The International House of Pancackes (Ihop) is changing its name to promote its line of burgers, and it's a stunt that is already getting plenty of buzz on social media.
Today (June 11), Ihop restaurants announced that it is going by a new name – Ihob . Since the news broke last week on the brand’s social media sites, more than 30,000 (based on the number of Tweets responding to the Ihob post) people speculated what the change could be with the 'b', guessing everything from bacon to brunch to bananas.
The change celebrates the debut of the brand’s new Ultimate Steakburgers, a line-up of seven all-natural burgers, made with 100% USDA choice, Black Angus ground beef that is smashed on the grill to sear in the juices and flavor before being topped with premium ingredients and sandwiched between a buttered and grilled brioche bun.
To show the brand is as serious about burgers as it is about its world-famous pancakes, it flipped the 'p' to a 'b' in the chain's iconic name – for the time being – including its Twitter handle. A flagship Ihob restaurant in Hollywood has also been completely burger-fied. The Ihob Ultimate Steakburgers are available nationwide and for a limited time.
“Burgers are a quintessential, American menu item so it makes perfect sense that Ihop, one of the most iconic, all-American comfort-food brands in the world, would go over the top to create a delicious line-up of quality burgers that hit the spot any time of day,” said Chef Nevielle Panthaky, head of culinary at Ihob. “There’s definitely a juicy Steakburger for whatever you might be craving at any time of day. The Ihop culinary team took the creation of these Steakburgers as seriously as we take innovation around our pancakes.”
To spread the news about their new burgers and their new name, Ihob is shouting it from the rooftops. Literally. The campaign from Droga5 puts an overly-excited Ihob manager atop the restaurant's slightly dangerous blue rooftop. From this precarious position, the manager risks life and limb to spread the word, er, the letter change. The spot will air nationally on TV, online and on social media.
“Everyone knows that Ihop makes world-famous pancakes so we felt like the best way to convince them that we are as serious about our new line of Ultimate Steakburgers as we are about our pancakes, was to change our name to Ihob,” said Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for Ihob restaurants. “We’ve pancaked pancakes for 60 years now so it’s the perfect time to start burgerin’ burgers."
Burger chain Wendy's took a different approach on social media, taking a sassy swipe at Ihob with a tweet that suggested that Ihop should stick to pancakes.
People are encouraged to visit Ihop.com to learn more about the new Ultimate Steakburgers, the Ihob flip, and the flagship burger location, and find their nearest restaurant.