By Laura Barker
I work at a restaurant called Ginger in south Lincoln that serves sushi and other Asian food. The restaurant is relatively new so there are plenty of advertising opportunities that could be implemented to generate earned media.
Sushi is trendy right now for a couple of reasons. Not only is it delicious, but the ambiance of newer sushi restaurants is usually modern and appealing. A huge part of the “sushi experience” is the way the food is presented, which is sleek and artistic. Often times when I’m at work, I see people taking pictures of their sushi platters after the server drops it off at their table. I’m sure you’ve seen a picture of some fancy-lookin’ sushi on your Facebook and Instagram feeds because that’s usually where those pictures end up. A way for Ginger to generate earned media would be to create hashtags encouraging customers to tweet pictures of their sushi or post them to their Instagram accounts using #ShareYourSushi, or something similar. This could be part of a contest where a winner is picked from those who have posted or tweeted and would receive gift cards or coupons.
It makes sense for Ginger to do this because consumers love to share their experiences with others through social media, especially when the experience involves beautiful, exotic food. This type of contest would appeal to both new and existing customers. Many customers share pictures of their sushi anyway, so adding the incentive of a contest would be a good way for Ginger to create a buzz and earn the attention of social media users.
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