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Mella Media Takes Restaurant Chain Hyperlocal

by John Gaffney on Thursday, October 1, 2009
Mella Media Takes Restaurant Chain Hyperlocal

Another mobile hyperlocal ad campaign will be launched later this month as mobile agency Mella Media has announced an innovative effort with B.R. Guest and Loopt.

Guest owns 13 locations in Manhattan from the upscale Union Square eatery BlueWater Grill to Broadway’s RubyFoos. It is their first venture into mobile marketing and Mella Media partner Jordan Greene claims it is the industry’s first hyperlocal restaurant mobile campaign.

“The problem with a lot of mobile campaigns is that they exist for the uniqueness of being on the mobile platform,” says Greene. “We believe companies have to base their ad efforts from a business standpoint. They need to define the opportunity they’re trying to fulfill. In this case B.R. Guest wanted to pack people in and mobile was absolutely the best way to do it.”

Here’s how it works. Loopt’s business model is based on showing users where friends are located and what they are doing via detailed, interactive maps on their mobile phones. Users that have downloaded the Loopt mobile app will see B.R. Guest locations come up on their map, and if a friend is located near that restaurant, Mella is hoping they make the connection to check it out.

When a user gets to the screen three options will be presented: Call for reservation, visit restaurant website, and map. Greene says that the launch effort will be supported by a free dessert offer at all B.R. Guest locations. Launch date for the campaign will be announced next week.

Greene says Loopt and B.R. Guest were natural partners because their demographic (18-35) overlaps almost exactly. Greene expects that the hyperlocal restaurant model will be replicated by other cities with other chains. However he also expects that B.R. Guest will try to add to the features and functionality of the current campaign within New York.

“I think companies are very interested in geotargeting and this whole concept of social mapping,” he says. “There’s lots of opportunity available in this space.”

Tags: mobile marketing, restaurants, hyperlocal

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