Picture the sun warming your face as you listen to waves lapping on the beach. You look out at the water and you are amped because you see a righteous wave coming in that you can not wait to ride ? even if it probably means you will end with a wipeout that sends you back to the beach.

Just as you are about to grab your board you hear, “How may I help you?” and you realize you are not at the beach but standing in line at Malibu Subs, the newest dining venue at the University of Southern California (USC).

"I like to call it eater-taining” said creator and director Michael Gratz of the award-winning Hospitality Services Division at USC.

Bringing Malibu to life

The surfer theme, which was developed by Gratz and his team at USC, is true to the lifestyle of the region and makes students feel at home, thus creating a connection with Malibu. But it was not until they began working with Epicure Digital Systems that their brand came to life, both visually and emotionally, through high- tech digital marketing ? marketing that helped drive the brand of Malibu Subs in terms of building relationships and convincing customers they were buying a high quality product.

"We looked at avenues on how to help bring this brand to life," said Gratz. "We looked at the successful sub brands out there and realized they were lacking in terms of building a customer connection. We looked at digital signage as a way to bond with the people at USC."

Matching brand to clientele

Epicure brand identity system involves every area from menu development and design to digital signage, motion graphics and promotion, to name a few.

"The digital menu board makes an immediate connection with the customer," said Gratz. "The initial draw is the signage, which gives the atmosphere the feeling of being a happening place.

"Digital menu boards give operators the ability to change menu items instantly, which is costly with traditional static boards. For example, Gratz said that they will look into adding hot sandwiches in the winter and possibly new vegetable selections in the spring, all of which will be easy to manipulate digitally.

"It is about romancing the brand," said Gratz, "visually stimulating with the screen and creating a unique sandwich."

This article is excerpted from Digital Signage Today published on Jan 23, 2006.