Hooters of the Gulf Coast (FL/AL) SMS Case Study

May 2011--Destin Florida.  Homestar Restaurant Group, dba Hooters, added SMS marketing through the services of Spider Media.  With failed SMS campaign efforts in the past, it was important to select a local provider that would offer the service and expertise to design and execute a successful campaign.
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GOAL- To build a database of customers to contact with specials, events, and promotions in an inexpensive, efficient, and effective manor.

DURATION-  A 30 day campaign, which offers incentive for customers to join a text club.

COMMON SHORT CODE AND KEYWORDS USED- Used the exclusive shortcode of Spider Media (87804) and specific keywords to identify each of the Hooters 11 locations on the Gulf Coast of Alabama and Florida, this was a strategy that was used to keep the data segmented and useful for each individual location based on specific need.

KEYS TO SUCCESS-  "It is very important that the entire organization buy into what we are trying to accomplish with this text marketing campaign- from the owners to the Hooters Girls..." said Mike Daopoulos, Partner at Spider Media.  He went on to say that incentives and internal competition will increase the results of the data gathering phase of the campaign.  "Make it fun, and you will see results!"

RESULTS- In the first week, Hooters was able to build a database of 1,494 subscribers to the text club. After 30 days- 4,401 and still growing.  In addition, with the activation campaign, Hooters is offering an incentive to come back to the restaurant within 7 days of subscription.  Based on the number of redemption's and sales as a result of this initial campaign, Hooters has seen a Return on Investment of over 150%, which included set up fees, and marketing and incentive costs.  60 day ROI is expected to exceed 400%, assuming data figures and redemption rates remain constant.

WHAT NEXT- Based on the success of the initial launch, Hooters plans to continue gathering data through the incentive campaign for another 30 days.  Use the data to increase business through the summer season, and consult with Spider Media for additional campaign ideas in the Fall of 2011.

EXECUTIVE'S NAME, TITLE, AND COMPANY FOR RESPONSE ATTRIBUTION- Stuart Houston, Owner Homestar Restaurant Group dba Hooters.
"The SMS campaign was a natural fit for our organization.  We want our Hooters Girls and Managers to interact with the customers and this campaign is a fun and effective way to accomplish that goal.  In addition, with this extensive database of customers, at the push of a button--we can effectively communicate to our customers with the events and specials that they want to receive from Hooters."

---For more info about this case study and the services of Spider Media contact Mike Daopoulos at miked@spidermobilemarketing.com.