• Brandweek, Wednesday, July 9, 2008 12:30 PM

DineEquity is looking for ways for the newly acquired Applebee's to emulate the success of its International House of Pancakes, which has experienced 21 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth. In an interview, CEO Julia Stewart talks about the brand strategy it put in place for IHOP in 2002 that was designed to do three things: re-energize the brand, maximize development and substantially improve operations.

Stewart pins IHOP's success on "better ads that resonate with the guest, media buying that has really made a difference, a marketing strategy using limited time offers, and then literally having better food in the restaurant." Advertising is now in sync with the "Come Hungry, Leave Happy" strategy, and franchisees are pooling media dollars instead of "doing their own thing."

Applebee's is just starting a very similar strategy for re-energizing the brand, Stewart says. "I have a lot of faith in 'It's a whole new neighborhood,'" she says. The $200 million campaign from McCann Erickson, New York, launched in March. "Historically, they were struggling to find their target," she says. But the new campaign features "real people submitting their videos," which gives the chain a chance to differentiate itself and establish that it's "an incredible value for the price."

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