How to leverage branding to increase growth

Quick-service restaurants possess some of today’s most powerful branding. The right branding can greatly impact a company’s potential for growth and is especially important when introducing a new business.

 

Quick-service restaurants possess some of today’s most powerful branding. Say the word McDonald’s and everyone immediately thinks of the classic golden arches, the red accents and the “I’m Lovin’ It” tagline. For KFC, the colonel comes readily to mind. And with Taco Bell, the name itself directly implies the bell that’s embedded in the logo. These QSR leaders lean heavily into their branding to maintain positioning in a competitive market. Meanwhile, lesser-known and emerging brands are keen to get diners’ attention through their own brand assets.

One of the ways in which QSRs can better understand the profit potential of their brand assets is through “wisdom of the crowd” testing that leverages behavioral science to understand how consumers feel about branding.

Branding is the face of food

The right branding can greatly impact a company’s potential for growth. It’s why it’s especially important to get the positioning right when introducing a new business. Branding serves as a first impression for customers when they’re exposed to a restaurant in person or online. Everything from the logo to the tagline to the brand mascot contributes to the overall look and feel of a QSR.

But the launch of a new restaurant is not the only time that brands need to carefully examine the impact their assets have on consumers. As QSRs evolve, there will be moments when it is necessary or advantageous to revamp branding. From Baskin-Robbins’ 2022 refresh to Burger King’s rebrand in 2021 to ditching Donuts from the Dunkin’ name in 2019, there are numerous companies that have recently undergone a rebirth.

With Baskin Robbins, the company retained the hidden 31 in its logo, but refined the design, making it more minimalist and moving from pink and blue to pink and brown.

Burger King also chose a simpler route when ushering in a fresh logo after more than 20 years. It also introduced an updated typeface, color palette, packaging and more.

 

Lastly, Dunkin retained its classic orange and pink-powered personality but removed a key ingredient from its name so as not to be defined solely by one breakfast pastry.

 

Tips for testing key assets

So, how can brands ensure that these assets will make a mark with the public? What’s the best approach for testing them before a big unveiling and the costly process of installing new signage, packaging, uniforms and more?

Internal surveys and focus groups with employees across different departments and levels can capture insights from those with extensive knowledge of the company and competitors. External focus groups can gauge the interest of consumers who may or may not already be familiar with the brand. Meanwhile, idea testing that leverages “wisdom of the crowd” methodology can accurately demonstrate the profit potential of different assets.

For “wisdom of the crowd” to function, it’s important to survey a larger group. Crowds are proven to better predict success compared to smaller groups of people because they don’t have a vested interest in the ideas. A sample size of 500 will ensure the results are representative of the wider population.

For the most accurate results, testing should determine if respondents would invest in the QSR with the proposed brand asset, not whether they would make a purchase from the restaurant. This reduces bias by having participants focus on how they believe other people will behave. If it’s a strong idea that they think other people will like, they’ll want to invest. Thus, testing can determine predicted acceptance with a trading game that asks respondents whether they would buy or sell shares in the idea and then recording their decision-making speed.

Ideally, testing will also tap into how people feel about the assets, as emotions can help QSRs uncover areas for improvement. Perhaps the colors used in a logo evoke anger or sadness, when the goal should be happiness. Maybe a brand mascot is causing people to feel fear or disgust. Asking about the reasons behind these emotions can yield insightful comments that designers and marketers can use to make improvements to future iterations of brand assets. Testing various logos or mascots at the same time can even help narrow down which will be more effective for long-term brand building.

A building block for QSRs

Strong branding helps restaurants drive market share growth and profit gain in an increasingly competitive industry. Every QSR wants their logo, brand mascot, color palette or tagline to be instantly recognizable. To become a familiar part of the cultural landscape, branding needs to evoke the right emotions in people. Through ideas testing, QSRs can better understand whether brand assets will make a mark with the general public, which is key to staying top of mind with hungry diners who have a multitude of restaurant options to choose from today.

