Innovation

🍗 Starbird Chicken, in partnership with GiftAMeal, launched a social media-based charity initiative in late 2023 in Los Angeles, which expanded systemwide in 2024. Customers scan a QR code and share a meal photo, prompting a donation to a local food bank. This program has already provided 10,000 meals and generated over 250,000 social media impressions. Starbird's program reaches seven local food banks in Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas. The initiative is linked with Starbird’s guest feedback platform, Tattle, showing higher satisfaction scores from participating guests.

💰 Boostly, an SMS marketing solutions provider for restaurants, secured $22 million in a Series A funding round, following a $5.6 million Seed round six months prior. The capital will accelerate innovation and expansion for restaurant owners to enhance revenue using first-party customer data. Boostly's platform, with over 1,200 restaurant locations in the U.S. and Canada, offers a marketing system with engagement rates 10x higher than standard texts and accelerates SMS subscriber opt-in 5x faster than traditional methods. The company was founded by Shane and Mikey Murphy, who have a background in restaurant technology. Boostly emphasizes easy use with automated campaigns generating millions in revenue and thousands of customer reviews.

📣 Google introduced Hotel Center Feeds on Feb 11, 2025, to streamline hospitality marketing. This feature integrates real-time data into Google Search Ads, enhancing their relevance with automatic updates of rates and availability. Campaigns using this tool reported up to a 20% increase in click-through rates since May 2024. The service is available in major countries, including the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, Japan, and supports multiple languages.

🏖 Feb 11, 2025 - TikTok emerges as a significant player in the travel industry, influencing trip planning and bookings, especially among 70% of Gen Z users. It ranks as the world’s fourth-largest search engine. Brands partner with TikTok to create authentic content that drives direct bookings or app downloads. TikTok's viral trends, like “Skip to the Good Part,” lead to a flywheel effect, spurring spontaneous travel, particularly in Southeast Asia.