Coca-Cola Fountain and Allure Fusion Media yesterday announced an exclusive alliance that will bring Digital Marketing Communications solutions to fast-food and hospitality restaurant customers nationwide. The two companies said the Allure technology would replace plastic merchandising signs and menu boards with wireless, digital, Web-enabled solutions.
The digital boards will let restaurateurs display and instantly update multiple promotions, messaging and graphics. The companies said that in the past the technology and digital content have proven to increase same-store sales by an average of 31 percent in quick-serve restaurant franchises.
Through this agreement, Coca-Cola Fountain, a division of the soft-drink giant, will introduce Allure and the turnkey Digital Marketing Communications network solution to CCF's food-service retail customers. For two years, CCF and Allure have been designing, building and testing the DMC solution.
Allure, Atlanta, has equipped the fast-food industry with more than 1,000 DMC solutions nationwide, providing outdoor drive-through communication and order confirmation, indoor merchandising, promotion and menu board access through networked technology backed by IBM e-business.
DMC solutions provide custom video and digital content created and managed by Allure, or the customer if desired, and hosted by an IBM Global Services Web hosting facility in Atlanta. Allure's marketing management software controls the hundreds of pieces of animation, video and picture stills on the digital screens. Content is displayed on 42-inch flat-panel, gas-plasma video screens, 15-inch and 17-inch LCD screens or 29-inch CRT screens.
Allure, through IBM Global Services, is providing a digital content and 24-hour technical help desk to help CCF and their customers coordinate content and pricing, monitor for inconsistencies and make changes when appropriate.
