Here’s a nice little marketing/PR story in advance of Sunday’s big game:

Those of you who follow American football are aware that the New York Giants are playing the New England Patriots in this year’s Super Bowl. Even if you aren’t much of a sports fan you probably have heard of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

(Hint: He’s the guy you’ve seen standing next to Gisele wearing the Uggs.)

Not surprisingly, Upper East Side watering hole Brady’s (named after the owner) is also keenly aware of the best player on the team opposing its beloved Giants this weekend. And they’ve noticed his last name. In a rather ingenious marketing ploy, Brady’s decided to do something about the unfortunate coincidence.

Normally, the front of Brady’s looks like this:

But for the weekend of the Super Bowl, the bar is renaming itself in honor of Eli Manning, the Giants quarterback who will be opposing Tom Brady. For the next three days the bar will be known as Manning’s.

To complete the change, the bar gave itself a facelift on Friday:

It’s a neat piece of community engagement that seemed to resonate with the locals almost immediately. Quotes from this DNAinfo piece included:

“It’s amped up. I like it!”
“I think it’s hysterical. It’s great. It’s very smart and clever.”

Another nice boost is that Mayor Bloomberg was scheduled to make an appearance Friday to help with the unveiling.

But most important is that Brady’s made a point to connect with its neighborhood and make itself a topic of conversation leading up to a potentially lucrative weekend. With media outlets looking for reporting angles prior to the game, it was a move almost sure to grab the free publicity that goes along with TV/newspaper/internet attention.

]]> http://www.thebarblogger.com/nyc-bar-changes-name-for-super-bowl/feed/ 0 http://www.thebarblogger.com/a-twitter-miss-from-mcdonalds/ http://www.thebarblogger.com/a-twitter-miss-from-mcdonalds/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:15:16 +0000 ianmara http://www.thebarblogger.com/?p=3034

By now you’ve probably heard about the, um, difficulty the world’s biggest fast food brand had during a recent stab at targeting a new Twitter hashtag. We’re big proponents of bars and restaurants making use of hashtags whenever possible, but the recent McDonald’s fiasco illustrates that social media is done well only when it’s done right.

In case you missed the story, here’s a quick rundown. Last week McDonald’s unveiled a promoted hashtag it hoped would get Twitter users telling positive experiences at the restaurant. They called it #McDStories.

But instead of sharing warm and fuzzy memories of time spent enjoying Big Macs and McRibs, Twitter users began flooding the stream with negative tweets.

Everything from detailing the food’s nutrition shortcomings to recounting foreign objects customers found in hamburgers made their way into the stream. It also became a hub for jokesters to take their best shot at poking mean-spirited fun at the chain.

The headline for the Forbes.com story was “When A Hashtag Becomes A Bashtag.”

The situation got so bad so quickly that McDonald’s pulled the promotion from Twitter after just a few hours. “Within an hour, we saw that it wasn’t going as planned. It was negative enough that we set about a change of course,” said a representative of the company.

To McDonald’s credit, the chain got back on the horse almost immediately with another hashtag. But the damage had most certainly been done. A full media/internet cycle blasted the company with “they don’t get it” blow-back.

The issue here is that McDonald’s didn’t do a good enough job analyzing how its own brand is perceived by the general public. By asking for “stories,” they opened themselves up to the full spectrum of anecdote: positive and negative, real and fictitious.

And while the company said recently that only about 2 percent of McDonald’s tweets that day contained #McDStories, the negative publicity of those tweets was enough to drive the coverage in newspapers, blogs and in social media.

I was recently interviewed by Sean Finter, CEO of Barmetrix on the topic of successful social media campaigns.

Check out the quick video below for my top three tips:

It is looking like bar and restaurant owners in Ohio are having to make a decision between allowing guns in their business and losing a few paying customers.

Last summer the state passed a piece of gun legislation the Cleveland Plain Dealer called “one of broadest in the country.” Senate Bill 17 made carrying firearms into any so-called “Class D” establishment legal. The Class D list includes includes bars, restaurants, nightclubs and shopping malls.

The law allows those with conceal carry licenses to possess firearms but not to consume alcoholic beverages or be drunk. Violation of the provision is a felony and results in revocation of the conceal carry license.

It also is illegal to carry a firearm into any establishment that posts a sign saying it does not want guns on its premises. Which is where this story begins.

Reaction to the bill was mixed, with both the state’s law enforcement community and restaurant associations opposed to its passage. Initially several hundred businesses posted the ‘no guns’ signs.

A recent article by the Columbus Dispatch updated the number of restaurants and bars that do not want firearms in their establishments. According to advocacy group Ohioans for Concealed Carry (OFCC), 300 restaurants and bars in the Columbus area alone have posted the signs.

“We just want people feeling comfortable bringing their families here,” said a Columbus-area GM quoted in the story. “A restaurant with alcohol in it is just not the place for guns.”

