Operators are making better use of Web-based technology to reach customers.

Customizing information: Meanwhile, AVI Food Systems in Warren, Ohio, is testing one-on-one customized messaging with real-time communication of targeted messages to student laptops, PDAs and computers, says Dawn Perry, vice president of marketing. “We’re working on integration with Windows Vista software based on live feeds,” says Perry. “This generation is about customization or personalization just for them.”

At Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, AVI is tailoring food items to individual students’ tastes, and Perry says the operation has seen “a significant increase in sales.”

This fall at the University of California at Berkeley, Kim LaPean, marketing coordinator for CalDining, will be putting LCD screens at main retail locations “for quick marketing blurbs, similar to the Jet Blue mini-advertising before takeoff.” The screens will be placed where students wait in line and will have “short, relevant, fun, frequently updated” messages. “We’ll be working on some podcasting later this year,” LaPean adds.

At Virginia Tech University, Marketing & Communications Manager Katie Younger Gehrt implemented an interactive kiosk in a dining center as a way to give students nutrition information. It connects to the department’s Web site so users can access daily menus and calculate caloric intake. A Web page on the site will be updated to include both podcasts and video clips “as a way to quickly convey information in an engaging way.”

http://www.fsdmag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=74749

Restaurants Connect With Diners thru Online Videos

Denver-based restaurant chains coax consumers with video contests

Good Times’ version is the “My-Beef’s- All-Natural Product Placement Film Festival.” Consumers have been asked to use a life-size cardboard Good Times mascot in their video clips, which are posted on the burger chain’s website.

The contest has generated about 30 videos since mid-October. Consumers have picked up more than 2,000 of the free “Mr. All-Natural- Beef-Man” cutouts from Good Times’ 50 outlets in Colorado, North Dakota, Idaho and Wyoming.

The Golden-based company says its goal is to generate more late-night traffic from the age group known as millennials.

“We wanted to get them to participate more in the brand and to connect with them in an emotional way,” said Boyd Hoback, president and chief executive of Good Times. “This group likes to see themselves involved in the things they use.”

See  http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_4619596

Restaurants Connect With Diners thru Online Videos

Denver-based restaurant chains coax consumers with video contests

Good Times’ version is the “My-Beef’s- All-Natural Product Placement Film Festival.” Consumers have been asked to use a life-size cardboard Good Times mascot in their video clips, which are posted on the burger chain’s website.

The contest has generated about 30 videos since mid-October. Consumers have picked up more than 2,000 of the free “Mr. All-Natural- Beef-Man” cutouts from Good Times’ 50 outlets in Colorado, North Dakota, Idaho and Wyoming.

The Golden-based company says its goal is to generate more late-night traffic from the age group known as millennials.

“We wanted to get them to participate more in the brand and to connect with them in an emotional way,” said Boyd Hoback, president and chief executive of Good Times. “This group likes to see themselves involved in the things they use.”

See  http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_4619596

Viral Video: Consumer Revenge

 Many consumers are realizing that the internet acts as a powerful tool to talk back to companies. Savvy companies are listening, because they know just how damaging the internet can be to brand recognition.     Click Here To Watch Video

 See ABC News Article Below

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/storyid=2563615&page=1                                                                                          

Dirty Dining Video

Click Here for Video

‘Dateline’ hidden cameras investigate

cleanliness of America’s top 10 fast food chains