Barcode is a restaurant, bar, and nightclub in Washington DC. Their main challenge is attracting new customers who are traveling to DC, staying for a short while, or just passing through. They’ve struggled to reach these travelers with other forms of digital advertising but found Foursquare works best for attracting customers who are on-the-go.
“DC is a transient city,” said owner Antonis Karagounis, “A lot of people come to conventions or come here for business. So how do you attract that clientele? You can advertise in a magazine, but who’s looking at magazines anymore? With Foursquare, you just tap on the app and you see what’s around you,” said Karagounis.
“Foursquare is the best vehicle for what we’re trying to do.”
The strength of the community on Foursquare is another reason Karagounis said Barcode has had success with Foursquare Ads.
“The main differentiation between Foursquare and Yelp is that Yelp is mostly about complaining about a place, but Foursquare doesn’t have the negativity of Yelp. I trust Foursquare to see where to go. If the place is highly-rated, that’s a good place. People tend to trust the Foursquare community.”
The results from Barcode’s Foursquare Ad were impressive. Karagounis estimates that the average customer spends around $20 per visit. They’ve been able to drive customers in with Foursquare Ads at only $3.76 a pop, which amounts to over 432% in return on investment. “Foursquare is the best vehicle for what we’re trying to do,” said Karagounis.