 

The Importance of Augmented Reality For the Travel Industry

The Importance of Augmented Reality For the Travel Industry

Over recent times, augmented reality has become increasingly popular within the travel industry. This is primarily because it enables hotels and other businesses operating in this field to enhance the physical environments they are actually trying to encourage customers to visit, including local sights and hotel rooms.

Unlike other purchases, travel tends to be heavily researched, as customers require lots of information before they arrive. In addition, this need for information does not stop when the customer arrives. Augmented reality can serve to ensure much of this information is available to them, 24/7, at times it is most relevant.

Furthermore, one of the keys to AR adoption within the travel industry has been the general change in consumer lifestyles over the past decade. Modern customers are already in the habit of using their smartphone a lot, even when they travel, so the step towards using augmented reality apps on those phones is not a big one.

Examples of Augmented Reality in the Travel Industry

The use of augmented reality technology within the travel industry is still a relatively recent development and, as a result, new uses are emerging all the time. However, some of the most effective and innovative uses of AR so far are explained in greater detail below:

1. Interactive Hotel Elements

To date, the most common use of AR within the tourism industry has been to introduce more interactive elements into hotels, improving the overall experience. Essentially, this gives hotels, resorts and other similar businesses the ability to provide customers with more information on demand.

For example, The Hub Hotel from Premier Inn, a British resort, made augmented reality compatible with the wall maps it places in hotel rooms. When viewed through a smartphone or tablet, the wall maps include extra information about some of the local places of interest, serving as a kind of tourist information tool.

Example: Augmented Reality Florence Travel Guide – Italy

2. Augmented Tourist Destinations

Away from hotel environments, some companies within the travel industry are developing augmented reality apps, which allow tourists to enhance physical locations and tourist attractions. This may allow a user to point their smartphone at a building or landmark and learn more about it, in real-time.

For example, a user may point their phone at a restaurant and instantly be provided with reviews or menus, or aim their tablet at a historic landmark and be presented with information about its history. This has the ability to greatly enhance the entire travel experience and allows tourists to take in information on the go.

3. Beacon Technology and Push Notifications

Another interesting use of augmented reality relates to beacons technology, which works through Bluetooth. This particular technology is useful within the travel and tourism industry, because it allows businesses and marketers to send push notifications or enable certain functions when people enter a specific location.

Within hotels, one of the best examples of this has been Starwood Hotels using beacon technology to allow customers to unlock their hotel room when they are within close proximity to the door. However, it can also be used to send maps, reviews, menus, special offers or discount vouchers to users at the point they are most relevant.

4. Augmented Reality Gamification

Finally, augmented reality has a strong link to the world of gaming and the travel industry is starting to take advantage of this too. With the use of an augmented reality app, a hotel or hospitality business can improve the customer experience by introducing an element of fun to their physical environment.

Gaming apps using augmented reality have been used to introduce treasure hunt-style elements to hotel buildings, while Best Western have used AR to allow children to see Disney characters in their premises. For adults, examples have included AR apps which allow users to redecorate rooms, and apps which place virtual celebrities in the hotel.

Why is Virtual Reality Becoming Important in the Hospitality Industry?

While many of the applications of modern virtual reality are entertainment-based, businesses are increasingly getting to grips with VR’s potential as a marketing tool, delivering important information to potential customers in a way they can actually experience, and stimulating multiple senses in the process.

Within the hospitality industry, VR has become particularly important, because of the amount of information the average customer needs before they will actually book a hotel room. Rather than reading through descriptions, which may or may not be trustworthy, it offers customers the chance to experience things for themselves.

For example, this potentially allows customers to experience a virtual recreation of a room within a hotel, or take a look at one of the nearby attractions. Essentially, this allows the hotel industry to benefit from the type of ‘try before you buy’ marketing that has been commonplace within the food industry for decades.

Of course, the practical uses for virtual reality technology do not stop when the customer has booked a hotel room. Indeed, those operating within hospitality management can continue to use VR to deliver information and allow customers to experience nearby attractions once they have arrived, adding to the hotel experience itself.

