The signs are better at Hungry Jacks
Announcement posted by Alphabet Soup 18 Nov 2004
Australias favourite burger restaurant has just moved into the digital age to enhance in-store promotion, Hungry Jacks have launched a trial of digital menu boards within its flagship restaurants across the country, beginning with the iconic Swanston St restaurant in downtown Melbourne.
The menu board, developed by New Zealand point of sale specialist Alphabet Soup, replaces the traditional menu board with a combination of digitally animated promotional images and static menu.
The digital menu boards display up-to-date point of sale material and price information on large in-store digital display devices. The content of these signs is created and distributed from a central source, via a secure private network (VPN).
While the first obvious benefit is menu boards that are more appealing to the consumer, the real benefit of digital menu boards is the flexibility and control that Hungry Jacks will have over their in-store promotions.
Hungry Jacks Marketing Director Mr Jim Wilson said, We are committed improving the customers experience within our restaurants. We are conducting the trial of these menu boards in the expectation that they will enable a new level of customer communication and improve the efficiency of our operations. Should this trial prove successful, as we are confident it will, we will then look into implementing it strategically across our restaurants.
Ultimately, we expect the digital menu boards to deliver a number of fundamental advantages. Firstly, we will be able to preserve the integrity and consistency of the Hungry Jacks brand nationwide as the system guarantees that the brand and promotions look the same in every restaurant.
Another benefit of the digital menu boards is that of dayparting or the ability of the digital menu boards to instantly change from breakfast to lunch to dinner menus. The new system can automatically reconfigure the menu to showcase items appropriate to the time of day. With traditional static menu boards, this is impossible and the space dedicated to breakfast is largely wasted space when customers come in for lunch or dinner.
In addition, the technology will enable Hungry Jacks to instantly respond to changes in the environment and thus anticipate customers needs. For example, the signs could be programmed to react to temperature so if there was a sudden heat wave, it would display a promotion for cold beverages.
Mr Wilson said, And in Melbourne, where we have four seasons in one day, that would make a real difference!
He added, The menu boards are definitely a step up from traditional point-of sale and it is cost effective as well. I believe there will be significant savings as it eliminates the expense, time and the physical effort required to produce and send point-of-sale to all our restaurants.
I think our restaurant managers will be pleased as well no valuable time spent climbing ladders to install new material. They can then concentrate on other important things like managing staff and selling more burgers.
Alphabet Soup Managing Director Mr Craig Polley said Alphabet Soup is excited about the partnership with Hungry Jacks. We are pleased that we can work with such a great Aussie icon as they explore the transition to this technology. We always work closely with clients to develop return on investment models and so far, have experienced great success with other restaurants and retailers. So were confident that this will add significant value to Hungry Jacks business.
Our menu boards deliver three key benefits control over brand integrity, efficiency and flexibility. Firstly, they protect the integrity of the brand and ensure the consistent application of the brand and promotional messages. Secondly, they increase the efficiency of distributing invaluable point of sale material to multiple locations.
And thirdly, they offer unrivalled flexibility with the daypart function and the option of changing content in reaction to the environment or even competitors activities. The beauty of the system is that it does these things instantly and reliably.
Research has shown that the large-format dynamic message from a digital display provides five times the stopping power and three times the holding power of a static sign or menu board.
The digital menu boards will also enable Hungry Jacks to test campaigns in certain market segments prior to national implementation.
About Alphabet Soup
Alphabet Soup is a partly owned subsidiary of Clemenger Communications Limited. The company specialises in below the line communications. The company established a digital signage arm, Retail Theatre, in 2002 in response to the changing needs of retail environments.
In 2002 they secured the rights to provide and support digital signage systems in Australasia; from one of the companies responsible for pioneering the technology worldwide. The signage solutions comprise custom matched hardware, software and display devices with electronically updated content transmitted from a central distribution point.
The company is based in Auckland, New Zealand and is planning to set up its Australian operations in the near future.
