Callender’s Gets New Ad Agency to Aid Image

Marie Callender’s, which says “Hello, Good Pie” on its billboards, said hello to a new ad agency on Thursday and goodby to its old one.

The family-style restaurant chain handed its projected $3-million annual advertising account to the Los Angeles agency Kresser/Craig. Losing the account was the Santa Monica agency Suissa & Associates, which said that blow was softened somewhat by its win Thursday of the estimated $2.5-million ad business for the Sports Connection health club chain.

For Marie Callender’s, which began as a Long Beach pie shop in 1948, the move is part of an overall attempt to update its image and separate it from other family restaurants. “As we move into the ‘90s, we will try to distinguish Marie Callender’s from the rest of the crowd,” said Neil Narhoff, the Orange-based chain’s client director of marketing.

That may take some doing. Industry analysts say family restaurants continue to lose customers to fast-food outlets as well as to the expanding deli sections at neighborhood grocery stores.

Even within its own category, Marie Callender’s has recently begun to struggle. “Marie Callender’s is over the hill in terms of being a hot concept,” said John Hollingsworth, a Laguna Hills restaurant industry consultant. “They’re an upgraded coffee shop.”

Certainly, that’s not what the new agency thinks. “It’s a wonderful name that everyone knows,” said Robert Kresser, chairman of Kresser/Craig. “Our first task will be to re-establish in the minds of consumers how valid Marie Callender’s is as a restaurant for today.” Kresser, whose agency also creates ads for Daihatsu America and Atlantic Richfield Co., said Marie Callender’s “will become a far more aggressive advertiser.”

Some industry analysts contend that the problems at Marie Callender’s have little to do with its advertising. They said the chain has built some very costly units at high-rent locations--forcing it to charge relatively high prices for its food.