Interesting Advertising Part II Of II

There are certainly advertising blunders as well. According to ABC News in the Washington, DC area, just last week, Mexico’s Ambassador to Spain said advertisements for the new Burger King “Texican whopper,” a cheeseburger with chili and spicy mayonnaise, inappropriately display the Mexican flag; which is draped over the diminutive wrestler like a poncho. Burger King has since apologized and said it would change the campaign for the new burger.

For some restaurants and Food Retailers, television advertising is not in the budget. You will find more and more restaurants advertising their services and promotions via the internet. Many have been able to obtain their customers email addresses so that they can offer them special teasers to bring them in to dine. I find it fun to open up my email and see who is offering what.

Twitter for restaurants? Absolutely! For those of you who are not familiar with this new social media trend…Twitter is a service for friends, family, and coworkers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages. Twitter is being used by many restaurateurs who are actively promoting their business by advertising their daily specials to customers. Many people use Twitter from their mobile phones or notebooks connected via WiFi. Information about your specials could entice somebody to visit your place.

Some restaurants have been successful at direct mail marketing. Mailing menu’s out to every potential customer in your delivery area is a must. Customers love being rewarded, so don’t forget to add a teaser to the menu. The mailed menus should be colorful and include coupons or discounts to entice people to come to your restaurant.

One crazy example of a restaurant advertisement that I have found is from Europe. In a desire to attract customers, they glued thousands of paper butterflies to a car and put their restaurant sign in the middle of the windshield. Did it draw attention? Absolutely! Are people still talking about it? Yes. Why was it done? Nobody knows. Doing stunt type advertising will grab attention, but a restaurant must shift the focus to reflect what their sales product actually is.

Good advertising will differentiate your restaurant from the rest. An experienced restaurant consultant will help you find ways to get noticed and make your business thrive.