Posted on 08/25/2005 7:50:58 AM PDT by SmithL
Brian Lillie described Krystal hamburgers as "small, good and cheap." But he has to do better than that if he wants to be one of the University of Tennessee students starring in the company's next batch of reality-based commercials.
Chattanooga-based Krystal is in Knoxville through Saturday filming commercials to air this fall where real people - in this case, University of Tennessee students - talk about how much love they have for the miniature burgers.
Krystal doesn't want aspiring actors or American Idol "wannabes." Instead it is looking for real people with real Krystal stories.
Lillie has an interesting one, although he is a little foggy on the details.
Before starting his shoot, Lillie said that on his 19th birthday he piled 11 people in his Jeep Grand Cherokee around 2 a.m. and headed to Krystal.
"We saw the commercial on TV and thought it would be a good idea," he said.
At Krystal, Lillie said, the group ordered 75 burgers, 15 pups (hot dogs), 12 chicks (chicken sandwiches) and seven drinks. It took about 45 minutes to get the order, and the total was about $75, of which $8 was paid in change.
Once on camera, Lillie said he piled about 10 people in his Jeep, they ordered 75 Krystals and 10 drinks, and the order was about $60.
In either case, Lillie, a UT freshman from the Nashville area, said, "I think my story has a good chance (of making it on TV)."
In the last three years or so, Krystal has traveled to about a dozen cities and filmed 108 commercials that started with the premise, "if you love the product, talk about it," said Mike Williams, Krystal vice president of marketing.
"What other brand would be willing enough to just let customers talk about the brand?" Williams asked.
The company set up at a park just off the Cumberland Avenue Strip and recruited students from campus who said they love Krystal burgers. Then interviewers spoke to students about their stories and selected the most energetic and passionate Krystal lovers to go on camera. All participants had to be at least 18 years old.
After getting a little make-up, eating some free burgers and maybe changing shirts, students looked into a monitor that is a two-way mirror system where they could see a man in a control room asking them questions.
The man in the control room talks to students to get them to relax on camera, and the free burgers are to get the product fresh in the students' minds, Williams said.
Krystal plans to be on campus today but locations hadn't been finalized.
The company will probably interview 300 or 400 people, and about 100 will make it on camera, Williams said. Of those, 20 or 30 will make the final commercials. The spots will run in all Krystal markets. The company has 423 locations in 12 states, most in the South.
The commercials will focus on Krystal's No. 1 combo, which is four Krystal burgers, fries and a soft drink. Williams said that combo is the most popular item on the menu and is what many true Krystal lovers order.
Students are used for many of the commercials, Williams said, because many of the most passionate customers are 18-24 years old.
It is also the age group likely to take advantage of the late-night hours.
Tess Thompson, a UT senior majoring in legal studies, from Franklin, said she usually eats at Krystal late at night. She and her friends were craving the burgers around 2:30 a.m. one morning and headed to the Krystal location on the Strip. They spotted an old ironing board in the parking lot and decided to use it as a table and have a picnic.
"Ever since then I have been hooked to the late-night Krystals," said Thompson, who would love to make it into a Krystal commercial.
"I think it would be awesome. I am a big fan of Krystal, so I would be honored."
Krystal's are much better than those crappy white castle stomach bombs.
When I was younger and could party all night and had the metabolism of a humming bird, I spent a lot of time in Krystal's drive-thru in the wee hours of the morning. Where I lived, after midnight the only choices were Krystal or Waffle House. The drive-thru line would be around the block on weekends.
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