“SNL’s” Rachel Dratch in new Ruby Tuesday campaign

Confession time. I’ve always had an odd crush on Rachel Dratch. Yeah, Debby Downer. Her. I can’t explain it, but I have always found the Second City alum kind of alluring through all of her oddball skits.

So imagine my surprise and deep down joy (lust?) when I saw these amusing new Ruby Tuesday spots that just dropped … starring the woman who played Denise, the rough and tumble Boston teen on SNL? Of course I was making these our “Reel Ad of the Week.”

With new ownership and a renewed investment in building around its brand, the Ruby Tuesday campaign from the Chicago office of MARC USA features Dratch playing all six roles in three pairs of polar opposite characters. These include a cheerleader and Goth girl, Grim Reaper and angel, hockey player and figure skater. These characters are not randomly chosen. They are all there to convey the message that Ruby Tuesday’s new $24.99 dinner-for-two deal is so good it can bring anyone “two-gether.”

Created by the team of Matt Sullivan and Toni Caravello and helmed by Company Films’ Fred Goss, this is the first time the restaurant chain has used a celebrity in its advertisements. And it works.

Dave Skena, Ruby Tuesday CMO, explained that the spot is designed to reach a broader audience beyond its core guests. “We wanted to stand out in the casual dining category and deliver on Ruby Tuesday’s promise of honest food, warm welcomes and healthy helping of hospitality.”

Joe Burke, MARC USA Executive Creative Director, added, “There’s a lot of information to communicate in 15 seconds. With Rachel’s genius for creating memorable characters, the “two-for” idea comes to life instantly. Plus, her broad appeal really resonates with our expanded target audience.”

Both spots highlight Dratch’s disarming humor, while successfully driving home the new message for Ruby Tuesday. Combined with a targeted media strategy, I think the campaign should reach beyond the restaurant chain’s core guests and find a broader audience.

The 15- and 30-second spots, developed with MARC USA’s Chicago office, targets adults ages 25-54 across networks such as A&E, CNN, HGTV, APL, ION and Spike, as well as online.

Maybe Dratch will, um, you know meet me at Ruby Tuesday. We can hit the salad bar.

CREDITS
Client – Ruby Tuesday
   Chief Marketing Officer: David Skena
   VP Marketing: Angie Heig
   Marketing, Strategy and Innovation Consultant: Tom Bowden
   Director of Culinary: Joel Reynders

Audio: CRC
   Engineer: Mark Ruff
   Asst Engineer: Jason Hoban
   Producer: Rose Razal

 
Have new work? Contact Colin Costello at colin@reelchicago.com or follow him on Twitter @colincostello10.