Blog #5

Darden Restaurants has done it again, and has failed its successful communication and marketing efforts by not having a blog. I searched the website and the internet looking for some type of forum where Darden is specifically discussed, no luck.

Although Darden Restaurants don’t utilize blogs, they have a unique internal communications amongst their employees. I’m able to write about this, because I work at Longhorn, and I use it. It’s called My Dish, and it’s a forum where employees log in and we get to access our schedules, time-off requests, viewing past paychecks, and much more. Unfortunately, it’s not really considered social media, because there is no blogging, and the form of communication used on My Dish is through e-mail.

Again, Darden not having a blog, for consumers and for employees, is not a very tactical idea. If there was a blog for consumers, created by Darden, it would help the company so much. Consumers could use the blog as an outlet to discuss the products and say what’s on their mind. This way, it goes directly to Darden and they get their feedback instantly. Also, there should be a blog on My Dish for employees. This also opens the communication freedom internally within the company. All companies should care what their employees think, and if they are working in a happy, pleasant, and fair work environment.

There is no celebrity spokesperson for any of the Darden Restaurants. If I had to choose a celebrity spokesperson for Darden Restaurants it would probably be Rachael Ray. Rachael Ray is a celebrity chef. She is known for her 30 minute meals and all around fun personality, and of course delicious food! Picking a famous celebrity chef as the spokesperson would be a great idea because Rachael Ray is highly recognized as a top chef, and the consumers would recognize this. When they recognize that Rachael Ray is associated with the Darden Restaurants brand, it’ll first build a trust, and a mentality that if Rachael loves the food at Darden, it must be great. Rachael Ray could star in commercials for Darden Restaurants, and boast about the deliciousness of the foods.  More specifically, if I had to choose a spokesperson for Longhorn Steakhouse, I’d go with Carrie Underwood. Carrie Underwood is a very popular country singer who won American Idol. She is well respected and credible, and has a very sweet and kind image. She is an idol to both males and females. Using Carrie as a spokesperson for Longhorn Steakhouse would be very smart because she is seen as that perfect southern lady. She knows all about Western hospitality. They can also use her in commercials, maybe with a song of hers playing.