Marketing Through Personal Area Networks Gives Restaurateurs a Taste of Customer Engagement

  Restaurant marketing has, for the most part, been stuck to tried-and-traditional methods: pamphlets with promotional offers of discounts and free drinks, and, more recently, adding social media or Groupon-style initiatives. But, a new interactive marketing solution from iSIGN Media (TSX VENTURE: ISD) is about to change the way that restaurants engage with and market to potential guests. Known as personal area network (PAN) marketing, iSIGN's technology enables restaurants to send advertising messages and coupons directly to the mobile phones of potential patrons who are in close proximity to a restaurant location at any given time.

Creating Local, Engaging Relationships with Patrons through Mobile Messaging

Marketing through personal area networks is a rapidly-growing channel that iSIGN has developed for the restaurant and hospitality industry; it combines a number of highly-effective marketing tactics, including mobile coupons, videos and rich media messages, all designed to deliver an interactive and enticing message to potential guests that will result in increase patronage and revenues for restaurants.

iSIGN's technology automatically detects consumers who are within close range of a restaurant or dining location (from 3 to 300 feet). Messages are sent directly to phones enabled with Bluetooth - which accounts for about 90% of mobile handsets - directly into the palm of their hands. The immediacy of the messages and proximity of these consumers allows proprietors to reach consumers at the ideal time and place - when they are nearby and primed to act - thereby generating a much higher return on investment than other marketing mediums.

Maximum Impact, Minimal Cost

Recently Don Francesco, an Italian restaurant that had implemented iSIGN's PAN marketing solution in one location was able to identify over 154,000 mobile phones during a one month period, belonging to consumers who were located within a 300-foot radius of the restaurant.

The potential impact of this technology is tremendous; reaching an additional hundred thousand consumers each month (who are located in very close proximity of a specific location) will have a significant impact on any restaurant's business. And unlike other expensive and traditional advertising mediums that restaurateurs have relied on in the past, iSIGN marketing technology is offered for a low monthly fee of less than $150, no matter how many messages or campaigns are broadcasted and received - so achieving a significant increase in consumer interaction and engagement is well within any restaurant's marketing budget.

Marketing through personal area networks offers a number of key benefits for restaurants and hospitality businesses:

--  Wide Audience: The average North American spends nearly three hours a
    day on their mobile phone. PAN marketing allows restaurants to leverage
    the mobile channel as a way to connect with consumers in the palm of
    their hands, anytime, anywhere.
--  Inexpensive: The cost to implement a PAN marketing campaign is one very
    low flat fee per month, allowing restaurants of all sizes to optimize
    the reach of their marketing messages (and thereby, their revenues!),
    even with a limited budget. Both marketers and consumers avoid any
    additional mobile carrier charges to deliver/receive marketing messages
    via mobile phones.
--  Location, location, location: More often than not, convenience is a
    factor when consumers are deciding where to dine. Because PAN marketing
    targets consumers who are in close range of a dining location, it allows
    restaurants to make the most of consumers who may happen to be walking
    by, looking for a place to eat. A study conducted by IBM found that 72%
    of consumers are more likely to take action after receiving a message
    while "on location" compared with messages received off-site. This
    location factor substantially increases the return on investment of a
    restaurant's marketing dollars.
--  Develop useful business intelligence: As well as distributing messages
    to consumers, PAN marketing technology collects valuable data about
    consumers' behaviour and preferences, allowing restaurants to easily
    adjust their campaigns and messaging as needed to generate even better
    results. This information is also kept for future review and can be used
    for measurement purposes to see the effectiveness of the campaigns that
    are undertaken over time.
--  Steer clear of privacy issues: Marketers avoid privacy issues as PAN
    marketing uses Bluetooth™ technology and does not involve consumers'
    email or phone numbers.

In short, personal area network marketing allows restaurants to quickly and effectively reach a wide range of potential first-time guests without a significant marketing investment. And unlike other marketing mediums, PAN marketing offers a high level of flexibility and gathers valuable business intelligence to help shape future campaigns for maximum effectiveness - directly impacting any restaurant's bottom line.

To arrange an interview with Alex Romanov, CEO of iSIGN Media about PAN marketing or Don Francesco to further discuss the results that they were able to generate using iSIGN's technology, please contact iSIGN's Director of Media Relations, Vanessa Horwell at [e-mail] / 305.749.5342 ext. 232 or visit www.isignmedia.com.

Personal Area Networks Marketing by the Numbers

The PAN marketing campaign undertaken by Don Francesco's offers some very impressive stats:

--  Total number of customer's mobile devices discovered : More than 154,000
    in one month
--  The average number of customers reached in one month: over 3,000
    successful mobile device interactions
--  Increase in visitors during the month-long campaign: up to 193 redeeming
    diners
--  Total cost to Don Francesco: $150/month averaging $1.28 per dining
    customer or much less for parties of 2 or more.

About iSIGN Media

iSIGN is a leading developer of interactive advertising solutions that deliver rich media, permission based messages, free of charge to cell phones using Bluetooth® connectivity. The Company's patent-pending advertising platform combines the precision of direct marketing and the tracking potential of the Web to deliver more cost effective and ROI-driven advertising than is possible via print, radio and television. iSIGN is publicly traded in Toronto (TSX.V) under the symbol "ISD". Additional information about iSIGN Media can be found at www.isignmedia.com.

Contacts: Media Contact: ThinkInk Vanessa Horwell +1.305.749.5342 ext. 232 [e-mail]