioning strategy to occupy a distinct place in the minds of higher-income groups that can pay a slightly higher price for the brand’s quality food and exceptional service because they perceive it to be worth the value.
By focusing on quality, Chick-fil-A has successfully built a loyal customer base, willing to pay more for a superior dining experience.
Chick-fil-A’s positioning based on community involvement and philanthropic efforts
As a positioning strategy, Chick-fil-A connects with its customers on their concerns through 4 core areas:
- Caring for people
- Caring for communities
- Caring for others through food and
- Caring for the planet.
Through these means, the brand contributes millions of dollars annually to fund scholarships, community, and other philanthropic activities.
For instance, in 2023, Chick-fil-A supported over 13,000 company employees with over $25 million through the Remarkable Futures Scholarships. It supported the advancement of hundreds of nonprofits through the Chick-fil-A Impact Accelerator. Helped create more than 7 million meals from surplus food donated through Chick-fil-A Shared Table, and converted used cooking oil from more than 1,680 Chick-fil-A restaurants into renewable diesel fuel.
Such initiatives and philanthropic efforts show that this brand is highly committed to its employees, customers, communities, and the planet as a whole. In this regard, Chick-fil-A wins over many consumers, strengthens the customer connection with the brand, and fosters a sense of goodwill in the communities where it operates.
On Memorial Day, Chick Fil A sets up “Missing Man Tables” at its restaurants across the country to honor soldiers who died while serving in the Armed Forces.
Such symbolic gestures distinctively positions Chick fil A and creates brand awareness, resulting in increased patronage and a larger loyal customer base.
Chick-fil-A’s positioning based on Christian beliefs, strong values, and principles
Chick-fil-A positioning is deeply rooted in its strong Christian values and culture. The majority of the brand’s values are influenced by the Christian religious beliefs of the founder, Truett Cathy. By having strong values and principles, Chick-fil-A has created a brand positioning with which its customers can identify.
Since its inception, this brand has relied on its Christian beliefs to guide its employee-customer relations and business strategy. Its corporate purpose is:
“To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
This statement reflects how the brand operates and treats its customers. It positions the brand in a way that is appealing to Christians and people of other faiths due to their declaration of glorifying God.
Business practices like closing stores on Christian holy days such as Sundays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas and allowing its employees to spend these times with family further buttress their Christian standing. These also win the hearts of many Christians.
Chick-fil-A’s strong values and corporate culture are some of the unique values that it presents to its customers. These values have been very effective in positioning the brand, especially in today’s era when consumers want brands to take a stance.
Chick-fil-a business strategy
Chick fil A business strategy plays a major role in its positioning and promotional activities. If the business is not well structured or operates poorly, it will not occupy a distinctive market position. The brand has stayed true to its Heartland values of faith, family, community, and patriotism, earning it a loyal customer base.
Since its inception, Chick-fil-A understood it had to think and act differently, so it solidified its reputation as an openly faith-rooted, healthier chicken-based fast food brand. It’s business model is centered on providing a small menu and superb customer service.
While most fast-food chains use a large menu as a strategy to attract a larger customer base, Chick-fil-A remains laser-focused on selling chicken-based food, which makes it stand out from the competition. The company’s business strategy since its inception in 1967 has been to create the best chicken sandwich in the country and it has been consistently faithful to this niche for over 50 years.
Right from its inception, Chick-fil-A decided not to be all things to all people but chose to be one thing: a fast, courteous, healthy-leaning chicken sandwich provider. Due to this commitment, chicken sandwiches became synonymous with the brand, boosting its position in the industry.
With no other fast-food chain being able to compete strongly in this niche, Chick-fil-A tripled its annual sales, from $2.64 billion to $10.18 billion, between 2007 to 2018. This equates to a 32.9% market share, making the company a market leader in the fast-food industry.
The brand is unique among its competitors because it built its reputation on serving high-quality food made from fresh ingredients. Chick-fil-A takes pride in its chicken, which it sources from reputable suppliers and prepares properly to ensure a tender and flavorful experience.
Having a unique franchise agreement is also a prominent Chick-fil-A business strategy. This fast food brand focuses on providing quality and exceptional customer service, by ensuring its employee recruitment and franchise practices are standardized to create value for its customers.
Looking at how Chick fil A operates and runs its business, you will notice that the brand doesn’t hop on trends expecting them to be fast tracks to growth. Instead, it stands by the values it started with over five decades ago which include a streamlined menu, a high level of customer service, quality products, and strong Christian principles. This is one secret to Chick-fil-A a successful business
Takeaways
At the end of the fast-food day, the secret, as it turns out, isn’t just in the sauce—it’s in the heart behind it all.
Chick-fil-A gets it. Its marketing and business strategies, as well as its marketing mix and positioning, are carefully crafted to deliver a unique brand that occupies the topmost position in customers’ minds.
Some valuable lessons to be learned from Chick-fil-A’s mastery include:
- Don’t be afraid to be different: Chick-fil-A’s Sunday closure is a prime example of how going against the grain can actually work in your favor.
- Customer experience is everything: Make people feel valued and appreciated, and they’ll keep coming back for more.
- Community matters: Find ways to connect with your audience on a deeper level.
- Consistency builds trust: Don’t try to be all things to all people. Focus on what you do best and deliver it consistently.
- Marketing doesn’t have to be “salesy:” Focus on providing value, building relationships, and creating a brand that people genuinely connect with.
