Did I feel a little odd, traipsing around D.C., ducking into some of the city’s top restaurants for a few seconds to check out Snapchat on my phone?
Yes.
Am glad I did it?
Definitely.
I think it was the start of something great. Here’s the deal:
You already know I am a sales manager for BauscherHepp, a worldwide leader in European porcelain, Italian glassware, and other top-of-the-line tabletop. However, I was on a mission to do more – to surprise clients with something special, to bring extra value to bar and restaurants in DC by pumping up the fun for their customers.
We picked a neighborhood in D.C. that was flush with hip dining establishments. Check out some of the names: Sushiko, Lupo Verde, Tico, Jack Rose Dining Saloon, Bar Pilar. You get the idea.
Then, we developed a unique Snapchat geofilter that blanketed all the restaurants — 20 in all – we covered a total 410,000 square feet in northwest D.C.
You know geofilters. They let Snapchat users add special graphic overlays to broadcast the “where and when” of a photo or video. In this case, the graphics said, “D.C. Food Adventure” at the top, “Great food is served on BauscherHepp” across the bottom, along with an image of the Capitol building.
The result: every engagement shared by customers was framed in graphics that celebrated their dining experience (and BauscherHepp, of course!).
Pretty cool?
Customers thought so. The top user was Compass Rose — a sweet little spot that serves excellent food under a year-round North African-style patio tent on T Street NW. The geofilter at Compass Rose got 145 uses and 9,800 views.
That is a lot of views!
Between all the restaurants, Snapchat shares got more than 36,000 views during the Friday-Saturday campaign. And each one branded the experience of dining in one of D.C’s hippest restaurants. No charge – courtesy of yours truly!
It is not every day that you create a buzz like that. However, I could feel it as I walked from restaurant to restaurant, checking my Snapchat. And I wasn’t even drinking!
