Posts Tagged ‘social media’

Notes on an Inspiring Restaurant Leadership Conference

By: Glenn Haertel
April 8, 2011 | No Comments

I was impressed by the large representation of executives at this year’s Restaurant Leadership Conference, one of the biggest in recent years, with more than 1,500 professionals in attendance. The conference was a great facilitator of dialogue between restaurateurs, while presenters shared best practices and innovative ideas.

One presentation I particularly enjoyed was Linda Duke’s Restaurant Marketing Leadership panel. Her overarching message was that leading brands are flexible and able to modify their approach to changes in the market environment.

To communicate the importance of a flexible approach, panelists explained that there are more complexities than ever before in marketing to the restaurant consumer. Marketers must consider the political and economic environment, including changing caloric regulations and the growing interest in healthy options. Restaurant demographics are also changing; recent research unveiled an unexpected emerging trend of young adults cutting back on restaurant spending. On a positive note, the percent of food dollars consumers are spending on restaurants has risen considerably since 1955, from 25% to 49% today.

One panelist, Rachel Phillips-Luther, Vice President of Marketing and Brand Innovation for Kona Grill, discussed brand perception in the marketplace. She encourages management executives to become intimate with their brand in order to determine how to best market it. She explained that you need to understand the customer, their perception of your food and what they think of your restaurant. Once you’ve done the research, you’ll be on the path to developing a clear, cohesive message in your brand marketing.

Another theme that emerged throughout the conference was local marketing. Local marketing is critical to any brand. It can supplement a brand’s national campaign while speaking directly to the tastes and preferences of local customers. A wide range of brands are using local marketing to respond to competition, support community sponsorships, as well as generate trial and frequency.

Additionally, several presenters covered the role of social media in restaurant marketing, emphasizing that it should be used as one component of a holistic approach that capitalizes on the strengths of traditional marketing practices.

Overall, the atmosphere at the conference was upbeat, with attendees walking away from presentations feeling motivated and excited about the wide realm of possibilities for improving their businesses.

If you were able to attend this year’s conference, what were your takeaways? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Permalink | Tags: (brand perception, Linda Duke, Local Marketing, Restaurant Leadership Conference, social media)Add Comments | View Comments (0)

QSR Article: Cheap Marketing Tips that Work

By: Glenn Haertel
January 4, 2011 | No Comments

Last week I discovered an insightful article from QSR Magazine titled “Cheap Marketing Tips that Work.” The author, Robert Lillegard discussed the thin line that marketers must walk in order to achieve success through inexpensive marketing tactics.

He pointed out that some brands make the fatal mistake of cutting marketing budgets in the wrong areas, and hyper focusing on strategies that don’t support or maintain their brand image. Additionally, some make the mistake of only highlighting a single strength, rather than concentrating on multiple brand attributes and therefore appealing to a wider audience. In one particular instance, a company attempted to scale down their budget to include only social media and a new website, and found their same-store sales decreased by 20-30%. (The company has since launched a more multi-faceted, effective approach.)

Lillegard also cited the importance of proper implementation of marketing efforts, including careful budgeting and ample resource allocation. He continued by outlining “cheap strategies that work”, including handing out free food samples, attention-grabbing signage and POP materials, and loyalty programs. Event programs and anniversary celebrations have also proven to be extremely effective for many brands.

Lillegard concluded by pointing out that no marketing strategy will be effective without the support of a solid, quality product and great customer service. I couldn’t agree more. I also feel that brands tend to achieve the best results when they adopt a streamlined marketing strategy that maintains consistent brand messaging across multiple channels. It’s important to maintain the basic elements that promote your product and brand image, such as signage, window clings, and banners, and combine them with mobile marketing and social media strategies.

You can read the article in its entirety here. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. What inexpensive marketing tactics have you employed? And have they proven to be effective?

