Since the launch of its application for iPhone and Android devices in December, CKE Restaurants? Hardee?s and Carl?s Jr. rolled out an ambitious marketing strategy to raise awareness and promote downloads of the app.

The fast food chains are finding that mobile advertising is tremendously successful, as the app has made it as high as No. 4 or 5 of all the free apps in the App Store. The advertising has ensured the app is solidly in the top ten.

?In late April and early May we will start promoting the app heavily in restaurants via merchandising,? said Brad J. Rosenberg, manager of digital strategy and marketing at CKE Restaurants, Carpinteria, CA. ?So whether the customer is going through the drive-through or coming into the restaurants, they will receive a small flyer that says they can download Happy Star Rewards to earn free food and prizes.

?Additionally, we expect to have other signage in the restaurant such as the sheet that is used to line the trays, which will also promote downloads of the Happy Star Rewards app,? he said.

The application was launched to drive consumers in-store via Happy Star Rewards, a GPS-enabled loyalty program that rewards users for checking in at the fast-food chains? locations across the United States. The application is an extension of the brands? social media strategy.

Both the Carl?s Jr. and Hardee?s Twitter streams regularly tweet contests and challenges and reward its Foursquare mayors to provide additional incentives.

Happy Star Rewards is an extension of Carl?s Jr. and Hardee?s social media program, but also an easier loyalty card, one that does not have to be carried on a key chain or in a wallet.

Promotion
Phase one of the app roll out was for core fans. Phase two is mobile advertising to let people outside of the fan base know that it is out there.

?At first we promoted to our core fans, to the people who we know and like our brand and our active users, taking the online communities like Facebook, YouTube and the brand site, as well as our email list, and promoting it to them,? Mr. Rosenberg said.

CKE has partnered with Jumptap and Flurry for the mobile advertising campaigns to promote the app to people outside of its fan base.

App usage is quite successful amongst those who download.

For every five check-ins consumers are rewarded with a mobile coupon. Hardee?s and Carl?s Jr. have seen a 36 percent redemption of mobile coupons on the spot.

?We were confident of the app?s success because of the increasing use of smartphone users,? Mr. Rosenberg said.

?The mobile ads at one point helped us pass Facebook and an Angry Birds version,? he said. ?That kind of speaks to the success of the advertising we started.?

Dan Butcher reported for this story.