UPshow Announces Acquisition by EverPass Media and Strategic Spinoff of Employee Experience Platform — Click to Read More
Chicago’s Navy Pier recently celebrated its 100th anniversary through the reimagined Centennial Vision that showcased the People’s Pier’s best qualities. As a landmark destination in the country, the Pier gets heavy local and tourism foot traffic year round thanks to the various activities, bars and restaurants, and sponsored events. With all the activity comes all the social media posts to document customer moments!
Let's take a look at the "UPshow Effect" at Navy Pier- highlighting a few posts that aren't just customer photos, they're customer promotions.
Lake Michigan, Chicago’s skyline, the towering Ferris Wheel and more practically beckon photographer’s to try out new angles of the picturesque setting. Today, photographers and bloggers are putting their content out almost instantly on social media for followers. UPshow allows that captured moment to be showcased even faster with the screens at Navy Pier. The photographer is looking for eyeballs and more followers and in the process promoted your business’ unique aspect!
You can’t take a vacay without uploading your pictures to social media while you’re there! Seeing the UPshow screens gives tourists an increased sense of thrill while they have their adventurous spirit raving. Those searching social media to see where they should go on their quest to Chicago will see the hoards of tourists posting about Navy Pier and will definitely make it a part of their trip now! What’s even better is when tourists include your business as a part of their blogging or social adventure idea. Take @globejumper. She is traveling the country taking a jumping shot in every destination. All her followers now see she chose Navy Pier in Chicago for her jumping shot, which not only adds to the Pier’s cool factor but also promotes it to her social sphere with her own storytelling quality.
It’s not only tourists that head to Navy Pier. Many local Chicagoans make it out to the lake-side attraction. With the amazing views of Navy Pier and the views of the city itself, many loyal Chicago-loving customers snap pictures of the best city in the world. And you can’t be a true Chicagoan without telling everyone about how you think Chicago is the best, so these pictures are posted to social media and just about any other outlet (including the UPshow screen!). By tagging and hashtagging Navy Pier, these Chicago fans are promoting the business as a staple in Chicago, a huge testament in the social media world.
We're excited to announce our partnership with TouchTunes, the leading digital jukebox platform in North America, to power their social TV product. It's called TouchTunesTV powered by UPshow, and it's going to be on the TVs in a bar near you very soon! Below is the official release:
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NEW YORK, March 14, 2017 – TouchTunes, the largest in-venue interactive music and entertainment platform available in 65,000 bars and restaurants, today announced its exclusive partnership with UPshow, a leading social marketing and digital signage company that provides in-venue social TV entertainment. The new service, TouchTunesTV Powered by UPshow, makes the TouchTunes jukebox experience even better by transforming a bar or restaurant’s TVs into a powerful social marketing platform that drives both jukebox awareness and customer engagement. TouchTunes operators will be the exclusive channel for TouchTunesTV in the independent bar and restaurant space.
TouchTunesTV Powered by UPshow leverages the UPshow platform to deliver unprecedented value for venues by helpingto turn customers into their best promoters. With TouchTunesTV, customers can get their 15 seconds of fame in the venue by simply including the venue's designated hashtag in their Instagram or Twitter photo and video posts. This creates an exciting customer experience while also generating free, authentic word-of-mouth marketing for the venue. TouchTunesTV also allows venues to build a social database of customers, and features easy-to-use tools and a mobile app to help venues manage the TouchTunesTV experience and engage with their customers.
Additionally, TouchTunesTV offers digital signage capabilities that allow venues to showcase specials, events and any other marketing messages to drive additional purchases and repeat visitation. The system is also integrated with the TouchTunes jukebox, showing customers what’s playing on the jukebox, what songs are next, top plays at the venue and more. This generates more engagement and awareness of the jukebox, helping to increase music plays and jukebox revenue.
"We are thrilled to be partnering with UPshow to bring the next evolution of in-venue social TV to market," said Ross Honey, President and CEO at TouchTunes. “The TouchTunesTV powered by UPshow experience is a game-changer, creating exciting new opportunities for our operators and their locations.”
