The restaurant's multicultural outreach program includes a just-launched Spanish micro site.
The Red Lobster restaurant chain launched a Spanish micro site yesterday to serve the growing needs of the Hispanic online market. The site is part of a holistic strategy the company is taking to appeal to its diverse customer base.
Through a partnership with Captura Group, a Hispanic interactive marketing consulting company and BlueHornet, Red Lobster's long-standing eMarketing partner, Red Lobster successfully developed an in-language and in-culture experience for Hispanics online.
"Red Lobster's commitment to the Hispanic market is evident in its strategic approach to this Hispanic online initiative," says Lee Vann, principal of Captura Group.
"BlueHornet is proud to extend our relationship with Red Lobster to empower them to reach out to this growing and lucrative segment of the online population" adds Tim Marusich, CEO of BlueHornet.
Mike Friedman, interactive marketing manager for Red Lobster, talked with iMediaConnection about the company's approach to Hispanic online marketing:
iMediaConnection: What was the thought process behind developing an in-language and in-culture micro site for the U.S. Hispanic market online?
Friedman: Red Lobster recognizes that the Hispanic consumer actively supports our restaurants in great numbers. We have an extremely diverse workforce within our restaurants, among hourly crew and general managers as well as at the corporate level -- and as such have taken steps to ensure that our commitment to hospitality you can taste and touch extends to every American. The Hispanic micro site is the first of several steps we are taking online to deliver a robust Web experience, rich in-menu content, featured recipes, special opportunities and fun.
The Hispanic consumer has actively supported RedLobster.com and we felt it was time to begin to develop and share a more complete online experience with all our valued guests, that recognizes their interests and enthusiasm for our brand.
iMediaConnection: Is this the first time Red Lobster has delved into multi-ethnic marketing?
Friedman: For several years, Red Lobster has believed that our large population of Hispanic guests has warranted significant marketing and promotional support. From Spanish-language menus to Hispanic cast television advertising in Spanish, we have actively explored several mediums to deliver the appropriate brand message to our valued consumers. Further, several of our talented general managers have performed cooking demonstrations on topics such as fresh fish and other great featured menu items with regularity on "Despierta America" on Univision and on Telemundo. Better utilizing online to complement this mix was a logical progression.
iMediaConnection: How is Red Lobster taking a truly holistic approach to its Hispanic marketing and not doing this as an isolated program?
Friedman: We will continue to actively pursue opportunities where we can reach out and touch our guests in a meaningful way, whether through broadcast media, online or community outreach programs. Red Lobster's core principles as well as the core values of our parent company ,Darden Restaurants, pave the way for our belief that a truly diverse workforce and multi-cultural audience yields far greater results culturally and economically for the short- and long-term success of our brand. Our restaurants have been serving great food and beverage across America for over 36 years and we intend to continue the practice now, and for generations. Recognizing and respecting our diversity is a significant component of our past and future success.
iMediaConnection: What were some of the challenges the Captura Group and BlueHornet faced when building this micro site?
Friedman: Ultimately, anytime you develop content for a specific audience, it must speak to that audience genuinely, while still supporting the brand. This project was no different. We actively sought to include robust content with more than a simple translation. Captura Group and BlueHornet worked close with our team to ensure the integrity of the site from a language and cultural perspective, while making sure it was entertaining as well.
One thing that made this project unique was that we were developing the content for a national Hispanic audience while there are many regional variations in seafood terminology. It was critical that Red Lobster's Hispanic online program speak to all Hispanic nationalities, regardless of country of origin. In addition, extending Red Lobster's brand online in pan-regional Spanish proved to be a challenge due to the tone and messaging in English. Ultimately, we believe the content on Red Lobster's Hispanic Web site appeals to both the language needs and cultural nuances of the Hispanic online market.
iMediaConnection: What were the responsibilities of each of the groups involved in building the site?
Friedman: Captura Group's Hispanic online expertise was a great complement for BlueHornet's creative and technical expertise in developing an in-language and in-culture user experience for Hispanic online consumers. Red Lobster worked closely with both teams to ensure that the Hispanic online program delivers customer value while balancing business objectives.
iMediaConnection: Have you noticed that the demand for Spanish language ecommerce has increased?
Friedman: We have not specifically seen any requests for such from our guests, but as leading brands continue to offer experiential content to the Hispanic audience, it is important to recognize that their participation online is not an isolated incident and spans all across the entire Web experience.
iMediaConnection: Please describe the Hispanic interactive strategy, operational considerations and technology limitations the three groups experienced.
Friedman: Online, our strategic priority is to deliver comprehensive content to our online guests, keep them engaged with the brand over time, foster an enthusiasm for our great food and allow them to explore new opportunities involving recipes, education and entertainment. Regardless of our specific audience segment, be it Hispanic, African American, etc., we strive to ensure that all content is valuable and meaningful, that we respect the time commitment each and every site visitor has made in sharing their passion for seafood with us.
Red Lobster's in-restaurant operations are set up to extend the experience to our Hispanic patrons with Spanish menus and an overall dining experience that appeals to their culture. From a technology perspective, Captura Group and BlueHornet did not experience any specific limitations in developing the site for the Hispanic online market. Rich media such as Flash was successfully converted into Spanish, the restaurant locator functionality was translated into Spanish and the Hispanic micro site contains Spanish navigation. By addressing all of the strategic, operational and technical implications up front, we believe we more effectively delivered a valuable and integrated experience to Hispanic consumers online.
iMediaConnection: What more can we expect from Red Lobster' online Hispanic initiatives?
Friedman: Currently, we are exploring testing opportunities to drive further targeted content to our Hispanic guests. Some efforts include evaluating our Overboard Club newsletter format as well as online advertising opportunities. While we are anxious to move forward, we are engaging users, seeking insight and testing scenarios that will grow our brand for the long term.
Elizabeth M. Lloyd is the director of corporate marketing for Netblue, Inc., an online direct marketing company based in Silicon Valley. Previously, Elizabeth was the director of marketing for opt-in email provider, NetCreations, in New York City. Prior to NetCreations, Elizabeth was responsible for the PR department of ValueClick, Inc.