In a time where businesses have faced significant backlash for endorsing an opinion or supporting a cause, fast-food chain Wendy's has kicked their activism into overdrive. A new campaign was launched last week to promote the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, which seeks to place foster children in loving, permanent homes and promote adoption awareness.
The ad features adopted children and their parents, and directs viewers to the new adoption section of the website. Wendy's founder Dave Thomas was adopted as an infant, and while the foundation has existed for decades, this is the first time the foundation has been mentioned on the chain's website.
Craig Bahner, who joined Wendy’s as chief marketing officer in 2012 after 20 years at Procter & Gamble, said that while the chain had been successful in raising money for the foundation, more could be done to raise awareness and tie it to the cause.
“You walk into a restaurant today and there’s a canister there and you can put in some spare change, and millions of dollars have been raised that way,” said Mr. Bahner, an adoptive parent. “But we haven’t done it in a holistic way that could really drive awareness, and that really educates consumers about why it’s important and why it matters to us.”
Kudos, Wendy's.