IHOP’s slow-roll IHOb reveal — it’s about burgers! — heralds new age of PR stunts

IHOP is probably getting exactly what it wanted when it decided to change the name of the pancake chain to IHOb to celebrate its launch of a new line of burgers: a stint atop the Twitter trending list.

IHOP, part of the Dine Brands Global Inc. portfolio, teased the temporary name change last week in a tweet posted on what was then the IHOP Twitter page.

On Monday, the company revealed that the “b” stands for “burgers,” with the switch to IHOb meant to inject drama in its launch of the Ultimate Steakburgers lineup. The seven burgers include the Big Brunch, a burger with hickory-smoked bacon and a fried egg, and the Cowboy BBQ, with crispy onion rings and barbecue sauce.

IHOP is hosting a “VIB” party Monday evening in Hollywood. And pictures have been posted showing new signage at some locations.

Both burgers and pancakes are “quintessential” American comfort foods, said chef Nevielle Panthaky, head of culinary operations at the chain. So it “makes perfect sense” that IHOP would “go over the top” to launch its burger line.

The burgers will be available for a limited time, and come with unlimited fries and a drink, starting at $6.99.

Certainly, IHOb and Dine Brands would like to sell a ton of burgers and drive business during parts of the day outside of breakfast. But even if customers aren’t flocking to IHOb for a burger, a healthy amount of publicity has been generated.

“In an era when brands are spending millions or tens of millions of dollars to stand out from the crowd, what you’ve seen IHOP do is take a moment in time — a small event, the addition of a menu item — and made it a pop-culture event,” said Carreen Winters, chairman of reputation and chief strategy officer at the public-relations agency MWWPR. “That’s PR at its finest.”

After a week of anticipation over what the “b” could stand for, Winters said some disappointment about the name change was in evidence, which could offset the positive results of the campaign.

On balance, there’s value to what the company has done, especially if it can find ways to monetize it, Winters said.

Lizzy Freier, managing editor at Technomic, said she thinks the effort will boost the company’s burger business. However, Freier cautioned against taking the marketing stunt too far.

“I’m glad they’re just doing this as a marketing promotion and that most locations are remaining traditional IHOPs because if there’s one thing we’ve learned from full-service chains that extend too far beyond their wheelhouse, like sister brand Applebee’s, it’s that it is a tricky thing to do with success,” she said. “Most consumers don’t associate IHOP [with] a burger joint, but I do respect how IHOP’s trying to be more than just a breakfast destination.”

And IHOb, né IHOP, isn’t the only restaurant with a marketing push under way Monday for an out-of-the-ordinary menu item. Sonic Corp.  , best known for its burgers, hot dogs and shakes, has launched a Pickle Juice Slush, one of four new flavors. The others are Bahama Mama, Blue Hawaiian and Tiger’s Blood.

The Pickle Juice Slush first appeared in March, generating a “cacophony of buzz,” according to a Sonic press release, which describes the taste as “sweet yet tart.” The company hopes to replicate and amplify that result.

Moreover, the company is launching a Snapchat lens, available through July 29, to promote the Snow Cone Slushes.

Winters draws a distinction between what IHOb is doing and Sonic’s pickle-juice flavor.

“For them to have a unique attention-getting slush seems more aligned with their core value proposition and core brand of a unique variety of drinks,” Winters said.

The drink is getting mixed reviews, but perhaps the whole point is to be reviewed in the first place.

And at a time when most companies want their social-media presences to be seen as fun and engaging — and to generate brand buzz when they can — a win for one company can turn into a win for others.

In the case of Domino’s Pizza Inc.  , it’s the customers, and their cars (as well as the cars of the pizza-delivery giant’s drivers), who stand to win.

The company has launched a “Paving for Pizza” website in which customers can nominate their towns for a program under which local roads get fixed. Domino’s, working with four municipalities so far in Texas, Georgia, Delaware and California, has fixed dozens of potholes. According to pictures posted online, a Domino’s logo appears, at least temporarily, on the smoothed roadways.

In Milford, Del., the company says 40 potholes have been fixed.

Shares of Dine Brands gained 2.6% on Monday; they’re up 32.2% in 2018. Sonic, which rose 3% Monday, is up 19.5% on a year-to date basis. Domino’s, which dipped 0.1% Monday, is up nearly 43% on the year. All have significantly outrun the S&P 500  , which has risen 4.1% since the start of 2018.