"Music and social media are a core part of the customer experience at bars and restaurants, so bringing them together with TouchTunesTV powered by UPshow is a perfect partnership. " said Matt Gibbs, CMO at UPshow.
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About TouchTunes
TouchTunes is the largest in-venue interactive music and entertainment platform, featured in more than 65,000 bars and restaurants across North America and 75,000 globally. TouchTunes' platform provides location-based digital solutions that encourage social interactions through shared experiences. Music is the core of TouchTunes' experience, with millions of songs played daily across the network and a mobile app that lets users find nearby jukebox locations, create playlists, and control the music in-venue directly from their phone. The mobile app is available on iTunes and Google Play, and has been downloaded seven million times. TouchTunes' award-winning products and services also include an integrated photo booth, the first fully-licensed commercial karaoke system, and an interactive social TV messaging and engagement solution. TouchTunes Media is a highly scalable digital out-of-home activation platform that provides targeted advertising and promotional opportunities for consumer brands. TouchTunes is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Chicago, Montreal, London and Vancouver. For more information
visit www.touchtunes.com and follow TouchTunes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest jukebox news.
If you’re looking for a place you to catch the game with your friends on any of the available 46 (Yes 46!) TV screens, sip a pint with views from a retractable roof beer garden and enjoy popular song lyrics off your menus, then make your way to Chicago’s Benchmark in the Old Town neighborhood.
Benchmark’s “Insta-worthy” aesthetic creates engaging customer posts that are showcased on the UPshow screen.
Let’s take a look at the "UPshow Effect" at Benchmark- highlighting a few posts that aren’t just customer photos, they’re customer promotions.
Pictures with large groups of people feed into our need of wanting to feel like we belong. On social media, everyone wants to broadcast their squad during a night out. What’s even better for the business is that while this group is promoting their squad, they are also promoting Benchmark on their social channels! Benchmark customer’s have set the business up as a #squadgoals destination.
Talk about the social media stamp of approval! When looking for beautiful imagery, fantastic stories and most importantly, lifestyle recommendations, social media users flock to influencers. When an influencer posts to UPshow not only does the excellent quality post flash up on the screen in venue it also attracts the thousands of followers to Benchmark. This influencer post shows striking imagery of the food, which in venue may inspire a customer order, and shows off the fun Benchmark menus. On the Instagram newsfeed, her 22.4K followers have also found inspiration for a new brunch spot!
You don’t have to take a photography class to know that the focal point is for the viewer’s main focus. However, the background of photos add depth and significance too. And while @mmcossi looks fabulous sipping her bourbon, her photo adds much more than just a chic drink promotion for Benchmark. The background is bustling with guests and customers gazing up at the TV screens (one which has UPshow on!). To one of @mmcossi’s followers, Benchmark is presented as a hopping place to stop in and enjoy! This visual proof promotes Benchmark’s “cool” factor better than the business itself telling customers the business is cool.
The Mean Fiddler, a Manhattan Irish pub, features live music, karaoke and broadcasted sporting events. And through much more than the luck of the Irish, customers have generated so much engaging content, the business actually won “Top UPshow Bar of 2016”!
Let's take a look at the UPshow Effect at The Mean Fiddler - highlighting a few posts that aren't just customer photos, they're customer promotions.
What’s the point of 5 seconds of fame if you can’t show all your social media followers that it happened? This Instagram user captured her moment of UPshow fame and presented it back to the social world. Even better, this post reminds and promotes all this user’s followers that The Mean Fiddler has UPshow.
The Mean Fiddler’s walls and menus are full of funny Irish quotes and reminders to have fun. In today’s social world, customers don’t just enjoy these unique venue designs but also post for their friends to see. The customer is showing off The Mean Fiddler’s unique signage each time they post near it.
You see a gang celebrating a birthday the right way, we see a celebration that promotes better than any product placement ever could! On Instagram, these customers are promoting The Mean Fiddler’s beer selection by including the various glasses in the shot. To the Instagram follower, this makes The Mean Fiddler look like the place to knock a few pints back!
They say that the thing you need the most is always the most unexpected and right in front of you. This rings true for your business. When considering different ways to promote your business, people tend to want to go big...and end up spending too much time and/or money for gimmicks, rather than long-standing customer relationship management opportunities. We’ve discovered the secret to success. And the secret is, there's no secret. You need to look no further than your own venue. Your most valuable marketing opportunities already exist in your space. Here are 5 important ones:
Does your restaurant or bar have eclectic posters or hilarious sayings glowing in neon colors? Or how about inspiring quotes posted on the gym wall?
Crossfit Solace in New York City not only has funny inspirational quips drawn on its chalkboard outside but it also has quotes on the indoor walls. These quotes are gaining popularity on social media, causing people to stop on the street to check Solace out but also connect online.
These shouldn’t be seen as just cool aspects of the venue, they should be utilized in creating marketing content for your business. Bring attention to unique aspects such as cool indoor signage in your venue to inspire customers to take pictures and post online.
Where is one place in your restaurant virtually every single customer looks at for at least 5 minutes? The menu. So take advantage of the customer’s attention by making your menu a talking point for more than just a discussion of what can be ordered on the side.
At Benchmark, a bar in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood, the menu features pop culture quotes and music lyrics from Queen B herself.
Customers are now taking more than just a glance at the menu and not only reading more food and drink choices, an opportunity for more potential purchases, but also feeling entertained and hopefully want to share this fun feature with their friends online.
Listing your venue’s location on Google maps and Yelp is one thing, making your venue location top-of-mind to the consumer in an unique way is another!
Murphy's Bleachers in Chicago has a prime location right next to Wrigley Field. With the bustle of all different types of bars and restaurants in the area, Murphy's makes its presence known by posting content about its proximity to the field and eye-catching signage.
If you think about your venue’s location and how it can become more recognizable to the consumer, then you just utilized your location as free marketing tool. Whether your venue is located on the beach, is historical, or on a street with heavy foot traffic, point it out to your consumers so that your business is top-of-mind. What is a customer more likely to pick- a place they have to google the address for or the one that their friend just reminded them on social is easily around the corner from the bus stop?
Your employees are an extension of your brand. As the manager of the gym, are you constantly hearing about a personal trainer that goes above and beyond to encourage members? Is there a waitress that knows how to make a customer laugh all while delivering excellent service? Use these employee superstars to incentive more feet in the door. Highlight employee achievements on your business’s own social media as well as encourage customers to share their great experiences on their social media.
At Hammered Lamb in Orlando, Florida, employees do a great job interacting with the UPshow screen to promote deals, food specials and fun times. Coming from the employee's personal account, these posts seems more inviting and organic than if the brand itself was constantly promoting itself on social media.
Back in the day the TVs in your venue blasted sporting events and caught the gaze of distracted customers waiting for food at family dinner.
Don't be mediocre, use your television to interact with your customer. Having the UPshow screen encourages customers to grab their phone and post a picture up on the screen. This entertainment keeps customers in venue longer and also gives your venue social media content generated by the consumer.
You don’t have to look far and wide or spend big money to promote your business and turn customers into promoters- just look inside!
The Hammered Lamb, nestled near Lake Ivanhoe in Orlando, offers a plethora of cocktails and food options. Rain or shine, this Florida-based restaurant/bar holds trivia night, weekend DJs and select live music nights.
Because of the consumer-generated social traffic, the digital world is aware of The Hammered Lamb’s drink deals, employee interaction and atmosphere. Let's take a look at the UPshow Effect at The Hammered Lamb - highlighting a few posts that aren't just customer photos, they're customer promotions.
The Hammered Lamb promotes its "Sunday Bloody Mary Bar" on the website; however, the UPshow screen is also riddled with customer-generated Bloody Mary pictures. With actual customer's raving about The Hammered Lamb, these glamour shots of the best deal in town encourage others to check it out.
We love when the employees get involved with UPshow! Especially in the hospitality industry, employees are some of your most important brand ambassadors. Nothing's better than having superfans in the venue and employees have the ability to speak highly and post about the brand.
This customer-posted picture shows off The Hammered Lamb's delicious food. It also gives Instagrammers an overall impression of the venue and who's there. This social validation is priceless.
When is a hashtag, not just a hashtag? When that hashtag is #UPshow.
At its core, hashtags are used so people can find, follow and contribute to a topic or conversation around specific events (i.e. #SXSW), organizations (i.e. #ChicagoCubs), stories (i.e. #2016Election) and anything else people want to communicate about.
What makes #UPshow unique, is that it’s the very first #hashtag that isn’t a noun, but a verb. When #UPshow is used at a venue that uses UPshow, The Social Marketing Platform for In-venue TVs, action happens.
When a customer is at an UPshow venue they have an opportunity to become famous! When the customer takes a picture or a video, and posts on social media using the correct hashtags (i.e. #JimsBurgers and #UPshow) their picture or video will instantly appear on the screens, creating that jumbotron effect that everyone loves.
When a customer posts about a venue on social media, it’s great for business. So, business owners are eager to send a “thank you” to the customer. UPshow’s tools empower customers to receive special discounts and promotions, like half-off menu items, that can be used immediately while in-venue, or the next time you visit!
While the customer is enjoying their 15 seconds of fame, the business owner can enjoy all of the organic authentic WOM-marketing their customer just provided them. The only way customers get on the screen is by promoting your business to the hundreds or thousands of people who follow them on social media. Back in the day, we used to tell one person at a time that Jim’s Burgers are awesome! Now, we’re broadcasting to all of our followers, accompanied by a beautiful image or video. It’s WOM-marketing, but on steroids.
When customers use the UPshow hashtag at a venue, they are automatically populated in the business owner’s UPshow control panel. Here, business owners will see all of their customers who have #UPshow at their venue, sorted by the most frequent posted as well as the most influential. Business owners can easily re-market to these customers both automatically and manually to drive outcomes that are important: Build a relationship, get them to return to their business purchase additional items or anything else!
They say nothing is truly new anymore; only new improvements made on old ideas & technology.
And they have a point.
At the end of the day, what is a DM? It’s just the modern-day way of sending a message in a bottle with much more precision and less friction. The purpose and outcome is the same: Communicating to a loved one, friend, family, co-worker and ask the ever important question: “Sup?"
And aren't cave drawings the original #TBT?
The same can be said about Customer-Generated Content (CGC). It’s a concept as old as time: Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing.
Everyone (andwemeaneveryone. Seriouslyitjustkeepsgoing) agrees that word of mouth marketing is the best way to generate business. No matter how many ad buys or how much a brand pays Peyton Manning, nothing generates business more effectively than a trusted source saying, “Have you tried Epic Burger? It’s delicious."
And that’s what CGC is. A referral from a trusted source.
But much like the DM there are immense, game-changing improvements: Instead of telling to one person at a time that “Epic Burger is delicious”, your customers are broadcasting to hundreds or thousands of people at once.
Also:
- It is accompanied by a photo or video, which presents your product or service in a more impactful way
- There is a conversation thread which allows others to add their thoughts and/or ask questions
- The business can join in on the conversation
- It is easier for your customers to share this post to their own following.
- It is trackable, so you as the business can know who created the CGC
But don’t just take our word for it, look at some comparisons below:
Enjoy the laid back feel while throwing one back at Midtown Manhattan’s surf-themed pourhouse and kitchen, Point Break NYC.
With daily happy hour, this 3 level bar brings the perfect mix of after work relaxation and beach vibes.
Let's take a look at the UPshow Effect at Point Break NYC- highlighting a few posts that aren't just customer photos, they're customer promotions.
What better way to get across your bar’s overall vibe than having your customer post a pic for you? This Instagram picture shows Point Break NYC packed, lively and perfectly themed.
Have you ever wondered what type of people will be at the bar before you head out with your friends? That’s something they don’t tell you on Yelp! Good thing consumer posts show you who exactly is at the venue online. Not bad that one of Point Break’s drinks is shown off in the pic too!
The days of telling your friends about the awesome experience you had the other night is long gone! Instead, just post a pic on social media and the world sees the great time you’re having in the moment. Not only does this make the consumer feel super cool, it’s also showing off Point Break’s fun menu choices- with a stamp of approval from a trusted source.
