Envision Advertising outlines a marketing strategy for Five Guys, focusing on its unique selling proposition of high-quality ingredients despite a higher price point compared to typical fast-food chains. The campaign aims to target college students aged 18-29 and families, utilizing various media channels to increase brand awareness and sales by emphasizing the slogan 'quality food, quality time.' Key recommendations include introducing healthier menu options and engaging in community events to connect with the target audience.

2. Table of Contents
1
Executive Summary...............................................2
Agency Identity.......................................................2
Objectives and Budget...........................................4
Exploratory Research............................................5
Primary Research...................................................6
Environmental Analysis........................................7
SWOT Analysis........................................................8
Competitor Analysis..............................................9
Brand Value Proposition.....................................10
Target Audience.....................................................11
Advertising Campaign Strategy.........................12
Creative Strategy & "Big Idea"...........................13
Magazine Execution.............................................14
Radio Execution.....................................................15
Transit Execution.......................................................16
Online Video Execution...... ......................................17
Media Objectives & Strategies................................18
Media Mix- Magazines.............................................19
Media Mix- Online Video & Radio..........................20
Media Mix- Transit....................................................21
Media Flow Chart......................................................22
Media Pricing.............................................................23
Brand Activation.................................................24, 25
Marketing Recommendations...............................26
Evaluation...................................................................27
Appendix.....................................................................28
Envision Advertising......................................29,30,31
End Notes....................................................................32

3. Agency Identity
Envision Advertising began from a group of Ithaca
College Alumni as a full-service advertising agency
located in Ithaca, NY in 2016. Envision first worked with
local companies such as Ale House and Waffle Frolic.
Within the past year, the agency has expanded to a
nationwide reach taking on notable accounts such as
Burger King and Shake Shack.
With each client, we like to take a “think outside of the
box” approach to meet their objectives while
delivering to their consumers wishes. We solve
marketing problems by creating campaigns that are
innovative, eye catching and that help our clients
envision their possibilities.
2
Executive Summary
Five Guys is a fast-casual burger chain that primarily relies on in-
store advertising and very limited online advertising. While many
consumers are aware of the Five Guys brand, many choose not to
eat here due to the higher price when compared to fast food
restaurants. However, thanks to our research, the reason for the
higher price is the better-quality ingredients used, which is not so
well known. Due to this, we are primarily targeting students
within the 18-29 demographic who tend to eat a lot with friends
but are also highly price sensitive. Envision Advertising also
figured it would be appropriate to include a secondary market of
parents who have a few children aged 30 - 49 who have more
disposable income and want to dine out together at a casual
eatery. Envision Advertising wants to inform to the target
audiences in this advertising campaign that Five Guys products
are high quality and worth the extra money while also being a
casual place to dine out with friends or family. This was the
thought process behind the new slogan “Quality Food, Quality
Time.”
Executive Summary & Agency Identity

4. Marketing
Increase sales by 3%
Objectives and Budget
Communication
85% comprehension
& 55% conviction
Budget
$18 Million
Advertising
Effective reach 85% of
young adults &
minimum of 5x exposure
3

5. Exploratory Research
Objectives
1. To determine how Five Guys
currently advertises to consumers
2. To determine how Five Guys
currently attempts to reach the
college student demographic
3. To determine how Five Guys is
different from other burger
joints
Methods
Envision Advertising researched
online and read news publications
from reputable sources such as
AdWeek and CBS News to learn about
Five Guys’ current advertising
strategy. In addition to this, we also
followed the brand on Instagram and
Twitter to get a feel of how the
burger joint reaches a younger
demographic and found a media fact
sheet on the brand with its entire
history and other facts.
Key Discoveries
Five Guys currently advertises within the
digital space of YouTube and various
social media platforms, along within
their many stores. This is in part due to
very loyal local fans from their origin in
the eastern United States. On Instagram,
they recently began a “Featured Artist”
segment where they showcase
a musician in attempts to better reach
the 18-29 demographic. An important
note about their food is that no
microwaves, freezers, or timers are
used.
4

