As a restaurateur, is it possible to attract new customers through targeted advertising? If so, via which advertising platforms? We explain how you can use online advertising to make your restaurant known to a wider audience.
How do advertising platforms work? Does it really work? Information to boost your communication on advertising platforms, along with 5 examples of effective restaurant advertising (with a bonus at the very end!).
5 examples of restaurant advertising
To be effective, advertising messages must convey a clear, different message, trigger an emotion and target a specific clientele. We've selected 5 inspiring and creative restaurant advertising campaigns. Youtube video, Instagram posts, advertising poster, storytelling... Find out how they made the buzz!
1. KFC France and its creative commercial
Kantar has published the global rankings for the Creative Effectiveness Awards 2023, selecting from over 13,000 ads worldwide. KFC's French ad is the No. 1 winner in the Top 10 best TV ads, with the KFC Heritage commercial.
The ad breaks codes by copying the style of American rap/hip-hop clips. With the sound (Too Hot For You - Anna Kova & Soslo), the use of slow motions, the slices of cheese flowing as if they were banknotes... The audience is carried away by the music, which takes us through the ages, from the creation of the restaurant in the 50s, to the present day. KFC succeeds in its gamble with the following message: we've evolved with the times, and we're still a trendy brand.
2. Big Fernand or the art of storytelling
A change of universe with Big Fernand, who have really worked on their storytelling! With their "Big histoire", they prove that it's perfectly possible to make advertising by knowing how to handle words. Here, we learn how the project came about, what inspired the creation of the restaurant, who the founders are, and so on. All in a humorous, down-to-earth and relaxed tone! In just a few lines, they immerse us in the values and atmosphere of Big Fernand with their famous "hamburgés". It's a great success!
"Big Fernand is first and foremost a passion for French terroir.
It's 2012, on the Faubourg Poissonnière in Paris. At the back of a local restaurant, fragrant with the scent of fresh herbs and bread, a group of mustachioed men are busy sizzling meats as they revisit a dish known to all: the hamburger (renamed Hamburgé in Gallic parlance!).
What unites them? An unbounded passion for the richness of the French terroir, a highly offbeat spirit and an assertive franchouillard side.
Their challenge is to combine the quality of French gastronomy with the speed of fast food. A crazy bet, you may say! Not at all. Their Hamburgés seduce even the most reluctant and offer a second romance to die-hard burger lovers. "
👉 To find out more: Big Fernand's success story
3. Alfi, the Insta pros
Alfi, with its Insta account of 23.5K followers, is one of the hottest restaurants in Paris. Their Insta page perfectly reflects their universe, just like founder Albert's: a neon, pop decor and the perfect blend of Paris, New York and Tel Aviv, with magnificent photos of their delicious Alfi. Their communication is consistent and ultra-well polished, and we love it!
Facebook, Insta and Tik Tok are full of creative and innovative restaurant accounts, such as Alfi's. Don't hesitate to scroll endlessly for inspiration. Feel free to scroll endlessly for inspiration!
👉 Find out more: Alfi's success story
4. Point B and its giant poster
Point B, a fast-food chain, didn't hesitate to use the big guns. At the beginning of 2022, Point B created a buzz by putting up a giant poster at Porte de Saint-Ouen. The whole operation was of course filmed and posted on Youtube, to publicize the marketing action. The fast-food chain's aim is to compete with the industry leaders and climb to the top of the rankings (and the building!). For the record, the tarpaulin measures 665 m²! And that's just the beginning!
5. Burger King, always close to its customers
In 2020, Burger King signs an effective ad, making people laugh while talking about a serious subject: post-Covid health guidelines. It's a good example of how a restaurant's communication can be based on social issues, while proposing solutions. The aim is to show that we remain close to our customers and will always be there for them.
In the same style, in 2022, when gas prices were rising, Burger King had fun advertising on social networks: "Gas prices go up at the pump, Whopper prices go down at the Drive". Effective!
How to attract customers with targeted advertising?
Advertising platforms
To be as effective as possible, your advertisement must be broadcast on a range of channels: Google, Facebook, Tik Tok...
Google Ads
If you've missed it, Google Ads is the advertising network of the Google search engine. Quite simply, Google Ads is the world's most widely used program for launching advertising campaigns!
With Ads, companies can run advertising campaigns using a system of ads. These ads are then displayed on the Google results page (known as the SERP), according to the keywords typed in by Internet users.
Ads lets you manage your advertising campaigns in real time, according to your budget, your needs, in a localized geographic space, by device type or a clearly identified target audience. Yes, all at once!
With Google Ads, you can choose between two types of delivery for your ad:
- Search Ads
When you type a keyword into the Google search bar, you'll find Google Ads at the very top of the Google results page, with Sponsored indicated above. There are usually 4 sponsored links at the top of each search page.
Similarly, if you create a Google My Business listing for your restaurant (we highly recommend it!), you can also make your restaurant appear at the top of Google Maps searches. For example, if someone searches for "seafood restaurant paris" on Maps, the first results they see will be sponsored ads. You too can pay to have your ad at the very top of the results.
- Display Ads
These are all the ads (often banner ads) that appear on Google's partner sites. There are over 2 million partner sites worldwide! The advantage of the Display Ads network is that your ad appears on websites that reach a very wide audience. Ad formats are flexible: you can choose a GIF, text, video or image.
Facebook and Instagram
Meta Business Suite is a reference tool that allows you to manage all your marketing and advertising activities on Facebook and Instagram. With a single tool, you can manage all your restaurant's activities on Facebook and Instagram.
Meta gives you the opportunity toincrease the visibility of your restaurant or fast-food outlet, by boosting a publication or creating an advertisement placed on these two social networks, or on one of them, as you wish.
Whether on desktop or mobile, Meta Business Suite makes it easy to create or schedule publications, stories and advertisements for your restaurant, as well as benefiting from useful insights to gradually optimize your efforts.
👉 Going further: 11 Instagram post ideas for your restaurant
Tik Tok Ads Manager
The Tik Tok community is made up of 100 million users in Europe. It's a great opportunity to increase your restaurant's visibility!
All you need to do is create an advertising account on Tik Tok Ads Manager. The quick and easy way to share your products.
The benefits of Tik Tok Ads Manager?
- Intelligent targeting of potential customers;
- Flexible and adaptable budget;
- Numerous tools integrated into the application to create an effective ad and help you stand out from the competition.
Other platforms
The Fork, TripAdvisor... Get more online visibility by listing your restaurant on online reservation platforms. You can get a free personalized page that can be displayed on all devices to increase your online visibility.
A word of advice: Paid search (SEA) via advertising platforms offers many advantages, not least rapid traffic generation, but does come at a cost. We advise you to include it in your business plan, so that you can allocate the necessary budget for targeted advertising in your financing plan.
👉 To find out more: 7 steps to a restaurant business plan
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Bonus: Bagel Corner talks about its advertising campaign
Bagel Corner and the Hemblem platform share their feedback on how to run a successful advertising campaign as a restaurant professional.
The replay of the online meetup is available here!