Just like your mother told you to always say please and thank you, brands are always told to post timely social media content in appropriate brand voice. This is just polite social media engagement. But if you’re looking to have a booming and active social media presence, your brand has to engage and embrace consumer-generated content.
It may seem like nothing, but when a consumer geotags your location, hashtags your brand, or tags your brand in a post your potential visibility and social credibility has exploded far beyond your promotional post. When your business has an UPshow screen, it acts as an incentive for customers to throw up a post to their social channels and get on the screen. Check out just five reasons quality pictures your customers take and post on UPshow prove your brand is killing it:
Fear Of Missing Out. This isn’t just a popular hashtag, it’s a way of life. Picture this:
It’s Saturday night and you’re prepping for your usual weekend turnout. Once the night is in full swing and your expected customers have arrived, you overhear some patrons pointing at their phones, talking loudly about a different venue all their friends are at and posting on Instagram. They start to grab their jackets. Feel that? On social media, that feeling that you missed out on something great is amplified. No one wants to be the one missing out. When one of your customers posts a picture to UPshow’s TV all the customer’s followers will see it and rather than deal with tomorrow’s blues, those friends will head over to that business. Basically, the customers are doing the advertising.
Remember when Jennifer Aniston could splash some water on her face and you were instantly buying Aveeno’s wrinkle-free serum? Well, Jen has been set aside yet again because today digital influencers hold more power. A digital influencer has the power to claim what’s in and what’s out. Nothing says “add to bucket list” more than when an influencer posts about a business. Consumers love to see the everyday relatable content influencers post so when one posts about your business, you’re guaranteed fans will follow.
Back in the day, your parents bought the car they did because your grandparents told them it was the best choice. Today, people choose where to go out, where to eat and what to wear based on what their friends post on social media. This upgraded word of mouth marketing tells consumers they can trust your brand because their friend does.
Who doesn’t love a well-crafted Insta pic? What’s even better is that this picture is doing a lot more than you think.
Because the user has to tag your business to get onto UPshow, your location is noted for everyone viewing the post. This picture also shows a packed house. Social media is all about social reassurance and this picture is screaming, “Vida Vida is the place to catch the game louder than those guys are yelling, touchdown!”
Have you ever been to a venue with the autographed celebrity photo wall of fame? UPshow is the business’s digital wall of fame with a twist! More than a good celeb shot, people love being the center of attention. That’s why having your post on UPshow is so great for the customer. What’s great for you is that this moment of fame has not only encouraged said customer to come back for more but also brought the customer into your social databases to be marketed towards for more purchases.
When you step into Bottled Blonde get ready for a rustic modern twist on that’s amore. This pizzeria and beer garden in the trendy River North Chicago neighborhood gives a modern nod to traditional Italian plates as well as a German bier garden, which gives it a hopping night scene.
UPshow allows that scene to come to life on the big screen (well at least the 65 HDTVs located inside the bar and restaurant!). Let's take a look at the UPshow Effect at Bottled Blonde - highlighting a few posts that aren't just customer photos, they're customer promotions.
This Instagram picture, tagging Bottled Blonde, not only shows the restaurant’s customers having a great time but it also tells the world of Instagram that Bottled Blonde is the place to be for a good time.
This Instagram pic shows off Bottled Blonde’s delicious food! Meanwhile, some Insta scroller has stopped in his/her tracks with a growling stomach around dinnertime after seeing this. Best of all, this Insta scroller is getting the message "this pizza is freakin awesome!" from a trusted source, which is way more impactful than hearing it from the brand.
And nothing is better than having your own customers place your logo right in their picture. This picture blasted on social media by Bottled Blonde's own customer displays the venue and acts as free marketing!
With UPshow, Bottled Blonde is creating a social image just as smashing as its night scene!
Partner Name: Bottle and Bottega Fort Wayne
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Bottle and Bottega is a creative experience where painters of any level can enjoy wine and turn a blank canvas into art. An instructor walks the class through the painting step by step and by the end of the night they end up with a masterpiece.
UPshow has great service and an educated troubleshoot staff to boot. In addition to their tips I added my own simple secret: anybody who posts 3 times during a painting event receives a chocolate truffle from a popular local company. It works!
— Bob Lebamoff, Owner