Permalink | Tags: (branding, cheap marketing tactics, marketing tips, POP, QSR magazine, social media)Add Comments | View Comments (0)

Notes from the 2010 Restaurant Leadership Conference

By: Glenn Haertel
May 6, 2010 | 2 Comments

I attended the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona last month and was inspired by the topics raised. Much of the discussion went back to the unique issues that QSR and fast casual restaurants are dealing with in this economic environment. For example, while today’s customer seeks value, that doesn’t translate to “cheapest.” Customers have plenty of options and want the best quality for the price. Consumers also expect restaurants to connect with them in a way they will remember, whether it’s greeting them at the door, offering to carry their tray to the table if their arms are full or having an exceptionally clean store. In a nutshell, they want a pleasant experience.

Another theme discussed was the need to increasingly funnel more marketing dollars into local campaigns, but in a way that compliments the national marketing strategy. This ensures brand standards are maintained and messaging is consistent – yet can speak to the uniqueness of the local market.

With social media so prevalent today, the conference spoke about how important it is to stay connected to your customers. It’s not enough to market your company; you have to engage in a dialogue by speaking with your customer, not to them. Whatever the platform is — blogs, social media sites or microsites — the conversation must go both ways. And it’s imperative that we monitor the social media sites to collect valuable insights on what our customers are saying.

One final note is that community remains a strong force. Restaurants must be engaged in their community. There are countless ways to be engaged in and support your community, which could include supporting local schools, participating in charitable events or just volunteering time. When you invest in your community, you will see a return on that involvement.

RLC was well attended this year, and I look forward to another motivating event next year. If you attended this year’s conference, tell me what you thought.

Permalink | Tags: (Local Marketing, marketing, QSR, Restaurant Leadership Conference, restaurant marketing, RLC, social media)Add Comments | View Comments (2)

Why Local Marketing?

By: Doug Fergusson
February 23, 2010 | No Comments

It occurred to me that my previous posts on the subject of Local Marketing have been directed at the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of local marketing, but really didn’t address the ‘why.’ It is easy to assume that most people appreciate the value of local marketing; however, I think in reality many are far less certain.

Most local marketing activities are initiated by individual store managers or franchisees on trial and error basis to increase revenue during slow periods or increase loyalty with the local consumer. Their methods are often not ideal, and their means to measure results are limited; however, when they find something that works for them, they stick with it.

I see the rationale for local marketing falling into several distinct categories:

Coverage: Some local marketing approaches provide an added medium for communicating with customers that aren’t covered by national campaigns (i.e. flyers handed out to local businesses or schools)
Conditions: Local marketing provides a means to speak to specific market conditions (i.e. competitor is offering a special across the street, local high school makes the playoffs, etc.)
Community: Local marketing enables store managers to customize the store experience to match the interest and tastes of local customers. (i.e. Spanish signage in heavily Hispanic areas, etc.)

While the first two reasons tend to be the primary drivers for campaigns, I am beginning to believe that the third may be the most important. Changing consumer interests, fed by social media trends, are leading buyers to expect a more personalized experience at the retail locations they frequent. These ‘New Consumers’ are favoring locations that have a buzz; how you create and maintain the buzz is the challenge.

In my next post, I will share ideas that I have collected about New Consumers. While much of this information offered by ‘experts’ is speculative, it does raise some interesting possibilities. And now, I’d love to hear from you—what are your thoughts on the ‘whys’ of local marketing?

If you liked this post, you may want to take a look at my commentary on Local Marketing – Setting Goals.

Permalink | Tags: (franchisees, in-store marketing, Local Marketing, marketing, media, social media)Add Comments | View Comments (0)

Posts Tagged ‘social media’

Notes on an Inspiring Restaurant Leadership Conference

QSR Article: Cheap Marketing Tips that Work

Cheryl Bachelder, President of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Shares Insight on Women Leadership and Social Media

Notes from the 2010 Restaurant Leadership Conference

Why Local Marketing?

Will You be Lunching with Kim Kardashian?

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