DENNY'S ADS DEBUT : COMMERCIALS FEATURE CASTS WITH DIVERSITY.Byline: Skip Wollenberg Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Denny's Denny's is the largest full-service family restaurant chain in the United States. It operates over 2,500 restaurants in the United States (including Puerto Rico), Canada, Curaçao, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Japan, Mexico, and New Zealand. , distancing itself from the racial discrimination charges it spent millions of dollars to settle three years ago, has assembled as·sem·ble v. as·sem·bled, as·sem·bling, as·sem·bles v.tr. 1. To bring or call together into a group or whole: assembled the jury. 2. a distinctly diverse cast in new advertising for its restaurants. The ads never mention nor allude to allude to verb refer to, suggest, mention, speak of, imply, intimate, hint at, remark on, insinuate, touch upon see see, elude the racial mix, but ad makers for the nation's biggest chain of family restaurants have clearly paid attention to it. The campaign, which debuted last week on TV stations in Florida Florida, state, United States Florida (flôr`ĭdə, flŏr`–), state in the extreme SE United States. A long, low peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean (E) and the Gulf of Mexico (W), Florida is bordered by Georgia and and Arizona Arizona (âr'əzō`nə), state in the southwestern United States. It is bordered by Utah (N), New Mexico (E), Mexico (S), and, across the Colorado R., Nevada and California (W). , introduces ``Common sense served daily'' as Denny's ad theme. The commercials will run nationally on cable TV networks next month. In the commercials, a wisecracking man representing Denny's coaxes pairs of people to join him at one of the chain's 1,600 restaurants, where he says they can get a good meal for a fair price whenever they want it. In each case, one person being courted is white and the other is African-American. The new advertising is the first campaign aimed at establishing a brand personality for Denny's since the chain settled racial discrimination complaints in 1994 for $46 million. John P. Relman, the lead attorney for those who sued Denny's, said showing someone representing the chain actively trying to bring minority customers to the restaurants ``is a good message for the public to be seeing whether it is intended or not.'' Denny's officials said the chain has historically used minority groups in its advertising and didn't did·n't Contraction of did not. didn't did not didn't do intend to give its ads a racial subtext sub·text n. 1. The implicit meaning or theme of a literary text. 2. The underlying personality of a dramatic character as implied or indicated by a script or text and interpreted by an actor in performance. . ``Whether we had settled a discrimination suit or not, you wouldn't see dramatically different advertising in this campaign,'' said Jon Jameson, vice president of marketing for Denny's. ``We are trying to make sure we are reflective Refers to light hitting an opaque surface such as a printed page or mirror and bouncing back. See reflective media and reflective LCD. of the customers we are trying to reach out to.'' Denny's is required, however, under provisions of the discrimination case settlement to include minorities in its commercials. Relman said the provision was included ``to make it clear African-Americans are desired customers at Denny's.'' In the early 1990s, Denny's was the target of widespread complaints from African-American and Latino customers who said they were not served as promptly as whites or were discriminated against in other ways. Among those who sued was a group of African-American Secret Service agents who said they were denied service at a Denny's in Annapolis, Md., in April 1993. The chain's parent, Flagstar Cos. Inc. of Spartanburg, S.C., agreed to the settlement of racial discrimination charges. It also agreed to offer more business opportunities and training for minorities. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--color) In new Denny's ads, a wisecracking man welcomes whites and African-Americans into the restaurants. (2--color) The campaign is the first aimed at creating a brand personality for Denny's since the chain settled racial discrimination complaints. Associated Press |
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