6. Primary Research
Objectives
1. To determine how frequently
people eat at Five Guys
2. To determine what consumers
would change about Five Guys
Key Discoveries
From our survey of over 200
participants, we found that 67.3% of
respondents were in our primary target
audience of 18-27-year old's. We also
found that 24.6% of respondents were
in our secondary target audience of 34
years and older. From this, we
discovered that 38.4% of responders
sometimes eat at Five Guys, 35.5% eat
there not that often, and only 10.3% eat
there somewhat often. Notably,
consumers want healthier/vegan
options available.
Methods
Envision Advertising sent out a
Google survey asking people for
their age and how often they ate
at Five Guys, along with
recommendations they had for
improvement on the brand.
5

7. College students & young adults have less disposable income than other demographics. They also
tend to spend more only on healthier or gourmet options. Convenience and price are the most
important to that target audience for Five Guys. These consumers also choose the most convenient
location when they go out to eat. Even if Five Guys is a national chain, compared to most fast food
chains, they are not as readily available.
Geodemographic
Forces
Environmental Analysis
Socio-Cultural
Forces
People perceive that fast food is a direct link to future or current health problems. So, despite Five
Guys positioning their food as better quality then competitors they are still grouped into the same
category as "carry out food". Americans often try to go on diets and limit their consumption of
"bad" foods. Burgers are also high in sodium. Diets that are high in sodium leads to higher blood
pressure and increases likelihood of strokes and kidney disease. America is also known as obese
and meals such as burgers and fries contribute to that obesity.
Technological
Forces
Social media impacts the presumed “clout” or objective popularity of fast food chains. While Five
Guys labels itself as “fast-casual”, it still fits into the same category as Shake Shack and similar
competitors. Studies have shown that the perceived “clout” of a chain has an influence on college
students eating at said chain.
6

8. SWOT Analysis
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
• Food is not frozen or microwaved
• Everything is made FRESH
• 1500 locations
• 100% Fresh Beef with no
preservatives
• Unlimited free toppings
• Their main audience isn't targeted to
by competitors
• Target families
• Reinvent themselves on social media
• Market a "healthier burger"
compared to competitors
• Very little promotion and advertising
• Higher prices
• Smaller following than competitors
• No drive-thru
• Lack of “healthy” options
• Competing brands are more well-
known and cheaper
• Higher cost of meals deter target
audience
• Current generation is into
healthier options
7

9. Competitor Analysis
Strengths:
• (Very dedicated) High
quality and fresh food
• Loyal customers and
positive reviews
• Viewed as “iconic” and
“nostalgic”
Weaknesses:
• Only 347 locations (limited
locations/regionally based
out west only in USA)
• Small menu/limited options
(in comparison to
competitors)
Strengths:
• Experienced recent growth in
locations and increase in revenue in
the past year (about 30% this year
and expect 50% increase next year!)
• Easy to order online/app
• New and better app created
• Have international reach/locations
Weaknesses:
• Still limited in number of locations in
comparison to competitors (total of
208 locations, with 136 of those
locations in the USA)
• Considered more expensive 8
Strengths:
• Cheap, fast service, easily
accessible
• Available EVERYWHERE/very well
known around the entire world
• Upgrading locations to be more
“modern” and “trendy”
• Great advertising
• Fundraising/foundations
Weaknesses:
• Quality of food is not great
(compared to competitors)
• Image known as “unhealthy” (and
is very unhealthy)

10. Functional Benefits:
Five Guys is healthier than most of its competitors in the fast food
realm. It can be considered a cheaper option for families compared
to higher end, fancier restaurants.
Brand Value Proposition
Emotional Benefits:
The culture associated with the chain, such as ripping open the bag of
fries and dipping fries into shakes, make consumers feel good about
the time, they spend at a Five Guys with their friends or family
members, generating a sense of happiness and togetherness and a
unique experience found nowhere else.
Self-Expressive Benefits:
Consumers will believe they made the smarter choice for paying for
better quality product.
9

11. Target Audience
10

12. Advertising Campaign Strategy
PROBLEM
KEY INSIGHT
SMP
Price cannot be justified by the target audience and is seen as low
quality and unhealthy fast food.
Consumers are willing to spend a little more for food if they are
aware of the quality of it.
Five Guys burgers are made with quality 100% fresh beef and are
never frozen or microwaved, ever. 11

