Panda Express Focusing on Family

Interactive, participatory, brand marketing is the best tool in a food marketers tool box according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  When a brand extends its brand invitation to all members of the family it eliminates the ‘veto’ vote what the most dreaded daily question pops up, What’s for Dinner.

Recently Panda Express introduced the Good Fortune Arcade, an online 8-bit game developed for guests to interact with the rich traditions of the Lunar New Year. Why is this so important? Simple both Millennials and Gen Z consumers are digital natives and gaming is second nature to them.

Putting time bounded limits on the is a call to action that is sure to drive trial. The Panda Express Good Fortune Arcade game is available through Feb. 15. Guests can visit pandaLNY.com to play the game and learn more about the origin story and food symbolism of Lunar New Year, while also receiving exclusive online offers at each level of the game, according to a press release.

As part of its annual tradition, as regular readers of this blog know, Panda is also bringing back in-store lucky red envelopes on the celebration day of Feb. 1, gifting guests with a limited time Family Meal promotion.

Andrea, chief brand officer, Panda Express, stated, "Every year, we look forward to celebrating Lunar New Year with our guests, as this holiday universally signifies the importance of family and togetherness — the key values that also define us as a family-owned American Chinese restaurant,"... "We are in a unique position to share culture and traditions through timeless and innovative experiences that both new and existing Lunar New Year celebrants can enjoy. With the Good Fortune Arcade, our goal is to create an authentic and inclusive way to bring people together over good fun and good food."

Get this, the Good Fortune Arcade game consists of four levels, and players are tasked with catching the legendary monster behind the holiday's origin, Nian, who has stolen their lucky foods. In each level, players will work to collect these lucky dishes, while dodging obstacles along the way. After each completed level, players will unlock a fortune card containing a discount code for online ordering only on PandaExpress.com or the Panda Express app through Feb. 28. How are you extending you brand? Why? To Whom?

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter 

At Circle K Cash is King but Bitcoin is Welcome

 

Timely, topical, transparent Bitcoin equals customer relevance to a new generation of consumers and Circle K wants to welcome those consumers too Circle K according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Customer relevance edifies your brand with consumers driving new electricity.

Recently, Circle K announced an international partnership with Bitcoin ATM network Bitcoin Depot.  For those of you who do not know, Bitcoin Depot ATMs are kiosks that enable users to exchange cash for cryptocurrency, allowing for simple, in-person transactions that give users immediate access to bitcoin and over 30 other cryptocurrencies. Yes, this is a real thing.  Once again times they are a Changin’ for those of you old enough to remember.  All retailers must continue to look a customer ahead according to Johnson.

If you did not know that there has been unprecedented growth of digital currency.  Which has led to large retail companies finding growing interest in Bitcoin ATMs. As one of the world’s leading convenience and fuel retailers, Circle K is the first major retail chain to deploy Bitcoin ATMs within its stores.

Bitcoin Depot CEO Brandon Mintz, stated, “We’re thrilled to create a long-term, strategic partnership with Circle K and to expand our footprint internationally with a global leader in convenience and fuel retail.”… “Circle K understands that cryptocurrency will be a growing part of the future economy and payments landscape. By adding Bitcoin ATMs to the company’s stores, Circle K can attract new customers to their stores, offer financial access to underserved communities, and set themselves apart from other retailers with this new technology.”

There is no doubt that demand for cryptocurrency will continue to increase, that more and more customers will be visiting convenience stores to use Bitcoin ATMs. So, to use a Bitcoin ATM, someone would visit a Bitcoin Depot ATM within a Circle K, insert cash after providing his or her crypto wallet address, and crypto would be sent immediately to the wallet. The whole process from signing up for an account to completing a transaction takes just a few minutes. Bitcoin Depot ATM locations can be found by visiting bitcoindepot.com where all Circle K locations with bitcoin ATMs are listed.

Circle K Senior Vice President Global Merchandise and Procurement Denny Tewell, stated “At Circle K, we are passionate about making our customers’ lives a little easier every day, and we are continually looking at ways to enhance their experience in our stores and be their favorite stop for a growing range of needs and occasions,” …“Our partnership with Bitcoin Depot further builds on this commitment, giving our brand an important, early presence in the fast-growing cryptocurrency marketplace as a convenient destination where customers can buy Bitcoin.”

How are you building customer relevance?  Who is your next new customer?  How are they going to be paying their bill?  Brands need customer relevance to drive new electricity into the brand.

According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”  That said, what are you waiting for?

Johnson, stated, “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, Fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert, and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit GrocerantGuru.com, FoodserviceSolutions.US or call 1-253-759-7869

Will Bitcoin’s Bet on Restaurants be the Bite or Buzz Needed to Drive Customer Counts

By now most regular readers of this blog know that chain restaurants perennial innovation leader Starbucks may soon allow / enable consumers to pay for their latte with bitcoin. Starbucks has become a food and beverage innovation powerhouse and technology focused company that drives customer engagement with relevance blending interactive technology with participatory food and beverage offerings according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Starbucks is extending the coffee customization and personalization experience too technology and the payment process by integrating bitcoin into the list of payment options.  Recently Starbucks announced that it will work in partnership with bitcoin exchange operator Intercontinental Exchange Inc. as it forms a new company to “create an integrated platform that enables consumers and institutions to buy, sell, store and spend digital assets on a seamless global network.”

The new company entity will be, called Bakkt, it will employ Microsoft cloud-based solutions to fashion a “global ecosystem” for digital currency, according to the Starbucks press release. “As the flagship retailer, Starbucks will play a pivotal role in developing practical, trusted and regulated applications for consumers to convert their digital assets into U.S. dollars for use at Starbucks,” said Maria Smith, vice president of partnerships and payments for Starbucks,

Smith continued “As a leader in Mobile Pay to our more than 15 million Starbucks Rewards members, Starbucks is committed to innovation for expanding payment options for our customers.” Further operational details about Bakkt will be announced in coming weeks, according to Starbucks, with a planned launch of the company slated for November. So will it drive customer counts? Not today according to Johnson but it will added incremental buzz to the Starbucks brand and down the road it just might.  Starbucks is looking a customer ahead, are you?

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.