Consumers Welcome and Prefer Offline Restaurant Marketing Offers Most
Multichannel
May 12, 2012 -- When it comes to receiving promotional communications from restaurants, consumers prefer, and act on, traditional marketing more than online channels, finds the National Restaurant Association (NRA) in a survey sponsored by LivingSocial. The May 2012 Social Media & Marketing in the Restaurant Industry study examined restaurants use of and preferences for various marketing channels and how consumers engage and respond to them.
Consumers Welcome Restaurants' Offline Marketing Efforts Over Online Efforts
Consumers were asked to what extent they would welcome various forms of marketing communications from restaurants. Four out of five adults (80%) said they welcome a restaurant coupon in a coupon booklet. Almost three-quarters (73%) welcome a brochure or menu from a restaurant sent in the mail. The same percentage welcomed an ad in a local paper (73%), followed by an ad on TV (68%).
The highest ranking digital channel was an email from the restaurant (67%). A social media post was the least popular among respondents, with just 39% welcoming this form of marketing communication.
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Consumers Who Would “Welcome Receiving” Various Restaurant Marketing Communications |
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| Restaurant coupon in a coupon booklet | 80% |
| Brochure or menu from a restaurant sent in the mail | 73% |
| Ad in local paper | 73% |
| Ad on TV | 68% |
| Email from restaurant | 67% |
| Restaurant's website | 61% |
| Email for a restaurant via a daily deal site (e.g., LivingSocial, Groupon) | 57% |
| Radio ad | 56% |
| Rewards program | 56% |
| Brochure or menu left on doorstep | 54% |
| Internet Ad | 53% |
| Social media post | 39% |
| Source: Social Media & Marketing in the Restaurant Industry, May 2012 | |
Consumers Say Restaurants' Offline Marketing Efforts Exceed in Effectiveness
Consumers were also asked to what extent they considered various marketing communications to be effective in terms of encouraging them “to consider going to or ordering from a restaurant.”
A majority of consumers (85%) indicated that a restaurant coupon in a coupon booklet would encourage them to consider going to a restaurant. Eighty percent said an email from a restaurant or a marketing piece sent in the mail would do the same. Internet ads, radio ads, and social media posts were deemed least effective in getting the consumer into the restaurant.
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Effectiveness of Various Marketing Communications in Terms of Encouraging (“Very Effective” or “Somewhat Effective”) |
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| Restaurant coupon in a coupon booklet | 85% |
| Email from restaurant | 80% |
| Brochure or menu from a restaurant sent in the mail | 80% |
| Brochure or menu left on doorstep | 75% |
| Ad on TV | 73% |
| Email for a restaurant via a daily deal site (e.g., LivingSocial, Groupon) | 71% |
| Ad in local paper | 70% |
| Restaurant's website | 68% |
| Rewards program | 66% |
| Internet ad | 61% |
| Radio ad | 61% |
| Social media post | 60% |
| Source: Social Media & Marketing in the Restaurant Industry, May 2012 | |
Restaurants' Communications Priorities Differ from Customer Preferences
The NRA report also included a survey of restaurant operators, and found that social media posts were the most commonly-used form of marketing communication (69%) in the past 6 months, despite them being the least welcome by respondents. And while consumers welcome coupons sent via coupon packs, just 58% had or restaurateurs participated in a coupon booklet, while 56% had emailed consumers and 53% had placed an ad in a local paper. In addition, though consumers appear to welcome brochures and menus sent in the mail, only about one-third of the operators surveyed said they had sent one in the past 6 months.
About: The NRA/LivingSocial data is based on 2 surveys. An online survey was fielded in February 2012 among a nationally representative sample of 1,064 adults living in private households in the United States. C+R Research fielded the survey from February 20-23, 2012. Consumers who qualified to take the survey were 18 years old or older and indicated they were involved with making decisions regarding restaurant decisions either solely or jointly with others. A separate survey was fielded in February to March 2012 among a nationwide sample of restaurant owners and operators. Survey Sampling International fielded the survey via telephone, and a total of 425 interviews were completed during the period February 21 to March 2, 2012. All restaurant operators who participated in the survey reported that they had marketed themselves to consumers in some way in the past six months.
Source: The National Restaurant Association, Social Media & Marketing in the Restaurant Industry study, accessed May 14, 2012.
