On Saturday 17th June, mobile advertising experts video intelligence (vi) helped a small Cannes crêperie increase its footfall by over 400%, after conducting an experiment to coincide with the start of Cannes Lions 2017.
Agency vi wanted to demonstrate the effectiveness of its mobile ad platform, so partnered with Les Fistons (a small bistro in the heart of Cannes) to see if they could attract more customers at one of its quietest times of the week. The crepêrie offered the perfect proof point – if vi could drive customers to a brand no one had heard of, at one specific location, at a specific time on a specific day, imagine what it might do for recognised brands…
vi created a panoramic mobile ad inspired by Lautrec-era French café culture, and geo-targeted it to people in the Cannes area.
On Saturday, 64 new customers descended on the tiny Les Fistons to try its new crêpes (the average is 15) – showing a huge boost in footfall compared to a usual quiet Saturday afternoon.
According to new owner Franck Monpoix, Saturdays are particularly quiet, as people spend their time on the beach or prefer to have lunch at home with family. Under Franck and his wife Mathilde’s new ownership, they rebranded the restaurant to Les Fistons in May 2017, so no-one had heard of the new place.
How did it work?
The agency vi (video intelligence) wanted to conduct an experiment that would prove the effectiveness of its targeted mobile advertising technology. The crepêrie offered the perfect proof point – if vi could drive customers to a brand no one had heard of, at one specific location, at a specific time on a specific day, imagine what it might do for recognised brands. Franck and Matilde jumped at the chance to use a modern way to promote their venture to local young people in Cannes.
For the Les Fistons project, vi geo-targeted an ad unit locally in the Cannes area. The campaign used inventory ranging between lifestyle apps, utilities and messaging to target local young people, with interests in culture and food.
video intelligence commissioned illustrator Romy Blümel to develop a new creative universe for Les Fistons. Inspired by the salon culture of Lautrec-era Paris, Blümel’s imagery was designed for a 360 degree panorama on a mobile device, drawing the viewer into a beautiful, entertaining world of cafe culture, cavorting dancers and business deals over crêpes.
On Saturday 17th, over 60 people who had seen the ad descended on Les Fistons to try its new crêpes.
Franck was blown away by the success: “We couldn’t believe the amount of people we had through the door. To be honest, I didn’t think the mobile phone thing would work. But when I saw what was possible with the video technology and cool illustrations we thought, well, it’s worth trying it. It seems more like entertainment than advertising. So we thought we’d give it a go. I’m glad we did!”
Tilman Eberle, vi Head of Marketing and Communications, says: “Smart mobile branding campaigns have a real impact. The fact that we used an amazing illustration concept flies in the face of those who think mobile cannot be creative.”
FACT SHEET
64 new customers through the door (Saturday average 15)
426% Increase in footfall
6,500 Local ad impressions
€50 ad spend
0.78¢ Cost per store visit