TAMPA FLA. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
Bonefish Grill is the latest to put a twist on the use of music as a brand builder with the debut of “Bonefish Grill’s Notes From the Road,” a series of one-hour shows on Ovation TV featuring performances shot inside a branch of the Tampa based chain. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
The shows also give viewers a look at life on the road for musicians through behind-the-scene footage and conversations with the artists. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
Denny’s recently launched its Adopt-A-Band program on
Two years ago, Chili’s Grill & Bar found a way to break away from the traditional concert sponsorship by hosting rap-blues singer Yung Joc on
Episodes of Bonefish Grill’s program include performances by 3 Doors Down, Josh Kelley, Gavin DeGraw, Vanessa Carlton, The Bravery, Ben Folds, Jason Mraz and Matisyahu. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
Ovation TV has a national audience of 25 million households, according to the network. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
Starting in September, XM Radio will broadcast each episode on a variety of its music channels. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
Bonefish Grill is using the program to promote its responsible procurement of seafood by highlighting the ocean-conservation foundation Ocean Trust during each episode, said Rich Turer, the 150-unit chain’s vice president of marketing. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
As a separate initiative, Bonefish Grill will contribute $1 to the organization for each Ocean Trust Martini sold at its restaurants. Turer said the chain expects to raise $250,000 during the next 12 months. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
Bonefish Grill recently increased its marketing efforts, airing TV spots for the first time and running more print ads, and the next step was to find a sponsorship event to leverage music with cause-related marketing, Turer said. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
Music is a “huge point of differentiation” for the bar and lounge business in Bonefish Grill restaurants, he said, and the chain has been supporting Ocean Trust in its environmental efforts but not publicizing its support to a large degree. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
“We’ve done that quietly and we’re very proud of the work we do to be responsible in finding fresh fish to deliver to guests,” Turer said. “We really haven’t had an opportunity to talk about it externally.” —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
When it came to the production of “Notes From the Road,” the chain’s concern was that it couldn’t look like a commercial for Bonefish Grill. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
“If we had overdone it, most artists would have walked or balked,” Turer said. “We wanted to come out as a legitimate program.” —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
The show is designed to appeal to a younger demographic in “a credible way” and to older consumers who want to feel younger, Turer said. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
The younger demographic is “still a growth opportunity for us,” he said. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
Bonefish Grill is promoting “Notes” with a microsite and in-store material to acquaint consumers with the featured artists and Ocean Trust, Turer said. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
Many restaurant chains support causes, and 90.7 percent of respondents in last year’s PRWeek/Barkley Public Relations Cause Survey said it’s important for companies to contribute to charities and causes. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
Because “right now the whole green cause is huge,” Bonefish Grill’s support of an organization that promotes sustainable fisheries and the ocean environment is a smart marketing decision, said Peter Geisheker, president and chief executive of Geisheker Group marketing firm, based in Green Bay, Wis. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
“It’s the thing to do as long as they do a really good job of letting the customers and the media know that they are involved,” he said. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
The PRWeek/Barkley survey found that 72.4 percent of respondents purchased a particular brand because it supported a cause they believed in. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
On the other hand, consumers know when a company is insincere with its support and is promoting a cause only because others are doing it, Geisheker said. —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
“Consumers aren’t stupid,” he said. “They know if you’re being sincere or just trying to do this as a gimmick to make a buck.” —Music is an essential marketing tool for many restaurants, but a few chains have found a way to use it to engage consumers by going beyond in-store sales of CDs or additions of their brand names to long lists of musical-tour sponsors.
