Denny's Launches National Hispanic Marketing Campaign With 'Skillet Whisperer' Video

USA - English

• Latin America - español

SPARTANBURG, S.C., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Denny's, America's iconic family diner, announced today the launch of its first national online marketing campaign targeting the Hispanic consumer. The Funny Or Die spoof video, titled "Skillet Whisperer," features famed dog behavioralist and TV personality, Cesar Millan, Star of National Geographic WILD's 'Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan,' taming an unruly Denny's Sizzlin' Skillet. The video is produced in both Spanish and English to effectively reach a diverse audience.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120201/LA45440)

The comedic "Skillet Whisperer" episode takes place in a Denny's diner where Millan steps in to help an overwhelmed family who is confronted with an aggressive Western Skillet, from the new "Sizzlin' Skillets" menu, and teaches the family how to display their dominance to calm the skillet so that it may be eaten and enjoyed in a respectful manner. The video is Millan's first national restaurant brand partnership and was created to connect with Denny's growing Hispanic customer base. Also starring in the Spanish version of the video is Millan's son, Calvin Millan, who plays the son of the family. 

"Skillet Whisperer" launches today in Spanish and English versions and is available online at Youtube.com and FunnyOrDie.com, respectively.  The branded content video is a further extension of Denny's "America's Diner is Always Open" platform, further engaging with the growing Hispanic demographic through a new platform beyond traditional advertising. The videos will also be accessible via Dennys.com, Facebook and other social media platforms.  

"Denny's enjoys strong relationships with our Hispanic guests, which make up the fastest growing demographic at our restaurants and in the U.S. overall," commented Frances Allen, chief marketing officer of Denny's Corporation.  "We have regularly introduced innovative new campaigns to engage with our target demographics, so we are truly excited to be launching our first video campaign produced in both English and Spanish, with the goal of making it as authentic as possible for our wide variety of guests.  We are very pleased to continue our relationship with Funny Or Die and to have the opportunity to be the first restaurant brand to partner with Cesar Millan, who did a fantastic job in the video."

The online video is the first nationwide campaign developed by Denny's new Hispanic advertising agency, Casanova Pendrill, which worked in partnership with Denny's lead agency, Gotham.

"The Hispanic community continues to be vitally important to the Denny's brand and we are excited to continue spreading its 'always open' message with the launch of our first campaign on behalf of the company," explains Ingrid Otero-Smart, president and chief executive officer of Casanova Pendrill. "The partnership with Funny Or Die and Cesar Millan gives Denny's the chance to speak to Hispanic consumers in a fresh, fun way, and we look forward to increasing engagement within this audience across all media platforms moving forward."

About Denny's
Denny's (Nasdaq: DENN) is America's Largest full-service family restaurant chain, serving classic American food and every day value 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Based in Spartanburg, S.C., Denny's currently operates 1,670 franchised, licensed, and Company-owned restaurants across the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guam, Puerto Rico and New Zealand. For more information, including news releases, franchising opportunities and investor relations, visit www.dennys.com.

About Funny Or Die
Funny Or Die launched in April 2007 and has quickly become the top destination for comedy on the web. At the 2011 Webby Awards Funny Or Die won nine awards, including Best Humor Site. The site has over 12 million unique users per month, over 60 million video views per month, and has grown into a vertically integrated 21st century digital studio that produces high quality content over numerous platforms, operating a social media and marketing division with over 2.8 million Twitter followers, approximately 4 million Facebook fans, and devoted followers on numerous social networking and sharing sites.  Funny Or Die has become the "place to be seen" for comedic celebrities, and the obvious destination for a daily comedy fix. Funny Or Die's founders are Gary Sanchez Productions (Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy), Sequoia and CAA. Judd Apatow is also a principal partner in Funny Or Die.

About Casanova-Pendrill
Casanova Pendrill is one of the leading Hispanic integrated communications agencies in the U.S. Founded in 1984, the company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA with a full-service office in NY, and handles Hispanic advertising and integrated communications services for Fortune 500 clients like General Mills, Nestle, Kohl's, U.S. Army, and the California Lottery, among others. Casanova has been affiliated with Interpublic Group of Companies since 1999.

About Gotham
A unit of the Interpublic Group of companies, Gotham Inc. is a full service advertising agency based in New York.  Its 160+ employees service the integrated communication needs of brands across multiple categories. Clients include: Best Western, Chobani, Denny's, Fresh Direct, Lindt, Maybelline, Newman's Own, and Yellowbook.   For more information, visit www.gothaminc.com.

SOURCE Denny's