How to Create an Irresistible Limited Time Offer

The McDonald’s McRib sandwich is a ghost. It will appear at a location for a few weeks at a time, and then, tragically and unexpectedly, it will disappear. There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about the sandwich—which is made up of a boneless pork patty molded into the shape of a rib slab and adorned with pickles, onions and barbecue sauce. But yet, when the stars align and the elusive sandwich makes its much-anticipated reappearance, its cult-like following emerges to express their undying love for this strange limited-time offer (LTO) that actually has nothing to do with ribs at all. There’s even a website dedicated to tracking down the most recent McRib sightings.

“It has a ghostly quality,” said Ryan Dixson of Burbank, California, who once drove 10 hours after hearing a location in Medford, Oregon was selling the sandwich. “You don’t know when it will appear. It’s the girl who you are in love with who has always been a tease to you.”

Hundreds of restaurants are drawn to the power of the perfect, irresistible LTO. Your Pie regularly introduces unique new pizza combinations through its Craft Pie Series. Buffalo Wings & Rings is constantly reinventing their beloved classic with concoctions like the first-of-its-kind The Wings of Fury—chicken wings tossed in a curry powder dry rub, crisply fried and topped with sriracha sauce. And to jump on the green smoothie trend, Smoothie King recently unveiled its Veggie Avocado Pineapple LTO. The list goes on and on.

But not every LTO garners the same kind of fanfare as a McDonald’s McRib. Of course, exclusivity and a sense of urgency to act fast has a lot to do with it (you know, FOMO). But there’s a lot more that goes into cultivating an irresistible mystique. Here are a few tips on creating an offer no one can refuse.

Get Your Customers Involved

When it comes to determining what works and what doesn’t work, customers often know best. Tap into your brand’s vast social media fan base to crowdsource a few ideas. That’s exactly what Toppers Pizza did for its newest menu item—The 3-Cheese Garlicstix.

“Hands down, our most popular Topperstix is still the original. We’re always looking for new ways to ramp up this great product, so we started asking customers what they love about Topperstix in the first place,” said Scott Iversen vice president of marketing for Toppers. “They came back to us with two things: that they’re cheesy and garlicky. So we decided it was time to take it to the next level. We threw in two new cheeses—asiago and cheddar—and added a roasted garlic topping. It’s what our customers already know and love, just kicked up three notches.”

Stay True to Your Brand’s DNA…

It’s important to not veer too far off course when launching new menu items. Instead, consider putting a spin on items that customers already know and love. Natalie Liu, director of marketing for MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, believes that specials like LTOs need to strike a critical balance of shiny and new with tried and true. She points to the brand’s new monthly “Taste to Try” campaign as an example. This campaign is designed to help customers get out of their ordering ruts by whipping up new burgers made with the same quality ingredients that MOOYAH always has in stock. The debut burger was the Double Diablo—a combination of the brand’s spiciest ingredients: Cholula hot sauce, jalapenos and pepper Jack with bacon and mayonnaise.

“At MOOYAH, taste always trumps everything—we didn’t want to lose sight of that. We want to have burgers with personality, but it has to be delicious. The beauty of our ‘Taste to Try’ campaign is that it can grow with us—we can ensure diverse combos without encountering the problem of getting special supplies to restaurants nationwide,” Liu said.

…But Don’t be Afraid to Try Something New

New flavors are great and all, but if you really want the upper hand over your competitors, it’s important to add a creative element to your LTO—this means wowing your customers with something they’ve never experienced before.

For Your Pie, that meant introducing a savory-meets-sweet combination—something not often seen with pizza. When the brand unveiled its Peach Prosciutto Pie, which features sliced peaches, Italian-style prosciutto, ricotta, mozzarella, fresh basil and a honey balsamic glaze, founder Drew French was amazed by the success it saw in every single Your Pie market.

“I never imagined the Peach Prosciutto Pie would be one of our best-sellers. Fruit on a pizza? I figured people would be turned off by that idea. But as it turned out, people were intrigued—they had never seen or tasted a pizza like this before. The novelty enticed them to try it. And once they did, they were hooked,” French said.

Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.

How to Create an Irresistible Limited Time Offer

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