Local businesses expand, examine advertising methods

Rapidly improving technology and a rapidly diminishing economy have prompted some local businesses to seek alternative forms of advertising, owners said.

Online advertising, particularly the use of Facebook.com, has helped catch students’ attention at The Refinery, 115 Albert Ave., in the six months since general manager Dean Miller began relying heavily on online marketing.

“It’s very effective — I can target an institution, gender or school class,” Miller said. “It’s very focused.”

The fact that most students have become online savvy provides opportunities for East Lansing businesses to better reach their customer base, Miller said.

“You see what’s happening with newspapers, and especially as young people become older, there’s going to be more and more computer use,” Miller said.

As businesses contend with the struggling economy, they’re forced to analyze their money flow and see if alternative means are available for tasks like advertising, said Steve Thomson, president of Windsor, Ontario-based Dynamic Displays, a producer of inflatables, which can include mascots, balloons and floats.

“We always seem to do well in times of recession, and when you look at inflatables, it’s not a stretch at all that more people will turn to it in a down economy,” Thomson said.

A motor-powered mongo man inflatable regularly stands outside BD’s Mongolian Barbecue, 2080 W. Grand River Ave., in Okemos, to help draw customers in, said Brian Campbell, a kitchen manager for the restaurant.

The inflatable stands about 8 to 9 feet tall and is large enough for an employee to stand inside for a short period of time.

“It’s a good way of advertising … people like to stop by and take pictures of it,” Campbell said.

Online advertising hasn’t replaced traditional print and TV advertising, but it has been used as a strong supplement to those sources, Patricia Huddleston, professor of retailing, said.

“Facebook advertising hasn’t been used extensively yet, but will be up-and-coming for retailers that target 18- to 34-year-olds,” Huddleston said.

Mehmet Eroglu, owner of Memo’s, 321 E. Grand River Ave., said the doner kabob place uses online menu sites like Campusfood.com and GoGreenMenus.com to expand its outreach to students.

“Definitely online is a very big market to draw in customers, especially students,” Eroglu said.

Students said the use of flyers is a good way to grab their attention, and they sometimes learn about businesses through Internet surfing.

“Sometimes they deliver flyers about restaurants and delivery places to our dorms, which we see,” said Allison Grobbel, an advertising freshman.

Published on Tuesday, November 18, 2008