13. The creative strategy was formed using two key elements. The first
being the brands previous marketing approach, which was that
eating at a Five Guys creates a positive experience. The second
element is based off primary and secondary research Our findings
determined people come back to Five Guys because of the great
tasting meal. Our goal was to indicate to our audience that Five Guys
Burgers and Fries offers a casual dining experience with high quality
food to existing customers, and potential customers.
Creative Strategy & “Big Idea”
Creative Strategy
Art Direction
Our advertisements feature the traditional Five Guys colors and logo
combined with the classic red and white checkers that brings together
the identity for the classic burger joint. It was important that we
incorporated some of the classic elements that you experience while
eating at your local Five Guys, so we made sure to include imagery that
reminds the audience of the classic paper bag you receive your food
in, and the foil each hamburger comes perfectly wrapped in. Our goal
was to create visuals that appeal to college students, as well as
families, by recreating a nostalgic 1950’s diner look with a modern
twist that reminds an older generation of a time where you could grab
a bite to eat at your local burger joint with friends, and inspires college
students to do the same.
Copywriting
The copywriting process included an extensive review of the
Five Guys brand personality to gain a full
understanding/conceptual model of Five Guys as a brand that
depicts quality casual food. Using this model, a voice of Five
Guys was formed and utilized through the copy of each
advertisement. Our taglines “Endorsed by the Grill, Blender,
Fryer, and Kitchen”, are used to demonstrate just how good Five
Guys food really is with endorsements from the what they are
made on/in, while having a focus on their three most iconic
menu items: Burgers, Shakes, and Fries.
While testing our ad concepts, a lot of the feedback was towards the use of
our original font on the ads. At first, we were using the same Helvetica font
as the Five Guys logo, but that was said to be too plain and boring. In
response to this, we collectively decided to use a different font to make the
ads look more appealing and welcoming. The font that Envision Advertising
implemented was Poetsen One, found on Dafont.com.
"Quality Food, Quality Time"
12
Creative Testing Results

14. Magazine Execution
13

15. Radio Execution
“The satisfying experience of eating a meal
has been lost in some establishments, but not
at Five Guys. We pride ourselves in using
fresh, all-natural ingredients without any
preservatives. Whether you’re in the mood
for a Hamburger, Hot Dog, Shake, or Fries; at
Five Guys Burgers and Fries there’s
something for everyone. Make a stop at your
local Five Guys for an unrivaled culinary
experience. Quality food, Quality time.”
14

16. Transit Execution
15

17. Online Video Execution
• Ad opens on
medium shot of a
stainless-steel
restaurant kitchen
counter with a
white backsplash
• Mozart’s Lacrimosa
playing in the
background
• Person offscreen
holding a five guys
burger on a plate
walks in frame and
reaches to place
burger on the
countertop
• Burger is gently
placed on the table
• As the plate
touches the
table, the scene
begins playing
at 60% speed
• Music slowly
gets louder
• Brief second pause
before generic Big
Mac -esq burgers
are thrown at the
wall behind the
plated five guys
burger
• Camera zooms to a
portrait shot of the
burger
• Copy appears above
burger
(superimposed on
hamburger-
splattered wall)
16End with slogan- “Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Quality Food, Quality Time”

18. Media Objectives & Strategies
Media Objectives:
Reach the target audience of college students 18-29-year old's
with lower income and secondary audience of parents from ages
30-49 with more disposable income and about 2-3 children.
College students are large consumers of fast food and fast
casual collectively with friends, along with families who eat and
dine out together.
Our magazine, online, and radio ads will be national as our
transit ads will be in our six key market areas of: New York, NY,
Chicago, IL, Boston, MA, Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA, and
Seattle WA.
Our message will be distributed equally across our chosen
media with the exception of our transit ads which are in
key market areas.
Media Strategies:
Reach 55% of 18-29 year old's with a frequency of 5x.
We are implementing continuous advertising since Five
Guys offers food that can be consumed at any time of the
year and is not season specific. We will constantly
remind consumers about the Five Guys brand for the
highest amount of exposure possible. With high
competition from multiple burger joints, we need to be
sure that Five Guys is first in mind in order to increase
sales.
This campaign includes 3 full color magazine ads sized at
8.5 in x 11, a :15 second online commercial, and a :30
second radio ad.
17

