A Cincinnati restaurant chain struggled in a different city. This second city had a much smaller number of locations. After 20 years of flat to 2% growth, they asked us to rethink how they approached the other city.

 

Again, a new take on old research held the answer. Fast casual restaurants must be convenient for most customers. That meant the company’s traditional, broad-based advertising strategy (TV, billboard, print, radio) was a waste of money. We recommended micro-targeting within three miles of restaurants. That meant special offers and coupons to local businesses, schools and neighborhoods. It meant ads in high school sports programs, on neighborhood theater tickets and in movie previews, etc. While not sexy like TV commercials, it was effective. Performance in the other city leaped 20% in one year. Best performance ever.