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Ohio University students to help Bob Evans reach out to younger generation in Internet networking
By Tracy Turner
Columbus Dispatch
Published on Sunday, Nov 23, 2008
Bob Evans is looking past the farm to bridge the digital divide between its traditional customer base and the tech-savvy younger crowd it also wants to reach.
To help, the Columbus-based restaurant and food company has entrusted a new marketing campaign to an Ohio University student-run public-relations firm. The students will help it create pages on Facebook and Twitter to reach younger consumers.
''Students are really into social media right now and are more actively learning new applications as quickly as they come out,'' said Chelsea Hamilton, Bob Evans Farms spokeswoman.
''We're challenged every day with keeping the brand relevant,'' she said. ''And one way to do that is to understand how the younger generation receives messages.''
That's why the OU firm, ImPRessions, was brought in.
''We value their opinion because they are the ones in the trenches,'' Hamilton said. ''We want to know what drives them.''
The team of 10 public-relations students is charged with creating a page that will speak to younger consumers, partly using their own experiences as members of that demographic.
''Having a Facebook page for a business is absolutely key if they really want to reach younger customers,'' said Amanda Leeman, a junior at OU. ''It's the easiest and quickest way to gain information, see what your friends are doing and to keep in touch with others.
''Bob Evans is kind of seen as an older company, so right now they are trying to bring a younger demographic into their restaurants — and not just when they are with their parents.''
Bob Evans plans to launch its Facebook page in January, about the same time the company introduces a burrito to its menu.
Although the students aren't paid for their work, the experience helps them build a professional resume, said Janelle Huelsman, a junior. She is chief executive of ImPRessions.
The firm has 10 clients, with Bob Evans its first national account, she said. The group already has created Facebook pages for the Ohio Tobacco Coalition and Donate Life, an organ donation group.
Bob Evans' move to Facebook comes as more retailers and food companies look for cost-effective ways to generate consumer buzz about their products, especially in trying economic times.
Pizza Hut is launching a Facebook application to allow consumers to order pizza within their profiles, and McDonald's has more than 380,000 fans on its Facebook site, with pictures of customers at its restaurants.
Analysts say Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are smart, cost-effective ways to reach a younger audience.
''The sites are like having mini-focus groups evaluating your product every day,'' said Laura Evans, an executive studio director with Resource Interactive, an online marketing agency in Columbus. ''You can ask your fan base about your products and what they are thinking. It's a really valuable tool for brands to have.''
Bob Evans joins a number of other food companies in taking the step, said Christopher Shanahan, an analyst who covers Bob Evans for Frost & Sullivan, a California growth consulting company.
''Bob Evans has traditionally attracted an older consumer base, so a younger audience is a tremendous growth avenue for them,'' Shanahan said.
In fact, 25 percent of retailers nationwide plan to create Facebook pages this year to boost holiday sales, according to a recent survey by Shop.org, a unit of the National Retail Federation. Of those, 43 percent are adding videos of products and 33 percent are posting customer reviews, the survey found.
Unlike traditional marketing, social-networking communities allow companies to talk directly to and hear from consumers, said Andy Boyer, a principal with Spring Creek Group, a Seattle Internet marketing firm.
''By actively creating a group, Bob Evans can lead the conversations online and not just be reliant on what people online already are saying about the company,'' he said. ''You can choose to join or lead, but you don't do anything, you are leaving that conversation up to others.''
Stephanie Busack, who manages digital marketing for Bob Evans, said the company's desire to be on Facebook is more than just to be part of a trend.
''It's not about just throwing together a page because everyone else is doing it. But we want to get the brand out there, to let everyone know that older people love our foods, but younger people do, too,'' she said. ''It's about getting that raw feedback, an out-of-the-box site, and learning how to launch our business into that next step.''
Busack said the chain is looking to add discussion boards, local store marketing, photos and videos on the site, and is considering online ordering in the near future.
Bob Evans is looking past the farm to bridge the digital divide between its traditional customer base and the tech-savvy younger crowd it also wants to reach.
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