About a year after Panera Bread unveiled the biggest menu transformation in its history, the fast-casual chain on Thursday launched a new marketing campaign with the message: “It just meals good.”
The campaign is the work of marketing firm 72andSunny New York, and it includes digital and TV ads that highlight the various meal opportunities that Panera’s menu serves.
The 60-second TV ad, for example, opens with the audible crunch of a baguette and spotlights the meals for every moment, from the “catching-up-with-your-ex meal,” or the “scoring-cool-Dad-points meal,” and even an “I-need-five-minutes-to-myself meal,” enjoyed in the car.
“Whatever you’re feeling, at Panera, it just meals good,” is the tagline.
Mark Shambura, Panera’s chief marketing officer who joined the company last year, said in a statement that the campaign is a celebration of the flavors and meals that make Panera “the perfect choice for any mood.
“It’s not just about our incredible menu,” he said. “It’s about the everyday moments that make a meal feel special and worth savoring. We’re thrilled to bring the campaign to life, marking an exciting step forward in how we connect with our guests.”
With the menu overhaul, Panera has focused more on its core categories of soups, sandwiches, salads and macaroni and cheese.
The advertising campaign puts heavy emphasis on bread, a menu item that Panera is looking at preparing in a new way. The chain has closed about half of its fresh dough facilities, turning to third-party bakeries to make bread and other products that are par-baked and frozen, then finished in cafes.
The process allows cafes to have freshly baked bread “on demand” as needed throughout the day, rather than having cafes proof and bake bread in the morning, risking sometimes running out.
Peter Hughes, group creative director for 72andSunny New York, described the campaign as “both nostalgic and entirely new,” calling it a “bold reintroduction of Panera that taps into that universal feeling in a way that’s fresh, vibrant and culturally in tune.”
It’s the latest move by the brand, which has been navigating a turbulent two years under parent company JAB Holding, based in Luxembourg.
Last month, Paul Carbone was confirmed as CEO of Panera Brands, which includes Panera Bread and sister brands Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels, bringing an element of stability after months of executive and board changes, including new leaders on the culinary and marketing teams.
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