Pollo Tropical Geographic Expansion

Part I – Pollo Tropical geographic expansion and message development 6 points

Background As a member of the advertising agency team for Pollo Tropical, you have been asked by the client to expand the Caribbean inspired grilled-chicken brand into more states. Pollo Tropical specializes in Caribbean-style grilled chicken dishes with more than 150 restaurant locations in the southern states of Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida, and 35 plus franchise locations throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Expanding into other regions of North America is perceived as critically important to the growth of the brand. Pollo Tropical’s brand manager, Barbara, recently received an email from her old college friend, Jack. Jack told her that he and his brother spent the summer in Puerto Rico with their families, and they enjoyed eating at Pollo Tropical on a regular basis during their visit. Jack, who is a businessman living in Michigan, asked the brand manager to consider opening franchised stores in Michigan. Barbara now is considering expansion into the Great Lakes region, but is concerned about a few issues.

First, she fears that the region is mostly unfamiliar with the Caribbean influenced food options served by the brand. As well, the chicken is marinated with flavors not typically found in the Midwest and the side dishes (rice and beans) differ greatly from most competing chicken restaurants which typically serve French fries and cole slaw. In addition, she is afraid that the name Pollo Tropical might not resonate with many consumers. Some members of the brand management team suggested that they may want to consider using a different brand name in the Great Lakes; others believe keeping the original name can help build the brand equity in the region. As the account planner, you are now charged with identifying research needs, bringing the voice of the customer to the conversation, and identifying key consumer insights.

You have to plan first how your research should proceed to achieve specific research goals. Using the information above, please answer the following questions: 1. Give examples of information you would seek from the brand manager. What do you need to know from them to help your promotional team make informed decisions to move forward with research and brand positioning? Think about information ONLY the company (Barbara) can provide to you. 2. Think about what are the core elements of the situation you must address through research. Then, list THREE research objectives you would articulate. Make sure to understand how different they are from decision statements (or campaign objectives). 3. Think about the most important questions that research would address based on the problem provided in the narrative. What research questions would you ask?

PART II – Pollo Tropical Brand Extension – Product introduction and message development 6 points Background