• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, July 7, 2008

Chili's Grill & Bar is leveraging bored and time-crunched office workers in its latest campaign from Hill Holiday, which broke less than two weeks ago.

In "Musical Chairs," a group of workers sits around a conference table. "Did you get the file I sent?" one of them asks the unseen person on the other end of the teleconference. "Yeah," he replies. "Let me put you on hold for a sec." The colleagues eye each other and they all get up, race around the table and grab for chairs, leaving one guy sitting on the floor.

"Trying to create your own fun?" asks the voiceover, as the chili pepper logo passes improbably by the window. "Head for Chili's." Shots of plates full of food follow, and the happy office workers chow down. Tagline: "Chili's. Pepper in some sizzle, pepper in some fun."

The chain's emphasis on its bold flavors and fun atmosphere in its advertising campaigns since signing on Hill Holiday last year has helped Chili's "hold its own in the hard-hit casual segment by capitalizing on Applebee's weakness," according to a recent report by Research and Markets of Dublin, Ireland. It adds that Chili's positioning "some distinction but not much in a crowded field in which all the major players tend to offer largely similar menus."

Other highlights from the report:

• The promotional strategy replaced limited-time options with promotions of core menu items, which builds brand equity. "This minimized operational complexity" among other things.

• The recently introduced Bottomless Express Lunch is bolstering shrinking lunch sales and providing a value option.

• The 18-49 target market is skewing younger, and Chili's "slightly more upscale clientele (relative to Applebee's) is a plus during recent economic weakness."

• Other initiatives that improve brand position include remodeling stores older than 10 and investment in technology.

• The tagline, "Pepper in some ..." is flexible enough to be adjusted according to scenario.

A second Hill, Holiday spot, "Sling Dog," exemplifies that last point. As harried co-workers mill about considering a quick bite to eat, one fellow says to his mates, "Watch this," and hollers out the fifth-floor window: "Hey, Sling Dog!" The Los Angeles street vendor fastens a hot dog to a rubbery sling and lets go. It slams through the open window but shatters unseen glass. They are crestfallen. Then one of them spies a Chili's logo conveniently passing by on a flatbed trailer and suggests, "How about Chili's?" Off they go.

Voiceover: "Looking for a quick lunch? Pepper in a quick break." And this time the tagline is "Chili's. Pepper in some express lunch, pepper in some fun."

Research and Markets reports that Chili's ad spend fell by a third in 2007, "reflecting agency transition. According to Nielsen Monitor-Plus, Chili's spent almost $75 million on advertising last year, excluding online. Comparatively, for the first four months of this year, the chain already had spent slightly more than $46 million.

Founded in 1975, Chili's Grill & Bar is the flagship brand of Dallas-based Brinker International with more than 1,400 locations in 24 countries. Other Brinker brands include Romano's Macaroni Grill, Maggiano's Little Italy and On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina.