Fast food giant Arby?s is spreading the word about its new healthy meal options with a mobile advertising campaign.

Arby?s is using the mobile ads in conjunction with a larger marketing effort including Web, television and social media efforts. The Arby?s mobile ads are running inside the Elle mobile site.

?Mobile advertising allows businesses to create a complete connected experience from the advertisement to the actual purchase,? said Alex Kutsishin, president of FiddleFly Inc., Columbia, MD.

?By utilizing second-screen media, the message being pushed to customers can travel with them, creating a whole new medium to keep them engaged and informed long after the initial message is received,? he said.

?An event such as a product launch is a perfect opportunity of take advantage of this connectivity in order to offer customers useful information. It is not unlike couponing, except that mobile gives you the ability to push the offer directly to people who like your brand, or are close to your location, or both.?

Mr. Kutsishin is not affiliated with Arby?s. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Arby?s did not respond to press enquiries.

Healthy hunger
The Arby?s mobile ads promote the chain?s pecan chicken salad sandwich, which is a limited-time menu option.

The mobile banner ads features a photo of the sandwich with a button that reads, ?Get one now? next to it.

When clicked on, the page redirects to Arby?s mobile site. At first, consumers are asked if it is OK to use their location. Otherwise, users can enter their ZIP code to find the nearest location.

Users can then view a list of nearby Arby?s locations via the mobile site. Consumers can view the restaurants on a map, find directions or call the restaurant directly.

Consumers can then view other food items or sign-up for Arby?s extras, the chain?s loyalty program. By filling out the page with their contact information, users can receive a free roast beef sandwich with the purchase of a drink and also opt-in to Arby?s SMS program.

Users can find an Arby's location using their location

Quick service
Arby?s is only the latest in a long string of quick service restaurants to use mobile advertising to drive in-store traffic about current offers and promotions.

For instance, McDonald?s recently used a mobile campaign to promote its dollar menu options with a mobile game where users had to unscramble a word. In addition to playing the game, users were also able to find the nearest McDonald?s using their device?s GPS (see story).

Additionally, KFC used mobile advertising as part of a multichannel push to market its chicken pot pie items (see story).

For fast food restaurants such as Arby?s, mobile advertising gives consumers an actionable way to learn about a new product that can in turn, increase sales.

?The consumers of the QSR products are mobile themselves, and in some ways spur of the moment,? Mr. Kutsishin said.

?So incorporating a means to engage from anywhere at any time provides a much more effective way to connect with customers when and where they are likely to seek you out,? he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York