Tag Archives: Reality checks

July 13, 2018 · 1:01 pm

Bad Boys And Brands

Happy Foodie Friday! There’s been a food-related story making the headlines this week and I think it reflects something that can be useful to any of us in business. The founder and chairman of Papa Johns Pizza had to step down this week after he admitted to using the N-word in a company conference call. It has sparked a public relations crisis and it’s not the first one his actions have caused. You might remember that he also weighed in on the controversy surrounding NFL players and their kneeling during the national anthem. While he certainly wasn’t the first sponsor to criticize a league, doing so over an issue that went way beyond the league itself resulted in a public relations issue for the brand.

While I’ve never been a fan of Papa John’s pizza, his bad behavior made me all the more certain I’d never eat it again. One person whose food I am a fan of is Mario Batali. Even so, I’ll not be going to any restaurant associated with him. His bad behavior caused him to “step back” from his restaurant empire following the first public allegations of sexual misconduct. That was followed up by a 60 Minutes story. Even so, he hadn’t completely divested himself of a financial interest, and that certainly affected the brand, so much so that three of his restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip are set to close even though they were doing well.  The local partner in these restaurants, Las Vegas Sands Corp., decided to end the relationship with Batali’s organization.

Why do I bring this up? Because every one of us in business is a celebrity on some level. We might be nationally known or maybe it’s just our customers, partners or employees who consider us famous. Our actions can enhance or damage our personal and corporate brands every day and we need to remember that no incident remains quiet or hidden for very long. Nearly every person is holding a camera and a video recorder in their hands and bad behavior rarely goes unnoticed or unpublicized.

There was a restaurant I patronized on a regular basis. The food was OK if unextraordinary, the prices were reasonable but the owner was a great guy. I loved spending a little while with him every time I went and I kept going back because he took great care of me as well as did good things in our community. We are our brands, and how we act can damage that brand as badly as a misplaced ad or a faulty product. Enjoy your weekend!

 

Leave a comment

Filed under food, Helpful Hints, Reality checks

Tagged as , , , , , ,

July 11, 2018 · 11:34 am

Quit Nagging Me To Death

I’ll state at the outset that I’ve always had a thing about being nagged. It’s probably a mother issue that stems from my tendency to procrastinate or maybe I’m just a rebel at heart. Either way, I don’t like being nagged. You probably have some sensitivity to it yourself.

With that in mind, I’m here to remind all of us that nagging is just as bad as a marketing tactic. Instead of the desired result (a sale), it might lead to the exact opposite (a cancellation, a return, or a vow never to do business with you again). Let me give you an example.

I received yet another email the other day from one of the golf publications to which I’ve subscribed for at least a decade. The email said in big bold letters that

This is your LAST CHANCE to renew your subscription and give a FREE gift.

OMG! I don’t want to miss an issue so I’d better renew right now! Except it’s a lie – my subscription doesn’t expire for well over a year. I went back and looked in my email trash and on average, they send me an email every 3 days urging me to renew. This is on top of the physical mail they send enclosed in an envelope with each month’s magazine as well as the occasional piece of stand-alone snail mail. Enough! Basta! Genug!

Fortunately for them, I enjoy the publication so I’m not going to cancel, but there are a few things any of us can learn from their constant nagging. First, I’ve become numb to whatever they send me. I toss the snail mail and I delete the emails, unopened. I can read the mailing label to see when my subscription really does need renewing. Second, the offer they’re extending really doesn’t benefit me. It’s not a particularly different renewal rate and none of my golfing friends are musing that their lives would be better if only they had a subscription to this magazine. It only benefits the publication – they get a renewal and a new subscriber at a low cost of acquisition. Presumably, they’ll start nagging my friend soon after the first issue arrives.

This publication is far from the only nagger in my life. Amazon’s daily emails, several golf schools, and many others continue to send me nagging messages every day. I do unsubscribe, of course, but new naggers seem to take their place. The messages seem cold and impersonal to me since most of them aren’t personalized beyond the name. I appreciate that people who put things in shopping carts and leave your site might need a little reminder to finish their order or that when you truly have something special going on it’s to the consumer’s benefit to know, but the daily barrage of crap just makes people numb at best or angry at worst.  Deliver value to the consumer. Educate them about your product without nagging them to buy. Explain the benefits in their terms. And don’t nag. After all, nagging is the leading cause of divorce and you can’t have customers divorcing you! What do you think?

1 Comment

Filed under digital media, Huh?, Reality checks

Tagged as , , , , ,

June 29, 2018 · 9:50 am

Eating At Mom’s

This Foodie Friday, I’d like you to think of your favorite restaurants. How many of them are national chains and how many of them are family-owned? How many of them serve “fancy” food and how many of them serve great versions of something you might find on your grandmother’s table? I’m willing to bet that most of your favorites are local and cook what your Italian or Chinese or Jewish grandmother might make.

Independent restaurants are growing twice as fast as chains, and there are reasons for this, according to Pentallect a research firm. Consumers rate independent restaurants as more superior on 12 of 15 attributes studied. Consumers see the independents as sharing consumers’ values and offering quality food and better service. They’re special, community-oriented and offering personalized service.

There’s a breakfast joint I go to. It’s a little cafe in the small downtown area here. Yes, there are franchised diners, Waffle Houses, and the breakfast offerings of many chains around, but you’ll find me eating at this place for precisely the reasons found in the study. Two visits and from then on I’ve been greeted as if I’ve lived here forever. I’m asked about my golf game and Michigan Football. The food is quite good but not at all fancy. What does this have to do with your business?

Unless they’re going out for a big, fancy meal, I think people like to feel as if they’re eating at Mom’s. It’s nice when you’re traveling that you can count on a chain to offer you exactly the same experience no matter what but the food is usually bland, a dumbed-down example of the good stuff. Pastrami at Subway? No thanks. You need to convey both the authenticity and good feeling one gets when pulling up a chair at a great local joint. It’s not fancy, it’s just good. You’re welcomed as family and not with some script developed back at corporate. Let your customers take their time. I find I’m rarely rushed at a local place while the chains are focused on “turns.” Would Mom kick you away from the table?

How does your business make customers feel like family? How are your products different from what the big guys offer? How are they better? Those are the things that I’ll bet make the local joint you thought of when I asked the question your favorite. How can you be that for your customers?

Leave a comment

Filed under food, Helpful Hints, Thinking Aloud

Tagged as , , , ,