Feeding Your App-etite

Foursquare, Gowalla and Yelp are by far the big dogs in the location-based yard, with Foursquare being the obvious alpha male out of the group.

And while all three have been picking up some partnerships with big name clients over the past few months, the business side of location-based marketing is still being tweaked as marketers and programmers jockey for position in this fast-growing network.

A majority of this tweaking has been in the restaurant and food industry, as more and more eateries have been offering promotions and discounts to customers using these services.

But the new Snapfinger app for the iPhone and Android may be a legitimate location-based competitor, mostly because of the niche it has carved out for itself.

While Foursquare and Yelp provide information and reviews for restaurants and fast food joints, Snapfinger allows you to order take out from your phone as well.

The big news though is that the company just recieved $7 million in investments to broaden the number of franchises they work with (which already includes Applebee's, Subway and Outback Steakhouse) to include independent eateries.

So will Snapfinger overtake Foursquare? No, since it's a different type of location-based service with a different purpose. However, this new investment and more partnerships could push Snapfinger towards the forefront of this emerging market.

Be Thinking Like Arby's, but Don't Be Arby's

In this tough economy, being on top doesn't matter, as companies like Best Buy received a lot of mouth-drops by analysts who projected good things to come. Instead, the company was prognosticating cutbacks. It's a given that Best Buy won't buckle, but the franchise restaurants miffed by their own brand advertisement might want to reach out direct to their consumers-- to see what it is they really want. Arby's isn't on the forefront of every consumers' mind (of course not!) but its slogan suggests how customers should be thinking about brands: constantly.

One franchise restaurant I'm predicting is going to file for Chapter 11... Chili's. Over the years, they have tried to reinvent food offerings and the customer experience, but had not the legs to stand on. Reacting way too quickly to the competitive franchisee climate, Chili's went from "Spicilicious" to "Pepper in Some Fun" over the course of one year. That's a short window to inform the consumer of a new demographic and a new experience. Confusion then ensued and led to less and less door traffic.

Applebee's did it right... waiting quite some time before introducing its new logo design and spruce-up of "Welcome to the Neighborhood." Nights are packed with college students scarfing down half-price appetizers. The big difference between Chili's and Applebee's: I don't see myself at Chili's. Who are they anyway?

The one chain restaurant that I will promote until I experience my own drop of the mouth is T.G.I. Friday's. "In here, it's always Friday." Ahhh... just rolls right off your tongue, and you know it's going to be a party. It's loud, the food is great, and the atmosphere makes you want to embrace everyone around you. It probably didn't hurt to also receive reigning endorsement from Guy Fieri, host of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," touting his own menu of succulent entrees. Tomorrow I'm going there. Can't wait.

While you don't have to offer horsey sauce and $5 dinner combos to be successful, you certainly need to have brand consistency through and through. Best of luck, Chili's.