Mobile marketing campaign designed to bring in the crowds.
Chili’s Grill & Bar has announced that it is providing mobile consumers with free food when they check-in to participating locations using their mobile devices.
The restaurant chain is using popular social networks such as Facebook Places and Foursquare to help to boost this interactive campaign. Diners who use their smartphones to check-in to the various Chili’s locations from now through the end of may will be offered a free appetizer. The fast casual chain of restaurants is currently present in 31 different countries, at approximately 1,500 locations.
According to the Chili’s marketing manager, Christopher Kopenec, “Chili’s strategy is about informing or reminding our guests that we have a social presence and that we understand and participate frequently in social media interaction.” He went on to explain that “It is also a convenience factor for digital-savvy guests who want to connect with our brand and take advantage of unique specials directly targeted toward mobile users.”
The restaurant company chose to take advantage of the marketing potential of mobile reward when it achieved over 1.5 million check-ins from diners using Facebook Places, as well as over another million who checked in using Foursquare.
The terms of the deal are that a group of at least three people must check in together at a participating Chili’s location. The offer for the free appetizer is good for a food item of $5 or less, and it can be redeemed by showing a Chili’s employee the mobile device with the check-in while they are at the restaurant location.
The purpose is to help Chili’s to spread the word about the promotion and to encourage others to learn about mobile check-ins and the opportunities that they provide.
For consumers who don’t have smartphones, Chili’s has also made it possible to print out a coupon that is available on its Facebook page, which can then be brought to a location and redeemed.
This isn’t the first mobile marketing campaign that Chili’s has implemented. In fact, it has already run a promotion this year, where it was advertising its mobile ordering feature. It has also tested the use of QR codes on their menus for helping to raise money through donations to charities.
