Consumer Marketing Roundup: March 26, 2019

Delivery: Papa John's Expands Delivery to 1,400 Restaurants with DoorDash

In the debate over whether a brand should provide its own delivery service or go with a third party, Papa John's has chosen both. The recently beleaguered pizza giant has chosen to add delivery service to 1,400 more restaurants nationwide through a partnership with DoorDash. CEO Steve Ritchie dropped a hint about this last August in an earnings call, saying, "There are still many customers in outlying rural areas, even some suburban developments who live outside of our delivery zones." The #3 pizza maker had more than 5,300 locations worldwide at the end of 2018.

Delivery: Kroger Expands Autonomous Vehicle Delivery Service to Houston

Everybody's doing it - and with supermarkets getting into the game, it can't be good for franchised restaurant brands. Kroger will be using self-driving robotic vehicles from a company called Nuro, which recently received a $940 million investment from Softbank. Kroger will charge a $6 flat fee with no minimum order. The pilot program in Arizona "confirmed the flexibility and benefits provided by autonomous vehicles and how much customers are open to more innovative solutions," said Yael Cosset, Kroger's chief digital officer.

Coffee Wars: Burger King Offers $5 Monthly Subscription for a Coffee a Day

There's no telling how long it will last, but Burger King is betting on its BK Café Coffee subscription rollout to compete with the likes of McDonald's, Dunkin', and Starbucks. For $5, at least for now, subscribers can get a small coffee every day for a month. The deal is available only through the BK app. The goals seem to be 1) bringing in customers, 2) upselling them to buy food and other beverages, and 3) getting more people to download the app. BK also is lowering the price of a small cup of coffee to 50 cents, according to an article in Nation's Restaurant News.

Clicks for Cash: Progressive Insurance's Cash for Clicks Sweepstakes

Wouldn't it be great to be paid for being a consumer - or at least playing one online? Last month, from February 18-22, Progressive Insurance launched a banner ad campaign called "Clickbacks." Under the short-lived promotion, Progressive offered $668 to 50 randomly selected people from among those who clicked on the banner ad. Interested in running a similar campaign? Learn more here.

Clicks for Eyeballs: Google Play Will Reward Users for Watching Ads

Google is courting developers to build an in-app program for Google Play that will reward users for watching video ads. According to an article in MediaPost, "Rewards Products, an in-game currency or bonuses platform, enables developers to build in a feature that allows those using their app to earn money for each ad viewed." When complete, according to the article, ad viewers are rewarded with virtual goods or in-game currency, and earnings must exceed $100 before any payment can be redeemed.

Research: How Restaurant Marketers Can Do Better in the Digital Age

New research on how restaurants are using data in their digital marketing sheds light on how well restaurants know their current customers and uncovers areas where they can improve. And, of course, there are lessons aplenty here for non-restaurateurs. The 25-page downloadable PDF from Informa Engage, Nation's Restaurant News, and Epsilon-Conversant contains the following key findings:

• Identifying and understanding customers is top-of-mind for restaurant operators.
• Operators know they have more work to do to integrate CRM data with marketing strategy.
• Operators recognize the importance of personalization but are only adept at base-level techniques.
• Increasing sales and visits is top-of-mind, but operators are not connecting through all the possible channels.
• Operators lean on owned channels with digital marketing.
• Operators are measuring the results of their marketing efforts but need assistance in connecting online actions to offline sales.
• Many restaurants have loyalty programs, but few consider their efforts effective.

According to the researchers, there are several key areas where operators can increase their bottom line through improved, more strategic digital marketing. These include:

1. Attaining a unified view of each customer across online and offline interactions.
2. Being able to activate this unified customer view through a true omnichannel approach.
3. Gaining a deeper understanding of specific marketing outcomes.