The Force 5 Connection

Have you made restaurant reservations online?

Come on, using a landline phone to make restaurant reservations is so 20th Century! These days, more and more consumers expect to engage with restaurants online and through mobile devices. Are you one of them? Restaurant operators who don’t build up their online presence and brand loyalty are missing an opportunity to generate higher sales. Even outlets that have not traditionally advertised are finding new business coming from social media efforts.

There’s a great little restaurant in Indianapolis that tweets almost every day what their specials are for the day, and sometimes give their followers a little spiff for mentioning the tweet.

More and more restaurants are looking into social media for marketing, as they find their consumers are looking for that outlet.

The new Social Media and Technology in the U.S. Foodservice Industry: Trends and Opportunities for an Emerging Market report by Packaged Facts explains that everything has changed in the food service industry. Don Monturori, publisher of Packaged Facts says, “We believe the restaurant industry is in the midst of being shaped by the convergence of the mobile, yet always connected, consumer; location-based and context-aware technological innovation, and mobile payments, which already demonstrate the potential to redefine how to cultivate restaurant guest loyalty, incentivize dining occasions, and better tailor marketing messages.” As proof of this new trend, consider these facts:

* Almost 1/3rd (31%) of consumers who frequent restaurants for eat-in or take-out meals use their computers to place orders.
* About 1/5th (21%) of consumers use mobile phones or other devices to place restaurant orders.

Facebook and Twitter are the leading social media outlets for restaurant operators to conquer. Packaged Facts analysts point out that food service operators should focus on location-based promotions this year as active Facebook users are ‘frequently on the go’

And these social media tools aren’t just being used by traditional restaurants. One of this year’s most interesting trends for urban markets is the growing number of food trucks that serve unique and ethnic fare. “We’ll be at the corner of Main and Hudson in 15 minutes!” Many lower-cost outlets (like our restaurant in Indy) are turning to Twitter to promote themselves.

As the restaurant industry battles to regain the losses suffered during the recession, most operators will be turning to lower-cost forms of promotions. For many, social media seems to fit the bill.

Where are you on the restaurant mobile scale? Have you made reservations or ordered take out on-line?

[Source: Facebook, Twitter and Smartphones Lead Social Media-Fueled Innovation within U.S. Foodservice. PackagedFacts.com. 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2011]

I was listening to NPR last week, and they were discussing “fractured culture”. The premise is that today we live in a world of infinite choices. Most homes have the choice of hundreds of channels, and within those channels are documentaries, cartoons, drama, reality, and talent shows. On the computer you can surf millions of websites, video games, listen to hundreds of radio channels and watch even more thousands of videos.

And then there’s social media-giving us a voice, a platform, and an audience.

All of this technology has given us so many different forms of expression, and entire communities have formed around a genre, a show, a new idea. Americans now live in a culture of multiple communities and cultures no longer broken down by geography, ethnicity, religion or age.

It’s a fractured culture. We don’t have the water cooler moments any longer-at least not as many. When the “Cosby Show” was number 1 (for 4 seasons in a row…), it garnered 23 to 28 million viewers every week. “Seinfeld” was the water cooler topic of discussion. “Did you see Kramer?….funny!” Now, the top TV show gets 11 million viewers. Sure, there are exceptions, as seen by the premieres and final shows (and the Super Bowl….!!) of a few shows like American Idol.—but the examples are few.

I think from a community building effort-our fractured culture is a good thing. Wonderful musical artists can be found and followed-even if they are never on the radio. Fine artists and photographers can have followings. People can find causes close to their heart, and be active in them. It’s a good time to be alive and wanting to find that voice-that community you want to be in. Rather than a homogeneous group, our communities are broken into a million beautiful pieces. I think that’s a good thing…

From an advertising and marketing standpoint-it’s a little more difficult to navigate these waters. Mass advertising on the most popular TV show simply doesn’t give you the audience penetration you’re looking for. But on the flip side, you can find your audience-just the right mix of consumer or client you’re looking for—and market to them directly. It just takes a little more time, research and effort.

Here at Force 5, we are all about building communities-whether that community is a group of satisfied customers, passionate employees, or a new market or membership. Our Fractured cultures give us opportunity and, quite frankly pause. We work hard and strive to find the right way to say the right thing to the right audience. We work to become strategic partners with our clients to find those ways to communicate effectively.

What do you think about Fractured Cultures? We’d love to hear your opinion.