19. Media Mix - Magazines
People has the largest outreach in
the American magazine industry
with 46.6 million readers. This
gives Five Guys the most potential
exposure. People features news
about celebrities and
entertainment, making this a
perfect fit for the primary target
audience of college students.
With an audience of 26 million
and a focus on pop culture, this
magazine aligns perfectly with
our primary target audience since
college students tend to keep up
with entertainment trends and
everything within the pop culture
realm.
Time has an audience of 25 million
and targets older, educated
individuals who make at least
$60,000 a year. This fits with our
secondary audience of families
(parents) due to the focus on
serious issues and its reporting of
news from around the world.
18

20. With almost a third of the entire internet
on YouTube, this medium is perfect to
reach a wide audience. According to
Statista, 81% of YouTube users are 15-25,
which falls into our target audience of 18-
29. In addition, 71% are 26-35, which
meets both our primary and secondary
audiences. Having a :15 second ad
prevents viewers from skipping the ad,
which will allow for further exposure and
comprehension.
Spotify has over 248 million active users, with 55% of
these users being the 18-34 demographic. This caters
to both of our target audiences, especially on the
younger side since college students are constantly
streaming music for either studying or leisurely with
friends.
Media Mix - Online Video & Radio
19

21. Media Mix - Transit
New York City - The city that is
the most populated and
visited and has the highest
public transportation
ridership!
Boston - Known as a
“Traditional American” city -
burgers and fries are a
“Traditional American” meal!
DC - Close to the first ever Five
Guys in Arlington, VA and is a
highly visited attraction in the
country!
Chicago - Has the third largest
population in the US and is
known for food staples such
as deep dish pizza!
Seattle - Has a high ridership
population and will help gain
more exposure within the
western region.
San Francisco- Has one of the
higher ridership populations
and with only 11 Five Guys
locations and competition
from IN N OUT, more exposure
can help the chain gain some
market share in this region.
20

22. Media & Brand Activation Flow Chart
21

23. Media Pricing
22

24. “Five Guys and One Gardein”
Objective: To get people (primarily our target market) who
are more health conscious and (or) vegan to come in and
have an option to order from.
Strategy: By partnering with Gardein, Five Guys can
advertise a new option on their menu. This will bring
publicity to the brand since they haven’t added anything
new to their menu in years. With the publicity, it will let our
primary demographic who tend to be more health
conscious know that they have a healthier option to eat at
Five Guys (and that it would taste good). This would also
help with our younger demographic who generally come to
eat with friends, let everyone be able to order something
without anyone feeling left out or end up choosing
somewhere else to eat.
Brand Activation
“The Five Guys Lucky 5 Punch Card”
Objective: Get people, more specifically the younger target
audience, to come in to Five Guys restaurants more often.
Strategy: The punch card is to get consumers to sign up and
use the card every time they order from Five Guys. After a
person comes in 5 times, they will get a deal. For example,
after a consumer comes in five times, they get a drink for
free. This will work primarily with our target market of
teenagers and young adults since they go out to eat the most
and have an incentive for deals since they generally have a
lower income.
23

25. Brand Activation
“The Five Guys QUALITY Music Festival!”
Objective: To bring awareness about Five Guys to our
primary target market through a fun festival.
Strategy: The Festival will take place on National
Hamburger Day (May 28th) in Washington D.C. since
Five Guys was founded near that area. It will feature
the artists on Five Guys’ Instagram with headlining
acts such as Post Malone, Sam Smith, Travis Scott,
Lizzo, Harry Styles and many more! This will appeal to
and attract more consumers from our main
demographic. People will have to pay the entry fee,
but the Five Guys food will be free! This generates
publicity for the Five Guys brand and will entice
festival goers to post on social media with Five Guys
food and merchandise such as fun shirts.
24

26. “Flavorful Options”
We recommend that Five Guys introduce seasonal milkshakes. Since they are known for having great
tasting shakes, offering certain flavors for only certain times of the year will get more people into the
store and publicity. For example, a candy cane flavored milkshake only in the month of December!
Marketing Recommendations
“Five Guys Goes Green”
With the current topic of the environment, everyone is starting to take a stand to be
more environmentally friendly. With this in mind, we think it would be a great idea if Five Guys
introduced more recycling options! This would put Five Guys in a positive spotlight to the public.
We think if Five Guys had a recycling bin in every store with labels listing what is recyclable and limit (or)
stop using plastic straws.
“Don’t Forget the 5th”
To continue having the target market come in more often to Five Guys, we recommend that on the 5th day
of every month to have a deal, such as $5 off every purchase. We think the 5th day of every month
would work the best because of the “5” in Five Guys will let people remember the day more easily. 25

