Arby’s is one of the younger fast food giants, emerging a decade after McDonald’s and Burger King made their debut in the mid-1950s. Forrest and Leroy Raffel opened Arby’s in 1964 with a slogan that got right to the point — “Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich is Delicious.” The Ohio-born chain has been all about the meats since day one, serving up sandwiches piled high with thinly sliced beef. The classic roast beef sandwiches never miss, which is why they’re still on Arby’s menus today. The casual joint instantly appealed to the crowd, who were eager to indulge in something other than cheeseburgers.
It feels like Arby’s has been chanting “We have the meats” for ages, but the campaign only launched in 2014. The fast food chain has always been straightforward, with previous slogans like “Different Is Good” and “I’m Thinking Arby’s.” The brand refresh in 2014 was all about their customer base, which skewed shockingly older. By chanting “We have the meats,” Arby’s hoped to attract the millennial crowd, and they were successful.
Arby’s captured the next generation of regulars with its quirky slogan
Just as their slogan suggests, the Raffel brothers didn’t fuss with all the bells and whistles. They wanted Arby’s to be a more upscale establishment, so they didn’t employ a goofy mascot or bother adding any kid-specific meals to the menu.This was a big departure from all the other kid-centric fast food chains at the time and it obviously appealed to adults. Although, as the decades passed, Arby’s seemed to only draw in an older crowd which ultimately hurt their sales.
By 2014, Arby’s had the second oldest customer base in the fast food industry and Rob Lynch, former Arby’s CMO, was terrified that Arby’s heyday was over. In an effort to reel in the younger generations, Lynch employed Publicis Groupe’s Fallon Worldwide and they developed the infamous “We Have The Meats” tagline. The commercials were brash, with huge chunks of different meats slamming onto a wooden cutting board, but they were memorable. The millennial draw was the humorous threats voiced over by Ving Rhames, taunting viewers with questions like,”Did the meats scare you? Are you intimidated by their might and marbleness?” Arby’s new look was well received, leading to a 9.6% spike in same-store sales. The iconic slogan is still going strong today, so they were doing something right.
