As restaurant chains increase their efforts to target 18- to 34-year-olds, they’re quickly finding the best place to reach them is where they spend much of their time: on the phone.
The latest chains to launch mobile or interactive campaigns are Buffalo Wild Wings, which launched “Wild Messages” to promote its long-running Wing Tuesdays, and McDonald’s restaurants in Utah and parts of Nevada and Wyoming, which offer mobile coupons for free iced coffee.
In the past, such chains as Hardee’s, Denny’s, McDonald’s, Starbucks Coffee, Krystal, Wienerschnitzel and Bennigan’s Grill & Tavern used mobile coupons and text messages to make special offers available through cell phones.
Two studies released in March support efforts by marketers to reach consumers through interactive initiatives. A Nielsen Co. study reported that 51 percent of mobile-phone subscribers who saw a mobile ad during the last 30 days responded to it. A report by the PeopleMetrics market-research firm said that brands with strong customer engagement have loyal, repeat customers who promote the brand to others.
That’s the goal of the 500-unit Buffalo Wild Wings, which is using “Wild Messages” to encourage customers to invite friends to the restaurant through customized phone messages.
The chain’s website contains a section where customers submit the names of their friends and their phone numbers and e-mail addresses. They choose a time for dinner and pick one of three characters—space alien, “worldly” Frenchman and blonde twins—who send a customized invitation either by voice mail or e-mail.
Customers also can phone a special number and pick a character to deliver the invitation.
“We’re always looking for ways to increase interaction to enhance our overall appeal as a place to meet,” said Kathy Benning, senior vice president of marketing and brand development for the Minneapolis-based chain.
The best way to reach the target audience is through voice mail and e-mail because “they completely rely on technology to communicate,” she said.
Atlanta-based 22 Squared created the campaign, which Buffalo Wild Wings first used in January to promote Boneless Thursdays. During the first two weeks of the current campaign, the number of invitations was 68 percent higher than it was for the Boneless promotion, Benning said.
“What that says to us is our guests are hungry for us,” she said.
Benning has noticed a sales spike on Tuesdays since the promotion started. All wings are 35 cents to 40 cents on Wing Tuesdays.
Benning said the campaign fits in with the chain’s strategy of “layering” the different media it uses to reach consumers. National advertising is “very important” in building brand awareness, but the “Wild Messages” campaign is specifically designed to drive customer traffic, she said.
Chain executives will look at how well it did after the campaign ends May 1, but Benning already is enthusiastic about launching similar campaigns in the future.
“I can’t see us getting away from this,” she said.
McDonald’s restaurants in Utah, western Wyoming and eastern Nevada began testing a mobile-coupon campaign for the first time on March 31 to supplement marketing of the chain’s iced coffee, which McDonald’s Corp. began rolling out systemwide last year.
“The way technology is changing, we want to make sure we can reach out to young adults 18 to 34 who are our customers,” said Paul Barrera, marketing manager for McDonald’s Rocky Mountain region.
The promotion, which will run through April 27, involves 113 McDonald’s restaurants, which partnered with mobile-coupon provider Cellfire, based in San Jose, Calif.
Consumers who download Cellfire to their mobile phones will receive a coupon for free iced coffee and future promotional offers. To participate, consumers either can access Cellfire at
The coupons are automatically uploaded to their phones. Consumers receive a unique redemption code, which they show at the counter to receive their free coffee.
Other regional McDonald’s restaurants have tested mobile coupons. In late 2005, more than 600 McDonald’s units in Southern California offered mobile coupons for free McFlurry desserts. McDonald’s restaurants in Washington, Oregon, and Oklahoma also have tested mobile coupons.
The mobile campaign for the Rocky Mountain region is designed to generate trial and awareness, but it’s a supplement to product sampling and a direct-mail campaign, Barrera said.
The restaurants essentially wanted to learn whether a mobile campaign was an effective way to reach the target audience, he said.
“If it does work well, we would probably use it again and maybe expand it a little more,” Barrera said.