Americans will eat more than 7 billion hot dogs from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with 150 million consumed on the recent Fourth of July holiday alone.
We average about 70 hot dogs per person eaten each year. If you have one, do you top it with ketchup or mustard?
According to a YouGov survey, the most popular condiment for hot dogs is mustard (72 percent) followed by ketchup (59 percent), onions (51 percent) and relish (47 percent).
Age has a big impact on our choice. Seventy-three percent of 16-to-34-year-olds ate their hot dogs with ketchup, while only 41 percent of those 35 and older did.
Makes sense.
Kids love ketchup. Children have different taste buds than adults and notice bitter tasting foods. Plus, creative commercials help create long-lasting habits — like adding ketchup to a hot dog. Remember the anticipation theme from the Heinz Ketchup classic commercials during the 1970s?
But, sometimes one organization’s message hurts a complementary product.
The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council’s Do’s and Don’ts of Hot Dog Etiquette surely caught the attention of ketchup companies with this one:
“Don’t … use ketchup on your hot dog after the age of 18. Mustard, relish, onions, cheese and chili are acceptable.”
Whether you like your hot dog with ketchup, mustard or some other way, you can benefit from these messaging do’s and don’ts:
■ Do focus on creative promotions to tell your story.
Just like the hot dog industry promotes National Hot Dog Month, you can promote your anniversary, new equipment, locations and hires in a creative way.
■ Do make it about your target audiences.
Why does it matter to them?
■ Don’t miss opportunities to promote your uniqueness.
Develop a content calendar to tell your story throughout the year.
■ Don’t make messaging, branding and PR decisions by committee.
You’ll end up with a little bit of what each person wanted, and a lot of wasted advertising dollars.
■ Don’t think your instincts are better than the full combination of listening to customers through marketing intel, brainstorming with your leadership team and using your instincts.
So often, I see companies suffer because decisions made about marketing or messaging are made based on instincts. You think, “I know my market, I know my customers, I’ve done this for ‘X’ number of years.”
If you’re still not sure about ketchup on your hot dog, consider this rant by Clint Eastwood, as Dirty Harry in ‘Sudden Impact,’ relayed to a hot dog-eating detective:
“Nah, this stuff isn’t getting to me — the shootings, the knifings, the beatings, old ladies being bashed in the head for their Social Security checks. Nah, that doesn’t bother me. But, you know what does bother me? You know what makes me really sick to my stomach? It’s watching you stuff your face with those hot dogs. Nobody, I mean nobody, puts ketchup on a hot dog.”
Hey, Dirty Harry, I do from time to time.
