Red Rooster's (Reds) long running brand refresh is wracking up some impressive wins. Among the tasty nuggets of success, it has seen incremental fried chicken sales grow $70m last 12 months, burger sales increase 32 per cent, along with a 3 per cent increase in both brand appeal and consideration based on brand equity tracking.

Now the brand is ratcheting up its innovation investments with the launch of crave-ware, an AI-powered system that monitors and responds to bodily signals such as stomach rumbles, then sends the hungry consumer a meal deal.

The system even recognises how hungry you are and adjusts the offer accordingly.

But don't expect a mass market rollout of crave_ware anytime soon. And if its not all that it seems, its not really meant to be, just yet. Instead, the real gold will likely be found the social and influencer assets created when the select group of Red Rooster brand advocates willingly submit to having their burps, farts and tummy rumbles digitally analysed and activated.

The AI software program is the brainchild of creative technology agency, whiteGrey and is designed to listen to and categorise hunger cues. And yes, it's modelled on a data set of bodily functions of whiteGrey staff who volunteered for the privilege.

It's all part of what Ashley Hughes, Director of Marketing for Red Rooster, described as a fun and engaging way to connect with a youthful audience through an innovative use of technology.

"For a brand that has traditionally been perceived as not always 'on trend' this demonstrates our desire to innovate and push into changing perceptions with a new generation of customers," he said.

Hughes told Mi3 the Reds team is excited about the opportunities the technology provides to engage with a different and new and broader audience.

"It's in early test phase at the moment. We'd love to get a lot more rumbles sent to us online via the site and continue to work on the technology to see if it's going to be possible to work in a real world environment. Once we determine if we can successfully commercialise crave_ware then it is something hope to develop into a wider campaign for consumers," he continued.

A hungry Russian doll

That could take a little while given the complexity of the technology.

According to Chad Mackenzie, Chief Creative Officer, whiteGREY, for the system to work, the consumer needs to have a preloaded app on their phone.

"Then you are donning a T-shirt and in the front of that T-shirt is a snug little pouch. In that pouch is a 3D printed case and in that case we have a microphone, wirelessly connected to an onboard device that has a machine learning algorithm running called Crave that has been pre-trained, with lots of different classifications of bodily noises," he explained.

"Effectively, it just sits and listens until it strikes the right class which is a rumble. That then communicates via a Selenium app, an order pre-processing your chicken craving."

The hangrier the better

The agency built smarts into the app so the meal choice matches how hungry you are. And the hangrier you are the better for Red Rooster.  "There is a large matrix of menu items that correlate to your hunger. A score of three will get you a big box meal effectively."

"It starts off at the chip range, and works its way up to burgers and so on," Mackenzie said.

He acknowledged it's a demonstration piece.

"We're not trying to turn Red Rooster into a shirt manufacturer," Mackenzie said.

But he also said the team is looking at how crave can apply beyond just a t-shirt.

According to Hughes, the tech is in an early test phase at the moment and he told Mi3 his first reaction when the idea was pitched was, "How awesome!"

"This is a really clever way to signal that your inner Rooster is calling you to satisfy your hunger cravings with Australia's best-tasting chicken and chips," Hughes said. "The crave_ware creative links directly to our brand and it's such a fun way to do that. It talks to the fact that unexpected tummy rumbles happen in all of us. So it's an easy concept to get with the added fun of driving a conversation around 'other bodily' noises as well."

Brand refresh

Hughes said significant change over the last five years focused on renovating Red Roosters and improving such as signage and refurbishments. There's also been work done to lift the overall offering and elevate the customer experience.

"From a menu perspective we've kept the much-loved heritage items such as Roast Chicken, Rooster Rolls, Rippa Rolls, Pineapple Fritters, Cheesy Nuggets and of course our famous Chips; while deleting non-core items and also bringing significant innovation to life," Hughes said.

Reds also developed and launched Crunchy Fried Chicken and claims to be the only one nationally to do this.

"Plus we have introduced new flavours including Reds Hot Spicy Fried and Hot Honey to the everyday core menu," Hughes said.

There is also a recently relaunched burger range including Reds, Spicy, BBQ Bacon, and Picklebird using new fresh tenders and potato buns.

"We are seeing significant sales growth from existing customers coming more frequently and new customers trialing the brand for the first time. This is especially true of a more ethnically diverse cultural background," Hughes said.

The results speak for themselves, and Hughes noted total sales are up 41 per cent over five years, on a like-for-like basis that adjusts for store growth.

Among the other wins Reds has banked beyond strong chicken and burger sales he highlighted include:

• Significantly improved brand pride among employees and franchise network
• 99 per cent new/upgraded signage completion- much better street appeal
• New Voice of the Customer feedback platform receiving 200,000+ pieces of customer feedback in its first year.

The changes are also widening the appeal of the brand, according to Hughes.

"We are seeing more culturally diverse customers coming into the brand, led through our fried chicken and new flavour range. Hot Honey Fried Chicken was an absolute winner for us. Aussies love it," he said.

Cockadoodle!

The brand is having greater success with younger customers too.

"We have pushed into social channels and had a lot of fun with our down-to-earth tone of voice and a genuine authenticity that resonates with them. We don't take ourselves too seriously as evidenced by our play on the 'money laundering' theory and we've had a lot of fun with brand collabs such as the Smith Reds burger flavoured chips and merch collaboration with Budgy Smuggler," he said.

Hughes knows there is more to do, especially when its competitors include the world's largest fast food franchise KFC which is spending big on national TV advertiser and sports sponsorship.

"In the short term, I want customers and Aussies to consider Reds on par with our competitors- we have had some catching up to do but we are also competing against behemoth brands with huge marketing budgets and global footprints. I want customers to see Reds as a great option for both a permissible mid-week meal and a great option to treat themselves or family on the weekend," he said.

As for why your humble scribe once developed a serious afternoon addiction to the brand's fries, Hughes said, "Our chip salt is what makes them supreme. But don't stop at the chips. Honestly, if you haven't tried our menu recently you need to get your lips around some Hot Honey Fried Chicken and finish it all off with a sweet treat - a Pineapple Fritter."

Mmm, pineapple fritter.

- by Andrew Birmingham