Marketing Through Personal Area Networks Gives Restaurateurs a Taste of Customer Engagement
May 13 2011 - 8:00AM
Marketwired
Restaurant marketing has, for the most part, been stuck to
tried-and-traditional methods: pamphlets with promotional offers of
discounts and free drinks, and, more recently, adding social media
or Groupon-style initiatives. But, a new interactive marketing
solution from iSIGN Media (TSX VENTURE: ISD) is about to change the
way that restaurants engage with and market to potential guests.
Known as personal area network (PAN) marketing, iSIGN's technology
enables restaurants to send advertising messages and coupons
directly to the mobile phones of potential patrons who are in close
proximity to a restaurant location at any given time.
Creating Local, Engaging Relationships with Patrons through
Mobile Messaging
Marketing through personal area networks is a rapidly-growing
channel that iSIGN has developed for the restaurant and hospitality
industry; it combines a number of highly-effective marketing
tactics, including mobile coupons, videos and rich media messages,
all designed to deliver an interactive and enticing message to
potential guests that will result in increase patronage and
revenues for restaurants.
iSIGN's technology automatically detects consumers who are
within close range of a restaurant or dining location (from 3 to
300 feet). Messages are sent directly to phones enabled with
Bluetooth - which accounts for about 90% of mobile handsets -
directly into the palm of their hands. The immediacy of the
messages and proximity of these consumers allows proprietors to
reach consumers at the ideal time and place - when they are nearby
and primed to act - thereby generating a much higher return on
investment than other marketing mediums.
Maximum Impact, Minimal Cost
Recently Don Francesco, an Italian restaurant that had
implemented iSIGN's PAN marketing solution in one location was able
to identify over 154,000 mobile phones during a one month period,
belonging to consumers who were located within a 300-foot radius of
the restaurant.
The potential impact of this technology is tremendous; reaching
an additional hundred thousand consumers each month (who are
located in very close proximity of a specific location) will have a
significant impact on any restaurant's business. And unlike other
expensive and traditional advertising mediums that restaurateurs
have relied on in the past, iSIGN marketing technology is offered
for a low monthly fee of less than $150, no matter how many
messages or campaigns are broadcasted and received - so achieving a
significant increase in consumer interaction and engagement is well
within any restaurant's marketing budget.
Marketing through personal area networks offers a number of key
benefits for restaurants and hospitality businesses:
-- Wide Audience: The average North American spends nearly three hours a
day on their mobile phone. PAN marketing allows restaurants to leverage
the mobile channel as a way to connect with consumers in the palm of
their hands, anytime, anywhere.
-- Inexpensive: The cost to implement a PAN marketing campaign is one very
low flat fee per month, allowing restaurants of all sizes to optimize
the reach of their marketing messages (and thereby, their revenues!),
even with a limited budget. Both marketers and consumers avoid any
additional mobile carrier charges to deliver/receive marketing messages
via mobile phones.
-- Location, location, location: More often than not, convenience is a
factor when consumers are deciding where to dine. Because PAN marketing
targets consumers who are in close range of a dining location, it allows
restaurants to make the most of consumers who may happen to be walking
by, looking for a place to eat. A study conducted by IBM found that 72%
of consumers are more likely to take action after receiving a message
while "on location" compared with messages received off-site. This
location factor substantially increases the return on investment of a
restaurant's marketing dollars.
-- Develop useful business intelligence: As well as distributing messages
to consumers, PAN marketing technology collects valuable data about
consumers' behaviour and preferences, allowing restaurants to easily
adjust their campaigns and messaging as needed to generate even better
results. This information is also kept for future review and can be used
for measurement purposes to see the effectiveness of the campaigns that
are undertaken over time.
-- Steer clear of privacy issues: Marketers avoid privacy issues as PAN
marketing uses Bluetooth™ technology and does not involve consumers'
email or phone numbers.
In short, personal area network marketing allows restaurants to
quickly and effectively reach a wide range of potential first-time
guests without a significant marketing investment. And unlike other
marketing mediums, PAN marketing offers a high level of flexibility
and gathers valuable business intelligence to help shape future
campaigns for maximum effectiveness - directly impacting any
restaurant's bottom line.
To arrange an interview with Alex Romanov, CEO of iSIGN Media
about PAN marketing or Don Francesco to further discuss the results
that they were able to generate using iSIGN's technology, please
contact iSIGN's Director of Media Relations, Vanessa Horwell at
vanessa@thinkinkpr.com / 305.749.5342 ext. 232 or visit
www.isignmedia.com.
Personal Area Networks Marketing by the Numbers
The PAN marketing campaign undertaken by Don Francesco's offers
some very impressive stats:
-- Total number of customer's mobile devices discovered : More than 154,000
in one month
-- The average number of customers reached in one month: over 3,000
successful mobile device interactions
-- Increase in visitors during the month-long campaign: up to 193 redeeming
diners
-- Total cost to Don Francesco: $150/month averaging $1.28 per dining
customer or much less for parties of 2 or more.
About iSIGN Media
iSIGN is a leading developer of interactive advertising
solutions that deliver rich media, permission based messages, free
of charge to cell phones using Bluetooth® connectivity. The
Company's patent-pending advertising platform combines the
precision of direct marketing and the tracking potential of the Web
to deliver more cost effective and ROI-driven advertising than is
possible via print, radio and television. iSIGN is publicly traded
in Toronto (TSX.V) under the symbol "ISD". Additional information
about iSIGN Media can be found at www.isignmedia.com.
Contacts: Media Contact: ThinkInk Vanessa Horwell
+1.305.749.5342 ext. 232 vanessa@thinkinkpr.com
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