In-N-Out Burger - Advertising

Advertising

Like other fast food chains, In-N-Out uses roadside billboards that attract customers to the nearest location. Billboard ads typically display an image of the trademarked Double-Double burger. The chain uses short radio commercials, often limited to the jingle, "In-N-Out, In-N-Out. That's what a hamburger's all about." Television commercials, which are less common, feature the hamburger's visual appeal. In-N-Out seldom uses celebrities in ads, although John Cleese and John Goodman have voiced radio spots. In the past, the Snyders' also sponsored Christmas music programming with voice-overs expressing the meaning of the holiday.

In addition to conventional, paid advertising, In-N-Out benefits from positive word of mouth spread by enthusiastic fans. For many years, it gave customers free bumper stickers which simply said "In-N-Out Burger". (Many of these were altered to read "In-N-Out urge"). The company helps devoted customers advertise its brand by selling souvenir clothing with the In-N-Out logo. Celebrity fans and free endorsements in mass media also promote the business. When Heisman Trophy winner and Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith raved about In-N-Out cheeseburgers during a press conference before the 2007 BCS National Championship Game, a senior executive said, "It does not get much better than that for us. We're kind of a small company, and we do not have any celebrity endorsers. But I think we just got the best one we could have."