Sparrow is a fast-food chain with 200 restaurants. Some years ago, the group to which Sparrow belonged was taken over by another company. Although Sparrow showed no sign of declining, the chain was generally in an unhealthy state. With more and more fast-food concepts reaching the market, the Sparrow menu had to struggle for attention. And to make matters worse, its new owner had no plans to give it the funds it required.
Sparrow failed to grow for another two years. Until a new CEO, Carl Pearson, decided to build up its market share. He did a survey, which showed that consumers who already used Sparrow restaurants were extremely positive about the chain, while customers of other fast-food chains were unwilling to turn away from them. Sparrow had to develop a new promotional campaign.
Pearson faced a battle over the future of the Sparrow brand. The chain’s owner now favored rebranding Sparrow as Marcy’s restaurants. Pearson resisted, arguing for an advertising campaign designed to convince customers that visits to Sparrow restaurants were fun. Such an attempt to establish a positive relationship between a company and the general public was unusual for that time. Pearson strongly believed that numbers were the key to success, rather than customers’ speeding power. Finally, the owner accepted his idea.
The campaign itself changed the traditional advertising style of the fast-food industry. The TV ads of Sparrow focused on entertainment and featured original songs performed by a variety of stars. Instead of showing the superiority of a specific product, the intention was to put Sparrow in the hearts of potential customers.
Pearson also made other decisions which he believed would contribute to the new Sparrow image. For example, he offered to lower the rent of any restaurants which achieved a certain increase in their turnover (营业额) .
These efforts paid off, and Sparrow soon became one of the most successful fast-food chains in the regions where it operated.
小题1:Which was one of the problems Sparrow faced before Pearson became CEO?
A．The number of its customers was declining
B．Its customers found the food unhealthy
C．It was in need of financial support
D．Most of its restaurants were closed小题2:What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A．Customers of Sparrow restaurants
B．Sparrow restaurants
C．Customers of other fast-food chains
D．other fast-food chains小题3:For what purpose did Pearson start the advertising campaign?
A．To build a good relationship with the public
B．To stress the unusual tradition of Sparrow
C．To lean about customers’ spending power.
D．To meet the challenge from Marcy’s restaurants.小题4:The TV ads of Sparrow ________ .
A．changed people’s views on pop stars
B．amused the public with original songs
C．focused on the superiority of its products
D．influenced the eating habits of the audience小题5:What was Pearson’s achievement as a CEO?
A．He managed to pay off Sparrow’s debts.
B．He made Sparrow much more competitive
C．He helped Sparrow take over a company
D．He improved the welfare of Sparrow employees