Too Friendly?

We all know of Friendly’s for their ice cream, but now we may be thinking about them because of their high energy and high fives.

Friendly’s recently launched a new campaign that exerts energy. The CEO, Harsha Agadi believes that the ice cream chain needs more enthusiasm. Agadi describes that he wants the feel of a high-school football game. He explains that it is super simple and super aggressive.

The reasoning behind it all? Friendly’s believes that families will love the personal touch.

But is this really what you want to encounter while trying to enjoy ice cream?

Friendly’s is aiming to give a trillion high-fives to their customers, and other employees. They even have a new mascot named High 5 Heidi. To go along with this effort there will be ads such as billboards, events and a mobile app, all of which were developed by Via Agency.

This to me seems like it is a little far off to be successful. My thinking is that no one really even likes to be sung to in public on their birthday, some people may not like to high five someone who has touched other employees and strangers hands before eating their meal. Too much of a personal touch.

I think that the idea is there, just the execution was presented in the wrong way.

I don’t think that it is important to have a “high-school football feel” when eating at a fast food restaurant. it may be more welcoming to have a homey feeling rather than a rowdy, crowded, and loud atmosphere.