Restaurant Advertising: Are You At Risk Of Saying The Right Things The Wrong Way?
Mark Twain once said,
Advertisements contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper.
I don’t know what Mark Twain was referring to back then, but I do know what he said, or wrote, makes a lot of sense these days, especially in the foodservice industry. restaurant public relations is a critical formula to success, even more so than restaurant advertising.
Restaurant public relations is telling your restaurant’s story through third-party organizations, primarily the media. People believe what they see on TV, hear on the radio, or read in the paper or magazine. On the other hand people are less trusting of what they see in straight up restaurant advertisements.
Most restaurant advertising campaigns are too systematic, almost too mechanical, and lacking that human touch. A campaign may reach its target audience with enough frequency, but still doesn’t do anything to increase sales of a product or service. Restaurant public relations does things differently. Instead it touches on the credentials of the medium and quality of the ad placement to generate impact.
Here are three good reasons why you should focus on restaurant public relations rather than restaurant advertising.
1. Restaurant advertising is intrusive
I once read a book by the famous writer Haruki Murakami. Murakami is a Japanese novelist and an avid long-distance runner. He makes it a point as a runner to participate in at least one triathlon every year. But one time, while he was training for the New York Marathon, he exerted himself too hard and was forced out of the competition. He said that experience taught him a very important lesson in running.
Same goes for advertising. Restaurant advertising is counter-productive. The harder the sell, the harder the intrusion resists the sales message. But restaurant public relations, it produces hard results by presenting the sales message through a more credible third-party outlet.
2. Restaurant advertising is hard on the wallet
People have the impression that the higher the price, the greater the value of something, including product advertisements. Would you rather get a free 30-sec ad on TV or a feature article on Fortune or Forbes magazine?
History shows people enjoyed the Pets.com sock puppet ad very much. But even so, it didn’t move people enough to buy the products online. Another example. The Joe Isuzu ad was hilarious, but again it wasn’t funny enough to cause a stampede at Isuzu dealerships.
The most successful businesses—or product brands, for that matter—are built on long-term restaurant public relations, not on short-term restaurant advertising gimmicks.
3. Restaurant advertising is short-lived
A restaurant advertisement is much like a butterfly – its lifespan is short-lived. Same is true for your restaurant business if you don’t watch how much you spend on those advertisements.
Restaurant public relations doesn’t work that way. For example, a well-placed article or story can do a lot for your business over an extended period of time. The critical step is to publish a story in one publication, and then move it up the ladder or transfer it to either radio or TV, if you can afford it. This process works both ways, too. For instance, you can publish a story on a premiere restaurant magazine and later have it appear in smaller publications.
I’m not saying restaurant advertising isn’t worth anything. Fact is a combination of short- and long-term campaigns is still the best way to reach out to new and old customers. If your restaurant advertising efforts isn’t doing you any favors, consider allocating 20% to 30% of your promotional budget to public relations campaign.
You won’t be disappointed.