Front-Door Marketing Proves Effective in Emerging Restaurant Business Upswing, Influencing Dining Choices by Engaging Customers at Home

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Citing a recent report from the National Restaurant Association (NRA), PowerDirect Marketing today announced increased focus on front-door marketing programs for its restaurant clientele. According to the NRA 2011 Restaurant Industry Forecast, restaurant industry sales are expected to reach a record $604 billion and post positive growth in 2011 after a three-year period of negative real sales growth. Whether launching a new menu item, promoting a signature dish, trying to reach a specific customer segment (e.g. Hispanics), or build traffic around a specific day or week part, front-door marketing is well-suited to help restaurant chains capitalize on renewed consumer foodservice spending.  PowerDirect's own customer base in QSR (quick serve restaurant), fast casual, family and casual dining categories has grown due to significant advances in geo-demographic and behavioral segmentation, creating specific guest profiles that enable the most effective front-door marketing.

"Establishments that engage, deliver value and reach potential diners at home – where they consider options and plan their time and budgets – have an advantage in a distinctly competitive restaurant marketplace. Due to its ability to quickly reach the right customer with the right offer, front-door marketing is highly strategic in introducing new stores, boosting frequency of dining visits, party size or value of average checks," said Barry Gilbert, VP marketing, PowerDirect. "As restaurants have become more and more innovative, developing creative pricing strategies, locations and food concepts, they are taking care to connect these strategies with the right audience. The competition demands it, and so do customers who care more than ever about price and value in family dining."

While many restaurant operators anticipate increased consumer spending in 2011, they are still acutely aware of new long-term attitudes toward being frugal. CIT Group's 2011 Outlook for the U.S. Restaurant Industry however points out consumers may be fatigued enough by ongoing financial stresses that they may be willing to allow some minor indulgences in family dining. Capturing the consumer's attention is essential to cornering these dollars, as well as maintaining a brand identity that is meaningful to the customer – expectations all met through effective targeting of front-door campaigns.

PowerDirect's thoughtful analysis enables development of target groups that consider not only the best prospects, but where they live and the likelihood that they will visit a particular restaurant chain.  PowerDirect's data modeling extends targeting resources by further identifying "look alike" prospects whose demographic or behavioral profiles mimic those of best-performing customers. These groups can be targeted in much smaller units, based on using "block groups" of about 400 households rather than entire zip codes, and include variables such as type of chain user, brand affinity, and usage occasion. Block groups can also be segmented according to visit frequency. In particular, heavy fast food users (known as "HFFU's") can be reached. Leading restaurants such as McDonald's, Wendy's and Denny's have leveraged this level of sophisticated data, along with high-quality physical media, eye-catching creative and an attractive offer.  Further, advanced mapping technologies enable detailed visualization of the delivery area, supported by GPS technology that verifies the when and where of delivery execution.  

PowerDirect's scientific approach has turned an underutilized tactic into a strategic channel that allows restaurant brands to bypass a crowded field of competitive messages and meet their best customers at the door.  This highly-targeted medium is being used in a wide range of industries to deliver compelling direct response offers and is, in some cases, exceeding an impressive 20 percent response rate.

About PowerDirect

PowerDirect offers technology-based front-door marketing services and strategies, developed to influence consumers through the uncluttered and highly-targeted environment of the front door.   Nationally or neighborhood by neighborhood – advertising, coupons, product samples and promotional messages are delivered directly to the right door at the right time. Innovated as 'The Science of Front-door Marketing™,' PowerDirect achieves measurable results for its major brand clientele through technology-based processes and proven direct response tools and methodologies.  PowerDirect's Fortune 500 brand and agency clients have access to relevant creative, precision targeting, superior execution, auditing, and verified delivery information.  For more information, call 877-737-8977 or visit www.powerdirect.net.  

SOURCE PowerDirect Marketing