SiriusBusiness/AMTC is really making the rounds lately, having recently signed with Wendy's International to provide a select number of Sirius channels into the burger joints.
Wendy's restaurants around the country will be able to select from 67 music channels to play while people eat their Spicy Chicken Sandwichs and Frostys (a late-night drunken favorite for college students nationwide). Wendy's operates about 6,000 chains nationwide, so this is a significant deal.
It's also signficant because satellite radio is the type of product that needs to be sampled before consumers decide they want to buy it. The more exposure, the better.
[via Gizmodo]
Does is provide "exposure"? I've noticed a couple of places playing it on their DISH systems and SIRIUS shows up on the screen. But does the commercial radio service have promos for Sirius in it?
I was thinking XM's commercial streams were pretty much talk free. No?
I doubt Wendy's or any fast food chain that spends so much time on standardizing their dining room look and feel is going to let store staff decide which of 67 channels will be played.
Having some past-life experience in fast food, I'd wager the receivers will be locked on one "mix" channel, or maybe a special promo channel created for Wendy's with ads sprinkled in. Otherwise, what's the point?
Are wendy's stores franchises like a lot of McDonald's or are they all corporate owned. Either way wouldn't store managers have a sense on what station they can put on and not have to worry about corporate?
all these PR's about sirius. But .. Hello XM where are you? Locally I have 4 applebees that have XM 80's channel playing. I do not know if this is chain wide or not. but where is the PR? is there any deal with XM who does the same exact thing? BTW. exposure is great, But in a burger joint? Fast Food? your not there to relax/Enjoy or "hang out" Well, we will see if this helps sirius. I do not think it will benifit them much.
I was goingto wait to buy more SIRI but this is newsbreaking and will do doubt move the stock.....NOT.
How desperate is Siri ( and XM for that matter ) that shit news releases are dropped only to obscure what promises to be "supersized " loses soon to be announced.
I pity the fool that issues these releases at Sirius. We know the game. Go make money and shup up already.
In any fast food chain, not all stores are corporate owned. The ones that are franchised have to follow a mountain of rules about what they can and can't do.
McDonald's, for example, had a long-time ban on payphones, jukeboxes, arcade games, etc inside the dining rooms of their stores. Period. Old man Kroc didn't want people loitering around. Eat and get out.
Obviously times have changed and you see phones inside stores (note that they're in the vestible, NOT the store proper), TVs on the wall, and games in the playlands, but you know there are still a load of rules that they have to follow.
I can guarantee Wendy's isn't going to give stores the ability to play uncensored rap inside their dining rooms.
Not too good news. Almost the entire Sirius service is uncensored. You hear uncensored music often, and f-bombs occasionaly from DJ's on non-vulgar stations. Guess Sirius will have to censor everything to please the burger joint.
Sigh.
Personally, it is a good thing for Sirius. It gives them more exposure. Some people while eating will notice and the brain dead ones won't. Adverstising is advertising. The more audience you reach, the more people will react. As far as channels, I'm sure they will be permitted to play those channels that have been deemed to be P.C. worthy (starlight, 60's, 70's, 80's, pulse, jazz cafe, super shuffle, chill, spa 73,etc).
And to the guy that said whoever puts out the press releases should focus on making money, what do you think they are doing? They release info to the masses. When people hear the name Sirius, some will react and become subscribers and some won't. This is their job. Just because you are obtuse and would never have the intelligence to obtain such a coveted position, don't blaim them (they got the job and you don't). Please stop speaking and go bury your head in sand. Let the intelligent and cognisant run the world.
Has everyone forgotten that this is not meant to be ALL about the benefit to Sirius subscriber growth? This is just another business deal that AMTC has brokered on behalf of Sirius. The 67 channels are all censored channels, and Wendy's is a franchise store. This means that the store will have a small choice on what they get to play, but most will pick the hits 1 or super shuffle to make it easy.
Sirius' name will be said every once in a while which will be good for the company, but all in all this was just another business deal made.
1. Wendy's has about half corporate and half franchised stores. The deal will be in most of the corporate stores and franchisees are signing up like wildfire, too.
2. Most of the major Applebee's franchisee corporations are playing SIRIUS or Muzak, and they're transitioning away from Muzak.
3. XM for Business is almost nonexistant - they don't pitch it anywhere near as strongly. Additionally, they try to handle it themselves, with the same sales reps and support staff they use for consumer subscriptions, whereas SIRIUS went out and signed a partner to do it that specializes in dealing with business clients. It's a market XM is hoping will fall to them, but one they are ill-equipped to capture and aren't really even trying for.
4. For those thinking the releases are trying to pump SIRI stock - read the release! It's not SIRI releasing it, but the business partner of SIRI, AMTC.
5. The release says 'select channels' - their subscription will have a subset of the 67 music channels, and the store manager can choose one of the dozen or so approved channels. This is how many large companies do satrad subscriptions.
I guess it won't just be the burgers that repeat on you....
Sorry Wendy's, but this demonstrates that you think your burgers and fries don't taste as good unless they are accompanied by a Phil Collins CD. This demonstrates that you believe your burgers can't stand up on their own.
Just food for thought.