Further information about Retail Theatre, Alphabet Soup and digital menu boards is available on www.retailtheatre.co.nz
For further information, images or for interviews with Mr Craig Polley of Alphabet Soup or Mr Jim Wilson, please contact Michelle Low on Tel: (03) 9289 9555/0403 003 659 or email: mlow@porternovelli.com.au
The menu board, developed by New Zealand point of sale specialist Alphabet Soup, replaces the traditional menu board with a combination of digitally animated promotional images and static menu.
The digital menu boards display up-to-date point of sale material and price information on large in-store digital display devices. The content of these signs is created and distributed from a central source, via a secure private network (VPN).
While the first obvious benefit is menu boards that are more appealing to the consumer, the real benefit of digital menu boards is the flexibility and control that Hungry Jacks will have over their in-store promotions.
Hungry Jacks Marketing Director Mr Jim Wilson said, We are committed improving the customers experience within our restaurants. We are conducting the trial of these menu boards in the expectation that they will enable a new level of customer communication and improve the efficiency of our operations. Should this trial prove successful, as we are confident it will, we will then look into implementing it strategically across our restaurants.
Ultimately, we expect the digital menu boards to deliver a number of fundamental advantages. Firstly, we will be able to preserve the integrity and consistency of the Hungry Jacks brand nationwide as the system guarantees that the brand and promotions look the same in every restaurant.
Another benefit of the digital menu boards is that of dayparting or the ability of the digital menu boards to instantly change from breakfast to lunch to dinner menus. The new system can automatically reconfigure the menu to showcase items appropriate to the time of day. With traditional static menu boards, this is impossible and the space dedicated to breakfast is largely wasted space when customers come in for lunch or dinner.
In addition, the technology will enable Hungry Jacks to instantly respond to changes in the environment and thus anticipate customers needs. For example, the signs could be programmed to react to temperature so if there was a sudden heat wave, it would display a promotion for cold beverages.
Mr Wilson said, And in Melbourne, where we have four seasons in one day, that would make a real difference!
He added, The menu boards are definitely a step up from traditional point-of sale and it is cost effective as well. I believe there will be significant savings as it eliminates the expense, time and the physical effort required to produce and send point-of-sale to all our restaurants.
I think our restaurant managers will be pleased as well no valuable time spent climbing ladders to install new material. They can then concentrate on other important things like managing staff and selling more burgers.
Alphabet Soup Managing Director Mr Craig Polley said Alphabet Soup is excited about the partnership with Hungry Jacks. We are pleased that we can work with such a great Aussie icon as they explore the transition to this technology. We always work closely with clients to develop return on investment models and so far, have experienced great success with other restaurants and retailers. So were confident that this will add significant value to Hungry Jacks business.
Our menu boards deliver three key benefits control over brand integrity, efficiency and flexibility. Firstly, they protect the integrity of the brand and ensure the consistent application of the brand and promotional messages. Secondly, they increase the efficiency of distributing invaluable point of sale material to multiple locations.
And thirdly, they offer unrivalled flexibility with the daypart function and the option of changing content in reaction to the environment or even competitors activities. The beauty of the system is that it does these things instantly and reliably.
Research has shown that the large-format dynamic message from a digital display provides five times the stopping power and three times the holding power of a static sign or menu board.
The digital menu boards will also enable Hungry Jacks to test campaigns in certain market segments prior to national implementation.
About Alphabet Soup
Alphabet Soup is a partly owned subsidiary of Clemenger Communications Limited. The company specialises in below the line communications. The company established a digital signage arm, Retail Theatre, in 2002 in response to the changing needs of retail environments.
In 2002 they secured the rights to provide and support digital signage systems in Australasia; from one of the companies responsible for pioneering the technology worldwide. The signage solutions comprise custom matched hardware, software and display devices with electronically updated content transmitted from a central distribution point.
The company is based in Auckland, New Zealand and is planning to set up its Australian operations in the near future.
Further information about Retail Theatre, Alphabet Soup and digital menu boards is available on www.retailtheatre.co.nz
For further information, images or for interviews with Mr Craig Polley of Alphabet Soup or Mr Jim Wilson, please contact Michelle Low on Tel: (03) 9289 9555/0403 003 659 or email: mlow@porternovelli.com.au