The OFCC has put together a database of businesses which have posted the signs. It says the list is not a boycott, but rather to help its conceal carry members know precisely where possession of a firearm is illegal.

With that said, on its website the OFCC sells “No Guns = No Money” cards for members to hand out. And a few people associated with OFCC were quoted in the Dispatch story as saying they may not patronize a business that does not allow conceal carry weapons.

“It really irritated me, and now I’m eating at (a restaurant) across the street. I feel like they have said they personally don’t want my business,” said a local gun owner.

It would seem unlikely that the amount of business lost to those who feel passionately enough about the issue to boycott would do much damage to a bottom line. But it is a shame that owners and GMs are being put in the position of weighing something which makes them uncomfortable and losing customers.

What do you think?

]]> http://www.thebarblogger.com/will-saying-no-to-guns-mean-lost-business-for-ohio-restaurants/feed/ 2 http://www.thebarblogger.com/webinar-10-ways-to-attract-influence-new-customers-in-2012-using-social-media/ http://www.thebarblogger.com/webinar-10-ways-to-attract-influence-new-customers-in-2012-using-social-media/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:39:09 +0000 barblog http://www.thebarblogger.com/?p=3011

Date: Tuesday January 31st at 2pm EST, 7pm UK/Ireland

Duration: 1 hour approx.

Registration Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/414312784

Location: Online

Cost: Free

__________________________________________________________________

If there’s one thing we all want in our businesses, it’s more customers. Bars, Restaurants, Cafes, Hotels and Catering Companies will all clamor for more customers in 2012 and will spend vast sums of money in their efforts to fill those seats.

I understand, yet 1000s of businesses will close their doors this year unable to keep up with increased competition, higher rents, lower customer numbers, less disposable incomes, more choice than ever for customers and less return on advertising dollars than ever before.

In fact, only 14% of consumers now trust traditional forms of advertising such as TV, Radio, Newspapers and Magazines when it comes to making a dining decision or trying a new establishment.

So what influences customers and what makes them take action? Customers still dine out, still try new restaurants and bars and still spend their disposable income outside of the home.

Research shows us that 78% of us now make our purchasing decisions based on peer recommendations. That is the opinions and feedback of friends, coworkers and relatives. And where do we get this information from them? Where do they share this information? Increasingly its on Social Media.

So with this in mind, it makes sense to focus our efforts on attracting more customers through these channels. More customers who leave reviews, become our fans, take pictures, tweet about an experience, invite their friends to do the same, constantly influencing their circle of contacts while helping us reduce our advertising costs.

In this webinar, we are going to detail 10 ways you can use social media tools like Facebook, Twitter & Review Sites in 2012 to attract and influence new customers.

Barry Chandler, founder of Interactive Hospitality and best knows The Bar Blogger will showcase how bars and restaurants are successfully using social tools to grow an online following and a customer base that turns up at the door with their cash in their hands.

He will look at what platforms you should be set up on based on where your customers are, what content they want to see, what makes customers take action, how local businesses can help you, and how doing so can change how your business attracts and keeps customers that continue to influence their friends long after they first dine with you.

There has never been a more important time to understand what this staggering growth in social media means to our bars and restaurants. Never has there been a more important time to understand how to leverage this potential and start filling seats today.

Only those registered live for this event will be able to ask questions directly to Barry as well as be the first to learn about his new coaching program that will be opened up to 10 businesses for less than the price of a cup of coffee every day.

You won’t want to miss this live event. If you take away one idea that gives you the edge over your competitors or helps you attract even a single new customer it will be an hour well spent.

Don’t take my word for it, have a look at what some of our past webinar attendees had to say:

“This was a great webinar as it shed light on several ways to execute on social media. It helps a small pub like ours find ways to target specific markets, people, etc. Thank you and keep up the great work.” -Caven Boggess

“I work for a food distributor and work directly with customers who are always asking questions in regards to social media…this is by far the BEST information I’ve received. It has been very great in directly relating to bars and restaurants. Thank you! I will be following you in the future!” -Becky Fleming

“I am so happy that I clicked on your ad to listen to this webinar. It has been so helpful. Very nice webinar. Will keep in touch for sure. I will now customize my FB page, unlink my twitter with my FB and always create more engaging posts and some new promotion ideas. Thank you.” -Carolyn Sullivan

“It answers a lot of questions about why I’m not getting sales from Facebook.” -Brenda Flinn

“In the planning stages so this was VERY helpful and informative. Thank you!!!” -Susanna McCarthy

“You gave us some great ideas. Thanks Barry.” -Bryan Hofmann

“Great seminar Barry! I really enjoyed it because of all the tips that you had for promotions, exactly how to carry out the promotions, and the fun tools that you use to get the job done!” -Lori Rubenstein

“Thanks Barry. The way you use facebook is fantastic. I particularly found the examples useful.” -Ian Allan

More feedback here

__________________________________________________________________

Date: Tuesday January 31st at 2pm EST, 7pm UK/Ireland

Duration: 1 hour approx.

