• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, August 31, 2016

Olive Garden’s new branding television ad conveys its longstanding “We’re all family here” message through emotional footage of families — this time accompanied by an original song.

The ad features “Best of You,” a song written and produced by advertising music specialists Future Perfect and performed by 17-year-old, Detroit-based singer/songwriter Grace Elizabeth Lee.

This is considered the first “brand equity” ad for Olive Garden from McGarryBowen, which became the brand’s AOR last October, replacing longtime (three decades) AOR Grey. 

A spot that ran around the Mother’s Day holiday this year used the same “Best of You” music and some of the same footage, but focused on pitching Olive Garden’s catering delivery service, and so was not considered a branding effort, according to a brand rep.

For many years, Olive Garden favored television creative heavy on shots of its food. But in 2015, before the AOR change, Grey broke a new creative branding approach with a spot called “Home.”

That ad featured cute and touching footage of a variety of “families” (including friends and co-workers, as well as relatives), in home-movie-like format, interspersed with title messages such as “Family is connected, even when we’re apart.” The footage was backed by a cover, sung by a child, of the song “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
The footage in the new national branding spot has a more traditional, produced look, and is interspersed with title messages including: “Pile on the love” and “A second helping of family…with a side of laughter.”

This branding version first aired on Friday, Aug. 26 and the weekend following, and will continue to air on a so-far-undetermined schedule over the next few months, according to the brand.
Both versions of the new ad reflect an overall shift in the look and feel of the brand’s marketing, which also informs its recent Web site and menu redesigns.

The new creative “brings Olive Garden to life” through relatable family moments and powerful music, and by portraying its “craveable” food authentically, Jose Duenas, EVP of marketing for Olive Garden, notes to Marketing Daily. “We look forward to continuing to showcase our brand to families in new and unique ways,” he adds.