27. Evaluation
26

28. Appendix
27

29. Envision Advertising
Hannah Friedfertig is from
Brooklyn, NY and is a senior Legal
Studies major with minors in
Integrated Marketing and
Communications as well as
Communication Studies. Hannah
first became involved in advertising
and marketing in high school,
where she advocated to do social
media outreach for her school’s law
department. In college, she served
as the Public Relations Coordinator
for an on-campus organization
before serving as the club’s
President. After her college career,
she plans to either go to law school
to pursue copyright law or work in
a creative agency specializing in
online advertising.
Junior Holguin is a junior
Business Administration
major with a minor in
Integrated Marketing
Communications. Junior is a
passionate WWE fan and
one day hopes to work for
the company in their
Stamford, CT HQ in their
marketing and
communications
department. Along with this,
Junior is also interested in
working at ad agencies in
his hometown of New York
City, primarily in account
management or social
strategy. 28

30. Envision Advertising
Kristina Hoefler is from
Columbus, OH and is a
sophomore Integrated
Marketing and Communications
major with minors in Graphic
Design and German. Kristina
also runs for the Women’s Track
and Field team in the winter and
spring seasons. After
graduating from Ithaca College,
she hopes to eventually live and
work in Germany in the creative
department for an Advertising
Agency.
Alex Goodman is from Vestal, NY and is a
sophomore Integrated Marketing
Communications major with a minor in
Women’s and Gender Studies. Alex tries to
actively support and promote diversity and
inclusion in his life and hopes to find ways to
advocate for underrepresented and
misrepresented people in the United States
through his work in the future. Alex is
especially interested in breaking gender
boundaries, promoting trans rights and
highlighting trans identities in the media,
supporting and recognizing women’s
reproductive rights, and providing teens access
proper sex education information. After
college, Alex hopes to work for the creative
department for a nonprofit organization such
as The Human Rights Campaign. 29

31. Envision Advertising
Ethan Burger is a sophomore
Integrated Marketing
Communications Major from
Atlanta, GA. Former ICTV Assistant
Producer with 4 years public
speaking experience (including
acting as the facilitating speaker
of a TEDx event in his junior year
of high school). Ethan is a
passionate Manchester United Fan
who avidly consumes European
football media and information.
Ethan hopes to one day utilize his
knowledge of global soccer and
his passion for communications
together in his work.
Nick Simeone is a sophomore
Integrated Marketing and
Communications major from
Harrington Park New Jersey.
During the summer, Nick
started his role as a
marketing intern for a local
doctor’s office. He creates
promotional material
including pamphlets and
posts, while also running the
company’s Instagram
account. He hopes to one day
work in the creative
department for a company
that pursues environmental
relief.
30

32. America's favorite and least favorite fast-food burgers: survey. (2019, July 31). Retrieved from https://finance.yahoo.com/news/americas-
favorite-burger-chain-of-2019-market-force-survey-190840409.html.
Griner. (2018, September 13). How Five Guys, a Brand Built on Customer Experience, Finally Warmed Up to Advertising. Retrieved from
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-five-guys-a-brand-built-on-customer-experience-finally-warmed-up-to-advertising/.
Largest cities in the United States by population. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://ballotpedia.org/Largest_cities_in_the_United_States_by_population.
Spotify users by age in the U.S. 2018. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.statista.com/statistics/475821/spotify-users-age-usa/.
U.S. YouTube reach by age group 2019. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.statista.com/statistics/296227/us-youtube-reach-age-gender/.
Top 10 U.S. Magazines by Circulation. (2019, September 7). Retrieved from
https://www.agilitypr.com/resources/top-media-outlets/top-10-american-magazines/.
Visitors of Five Guys Burgers and Fries in the U.S. by age 2018. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.statista.com/statistics/354245/people-who-visited-five-guys-burgers-and-fries-usa/.
Writer, E. K. S. (2011, February 17). Students rely more on convenience, price when considering food options. Retrieved from
https://www.florala.net/news/students-rely-more-on-convenience-price-when-considering-food-options/article_1574daf4-3a21-11e0-8bc5-
00127992bc8b.html.
Endnotes
31