The Takeaway
Swig used a restaurant billboard flight to promote a grand opening for a new location. The campaign put the brand in front of local drivers who did not follow the shop on social, and helped drive one of the most successful grand-opening turnouts the team had seen. Dylan Roeder, on Swig’s marketing team, credits the boards for expanding reach beyond the existing following.
Why Swig Turned to Billboard Advertising
Swig is a Utah-based soda-and-cookies restaurant whose drink mixes have become a local favorite. Most of the shop’s marketing lived on social. That worked for existing fans, but made it harder to reach people who did not already follow the brand.
For a grand opening, the team needed a channel that reached drivers, commuters, and locals who had never seen a Swig post. A well-placed billboard for restaurant marketing was the obvious answer. As Dylan Roeder put it, “Blip is underutilized for restaurants. When you see a billboard advertising food locally, you can be spontaneous and grab a drink.”
How Swig Built Its Billboard Campaign
Dylan set up the flight through Blip’s self-serve platform so the campaign could run on the same short timeline as the grand-opening promotion.
- Boards selected: Local placements around the new location, chosen to reach drivers on their normal commutes.
- Creative approach: Simple restaurant billboard design leading with the Swig brand and the grand-opening details.
- Set-up: Managed through Blip’s self-serve marketplace. No agency, no contract.
- Cross-channel role: Boards ran alongside Swig’s social so the same audience saw the news, and new drivers saw it too.
The Creative
The design led with the brand and the grand-opening details. For other restaurant teams planning their own artwork, Blip’s billboard design guidelines cover what reads at driving speed.
What Swig’s Campaign Delivered
The grand opening was one of the most successful turnouts the team had seen. The boards did what social media alone could not: reach drivers, commuters, and locals who did not follow the shop online.
That is what a well-timed billboard restaurant flight can trigger during a launch. The brand becomes visible to a new audience, and social keeps working on the existing one. As Dylan put it, boards are underutilized in the restaurant category. When they run alongside each other, the two channels compound rather than compete, and a grand opening reaches a wider community than either could on its own.
Blip is an incredibly affordable and logical addition to our marketing strategy. You can use social media to extend your reach, but once you get to a certain point, it is harder to scale. That is why we decided to use billboards.
Dylan Roeder, Swig Marketing Team
Why This Campaign Worked
- Reached a new audience: Boards reached drivers and locals who had never encountered the shop on social.
- Grand-opening timing: The flight ran right when the brand had a specific reason to be visible.
- Local placement: Placements around the new location put the ad on the drives that mattered most.
- Complementary to social: Existing followers saw the grand-opening news on social; new drivers saw it on the board.
What Restaurant Owners Can Take From This Campaign
Independent restaurants planning a launch can put these ideas to work:
- Use out-of-home to reach the audience social does not: A billboard for restaurant traffic reaches drivers who never scroll your feed.
- Time the flight to the launch window: Grand openings are the natural moment for a first restaurant billboard buy.
- Keep restaurant billboard design simple: Brand, event, address, done. Save the menu for the shop window.
- Pair with social: Existing followers see the launch on social; the boards recruit the new audience.
Run a Restaurant Billboard Campaign Like Swig’s
Time the flight to your grand opening, place the boards around the new location, and use out-of-home to reach the drivers your social doesn’t.
Frequently Asked Questions About Swig’s Billboard Campaign
What did Swig use billboards for?
Swig used a billboard restaurant flight to promote a grand opening for a new location and reach an audience beyond its existing social following.
Did the campaign lift attendance?
Yes. Swig reported one of the most successful grand-opening turnouts the team had seen.
What restaurant billboard design works best for a launch?
Brand, event, address, and one line. A launch flight has to work fast, and a simple restaurant billboard design carries at driving speed.
Is out-of-home worth it for an independent restaurant?
Dylan Roeder describes billboards as underutilized in the restaurant category. Paired with social, they reach the audience that social alone cannot.
Do I need a contract to run a billboard for restaurant marketing?
No. There are no contracts and no minimums. You pick the boards, the schedule, and the spend.