Udon Asian Food Growing a Brand’s Global Footprint

Situation: Craving a U.S. Presence

UDON Asian Food, one of the largest Asian food franchises in Spain with 70 locations had a desire to enter the U.S. market and establish brand presence in the U.S. that would stimulate demand and increasing direct sales, growing its global footprint. In order to test out their franchise model and widely popular Asian-inspired recipes on American consumers, UDON opted to open a restaurant in Miami. Adding to this already challenging venture, the launch was postponed on more than one occasion due to construction delays and staff shortages.

Approach: A Full-Funnel Effort to Reach Foodies

Collaborating closely with the UDON Asian Food team, Roar Media created an integrated marketing and communications strategy inclusive of market research and positioning (competitive analysis, brand differentiators and target audiences), a tiered, scalable promotional strategy (with branding), and integrated paid marketing mix focused on building brand awareness stimulating demand and generating traffic to the restaurant. From ideation to execution, Roar Media quickly activated a full-funnel marketing strategy increasing brand awareness throughout South Florida and beyond.

Highlights

Seamlessly executed Japanese-inspired grand opening party featuring specialty sake cocktails and Taiko Drummers giving locals a taste of what UDON has to offer
Centralized media planning and measurement to track engagement and overall campaign performance
Paid marketing campaign driving consumers to restaurant site and capturing brand search impression share
Hyper-focused geo-targeting and retargeting across web, social media, and display/discovery advertising
A dynamic multi-media social calendar adapted to U.S. consumer pallets inclusive of sweepstakes, influencer participation, and foodie reviews
Maximized exposure increasing consumer brand recall through positive publicity in print, broadcast and online media outlets positioning UDON as a highly coveted must-try restaurant