When you’re a regional QSR, getting to develop a creative commercial is fun. Getting the estimate…not so much.
First, there’s the shock of seeing the total cost. Then, there’s the shock of getting the 16-page estimate you asked to see with endless line items and terms you don’t understand—key grip, craft service, lens kit, etc. Do we need all that? (more…)
Yet POP is often treated as the red-headed stepchild in the media mix or really not even consider true “media.”
We all know that lunch and dinner transactions are down, and we need quick answers. Breakfast is certainly a bright spot as that daypart is growing. But everyone is headed there, so be prepared for a slugfest. And then there’s broadcast media. It’s always the first to appear in the sites as the possible culprit that needs retooling either in the creative or the placement. (more…)
Storytelling is one of the best ways, if not the best way, to communicate. But if you lay out all the elements of your current campaign, does it tell a story your target audience can easily follow, or is it a mish-mash of different story lines? (more…)
Most regional brands don’t have the store penetration in a given market to go toe-to-toe with the McGiants’ media budgets. And even if you focus your budget on a single medium to try to breakthrough, your pockets still aren’t deep enough. That’s when Guerrilla Marketing can make up the difference. There are 3 keys to developing good Guerrilla Marketing: (more…)
It’s simple. Hear me out.
As old school as it may sound, in QSR, TV is still your workhorse media to drive traffic to your stores. The problem is that it’s expensive, especially when trying to compete with the nationals. So the marketing staff invariably utters, “We can’t spend any money on the ad because we need as much money as possible to place the buy.” Sound familiar? The question to ask yourself is, “Enough money to place what?” To place an ad no one wants to watch? (more…)
We’ve all heard and read about Taco Bell’s breakfast launch, and if you’re a regional player, it’s safe to assume you don’t have the resources to duplicate an effort of this magnitude. However, some of the basic tactics can be effectively deployed. (more…)
If you’re like most regional QSRs, you spend hundreds of thousands, or perhaps millions, of dollars on point of purchase (POP). In terms of a sales team, that’s a pretty hefty investment. Here’s a 3-zone approach to your POP development that Coca Cola and POPAI (Point of Purchase Advertising International) use with success. (more…)
Any experience with social media and you know the importance of followers. Quality over quantity is the debate for a brand with a small following. This is true to an extent. You can segment your quality fans and followers—which is a challenge with the current functionality and regulations on all social media platforms. So, it’s a numbers game. The more fans or followers you have, the more quality you have within your quantity. (more…)
Typically, underachieving last year’s sales produces a state of panic. If you encounter this situation, analyze the promotions that have worked in the past so you can duplicate the results immediately!
But the problem is being unable to duplicate results from past promotions. Why is that? Well, two promotions appearing identical actually present major differences, normally going unnoticed in the duplicating process.
Here are 5 factors often overlooked or not reviewed as completely as they should when evaluating promotion performance: (more…)
As a regional QSR, you obviously don’t have the media budget to compete against the national chains that not only receive the economies of national network buys, but also supplement those national buys with spot market placement.
But here are 2 ways you can use 15-second bookends to help you.
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Slaying the McGiants 