Working for a London-based agency, there is a real danger of falling into the trap of thinking that everyone is like you. For many of our clients in the restaurant industry, particularly those in cities, vouchers are purely about the number of covers and how many people you get through the door.
But this doesn’t apply to all sectors of the market, or to all geographical areas. For many people, vouchers aren’t just a way of deciding where they’ll eat for lunch. Instead, they offer an opportunity to access an alternative lifestyle through a higher class of dining experience than they would otherwise consider.
If restaurant chains can achieve this, then they may be able to change eating habits – demonstrating why the dining experience they offer is both better and more valuable than the consumer’s current choices.
The key phrase to consider is ‘brand integrity’. As I discussed last week in ‘Vouchers: Short-term fix or long-term strategy‘, saturating the market with vouchers damages a brand’s reputation within its target markets and lowers your standing with your regular customers.
However, offering discounts to people that wouldn’t normally choose your restaurants can achieve the same objectives in number of covers without damaging the brand in the long-term. In fact, if you can get the targeting right, the campaign may actually strengthen the brand.
This route doesn’t just apply to mainstream restaurant chains. If restaurant groups have a high-end or exclusive brand amongst their portfolio, competitions to win dining opportunities at the marquee brand, which can only be won by eating at other properties, provide an opportunity to drive traffic that not only maintains the brand’s integrity, it enhances it.
The fundamental difference between this type of new customer and somebody driven into a restaurant purely on price is the length of time they take to make a decision. When somebody is making a decision purely on price, then brands are being associated with discounts. If you can use vouchers as a device to make customers consider the lifestyle they’d like to have, then you have an opportunity to present much more complex messages, and have a longer lasting and more positive impact on your brand.
It’s easy to see vouchers as a weapon in an ongoing war for customers and revenue. But if you look at the bigger picture, you have the opportunity to engage a new customer base, maintain brand integrity and increase your profits.
Mack Camera (www.mackcam.com) has developed a program using instant film to create a photo of the customer with the restaurant logo placed on the image. The image becomes a “discount coupon” that encourages the customer to return to the restaurant to receive a small ‘dollars off’ reward and to engage, again, in more great food and FUN through the use of instant imaging. The image co-brands the Restaurant with their customer using this easy-to-use, inexpensive “photo coupon”.
Please contact Sam Peacock (swp54us@yahoo.com) for more information.