Registration Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/414312784

Location: Online

Cost: Free

Here’s a story to keep in mind the next time you’re deciding how important it is to chase after a customer you think has stolen something from the bar.

Back in December the 62-year old owner of Lincoln Karaoke – “Chicago’s premiere Private-Room karaoke” (duh) – followed outside a patron he believed had walked off with one of the microphones. The customer proceeded to get into his BMW and drive into the older gentleman (presumably the owner was standing in front of the car, though reports aren’t clear on logistics), sending him onto the hood.

That’s when things got crazy.

According to police reports the owner of Lincoln Karaoke held onto the hood of the BMW, T-1000-style, for “about half a block.” The driver stopped the car, sending the man flying onto the pavement. At this point the driver tossed $150 in cash down at the owner before “urging him not to contact the police.”

Last week the bar owner was finally able to ID the microphone-thief and on Jan. 12 he was arrested on a felony count of aggravated battery.

(ChicagoTribune)

The appropriately-named Boners BBQ recently conducted a clinic on the worst possible way to handle social media as part of a bar or restaurant’s advertising/marketing efforts.

When owner Andrew Capron discovered customer Stephanie Stuck had left a less-than-positive review of his establishment on Yelp – Stuck called the food “tepid,” the flavors “odd to bland” and the atmosphere “a bit lackluster” – he responded by going on his restaurant’s Facebook page and unleashing an obscenity-riddled tirade.

Capron posted a picture of Stuck he found on her Facebook page and advised other restaurant owners that if they find her in their establishment they should “tell her to go outside and play hide and go f$#% yourself.” He also called her a name that rhymes with stitch.

Not surprisingly to those of us who know a little something about social media, the response blew up in the face of both Capron and his BBQ joint.

Initially Capron faced a backlash of fans who did not agree with the tactic of calling out Suck so publicly. Boners took the post down by the end of the day. But that didn’t stop word of Capron’s behavior from making its way across multiple social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.

Capron ended up issuing a Facebook apology that included the offer of a free meal. But that didn’t stop the story from going viral, drawing negative publicity from outlets ranging from ABCNews.com to Huffington Post to the New York Daily News.

Stuck told her story to all manner of media and in almost every instance the restaurant came across looking like a mean-spirited bully. Emotional and ill-advised as it was, Capron’s response to negative feedback further illustrates a point about social media we’ve been making in this space for some time.

Had Boners jumped on Yelp and/or Facebook and sounded genuinely concerned one of its customers wasn’t completely satisfied, public sentiment would have swayed towards the restaurant. Even those who might have been swayed by Stuck’s assessment would have been impressed that Boners cared so much about every person who walked through its doors – even the ones who make their displeasure public.

Not only did Boners fail the cardinal rule by not taking advantage of an opportunity, but it doubled down by creating a situation that didn’t need to exist: Bad review on Yelp (deserved or not) = bad. National news story where your establishment comes off looking evil = worse.

This is the first in a new video series where we take a close look at the social media efforts of a bar or restaurant. First up is City Tavern in Ft. Myers. Enjoy!

If you have questions for Barry you can contact him at barry@thebarblogger.com. More information can be found at Interactive Hospitality’s website.

For those of you who think you’ve dropped a lot of cash on a bar tab in your day, we direct you to this receipt from the exclusive Cavalli Club in Dubai that made its way around Twitter last week. It’s from a Jan.2 birthday party at the nightclub that resulted in a final bill of 387,988 dirham, or $105,431.

For those scoring at home, the bill lists 16 bottles of Cristal champagne of various sizes, including a 6L entry that goes for $34,036.75 all by itself. Almost $80,000 was spent on bubbly alone.

Gulfnews.com called the party “generous.” Uh, yeah.

]]> http://www.thebarblogger.com/behold-the-100000-bar-tab/feed/ 1 http://www.thebarblogger.com/how-does-a-natural-disaster-impact-the-food-industry/ http://www.thebarblogger.com/how-does-a-natural-disaster-impact-the-food-industry/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:56:36 +0000 ianmara http://www.thebarblogger.com/?p=2922

The immediate concern with a catastrophic event like a nuclear meltdown is going to be loss of life and damage to critical infrastructure. Soon after, however, issues such as long-term access to safe food takes center stage.

Gourmet took a look at the situation in Japan following the March meltdown and subsequent radiation leak at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The disaster was the world’s worst since Chernobyl, contaminating a 900-mile area around the plant.

The article details some rather devastating estimates as to the total cost to food production in the region of Japan closest to the plant:

-$5.15 billion in losses of unusable farmland
-$180 million in destroyed crops and livestock
-$740 million in damage to the farm fishing industry

A Japanese food expert is quoted in the story as saying it’s still too early to know the full extent of the damage or any fundamental change to the way the Japanese will approach food production.

A possibility is that the country will begin to explore greater use of “organic and sustainable farming.”

(Gourmet)