Examples of How to Use Virtual Reality Within the Hospitality Industry

The full potential of virtual reality within the hotel industry is only recently being recognised. Nevertheless, three of the best current uses of the technology are outlined below:

1. Virtual Travel Experiences

One of the most common uses of virtual reality in the hospitality sector so far has been the creation of virtual travel experiences, using 360 degree video technology. Through this, users can experience a virtual recreation of different aspects of travel, from the flight, to arrival, to some of the key sights.

Three examples of this can be seen below. The first is a video showing how the basic process works, and showing people who are wearing VR headsets and experiencing a virtual tour. Meanwhile, the second and third examples are 360 degree videos, which can be viewed with VR glasses or a Google Cardboard for a more immersive experience.

https://youtu.be/i6yMqXLnpN4

https://www.circleonestudios.com/360/NYC/

https://circleonestudios.com/360/GT/

https://www.circleonestudios.com/360/Rio/

2. Virtual Hotel Tours

Another common use of virtual reality technology within the hotel industry are virtual reality hotel tours. These tours can be made available on hotel websites, allowing guests or potential guests to take a look at their hotel room, or other parts of the hotel, before they book or before they arrive.

While these tours are best experienced with a VR headset, they can also potentially be made available to those without access to a headset on social media sites like Facebook, using its 360 video technology.

https://www.circleonestudios.com/360/Atlantis/

http://www.circleonestudios.com/360/cinnamon/

http://www.circleonestudios.com/360/rockyresort/

The hospitality and travel industry has realized the potential of virtual reality to attract guests, increase online revenue and generate more bookings. One way hotels are embracing this technology is with virtual tours. These interactive tours use virtual reality to give prospective guests an immersive, 360-degree walkthrough so they can explore the hotel before booking.

Top Three Benefits of Creating Virtual Tours for Potential Guests

When you incorporate virtual tour and interactive media into your hotel marketing campaign, you can enjoy these benefits:

1. Increased Bookings

Virtual tours make your website appealing and highlight captivating aspects of your hotel, which helps increase traffic. With a high-quality virtual tour and straightforward booking process, more customers will be motivated to make direct bookings with your hotel. You can even add direct calls-to-action at strategic points in the tour that lead to the booking page.

Interactive media also helps visitors stay hooked on your website for longer periods of time. This ensures they’ll continue browsing your site to learn more about your hotel and make a direct booking.

2. Long-Lasting First Impression

First impressions matter. If they’re positive, your guests will likely remember you for a long time. An engaging, interactive virtual tour helps grab your audience’s attention and create a positive first impression. With eye-catching features and media in the tour, your hotel will be more memorable to potential guests.

3. Interactive Experiences

Virtual tours and interactive media give your guests control over their experience. Every visitor has unique needs, and can interact with the media by zooming in or panning up, down, left and right. Customers love having the freedom to choose what to view.

 

 

Benefits Of 360 Virtual Tour For Real Estate

A rich interactive virtual tour is necessary to intrigue business clients in the best possible way. A 360° virtual tour can serve this purpose effectively. Using examples on this page, we shall illustrate some outstanding benefits of implementing 360° virtual tours on clients’ website.

Benefits of 360° Virtual Tours in Real Estate

  1. Customers prefer 360° Virtual Tours for home buying due to the fact that they saves gas, energy, time, and money specially when looking for homes out of town.
  2. Virtual Tours allow viewers to have an instant preview of the properties and narrow down their favorites.
  3. Virtual Tours also instill confidence in your business. The customer feels that you are a real estate developer or agent of good repute.
  4. Homebuyers will be able to get family and friends opinion of the property he/she wants to buy with a Virtual Tour.
  5. When an inquiry from a Virtual Tour comes in, that prospect is better informed and a higher quality contact.
  6. A Virtual Tour is the most convenient way of viewing a home where the homebuyer can tour a property from their computer, smartphone, tablet or VR headset from the comfort of their couch.

To get high resolution HDR virtual tours for your property or show apartments, please get in touch with us on: vt@circleonestudios.com

Page 1 of 3123