Restaurant Marketing Blog

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Restaurant Marketing: Sean D’Souza has been one of my favorite marketers for years. He wrote this piece many years ago and I always bring it out at this time of the year to share with my clients. His site is: www.psychotactics.com and his famous Santa article is here where you can download the full version. For those in a rush, here’s a summary.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way…
If you go to the heart of Santa’s marketing, the one word you come away with is ‘consistency’. Does it make sense to consistently occupy one niche? You bet it does! Families go out with their kids to McDonald’s. These kids sprout into budget-conscious teenagers that hang out at McDonald’s. They have kids and grand kids and guess where they all end up. At the big yellow ‘M’, that’s where! Santa doesn’t waiver. His customers are kids.

—————————————————————————
You Can Spot Him in the Middle of a Crowded Sky
Do you know anyone who comes to visit on a sleigh in the middle of the night? With reindeer and gifts? The reason why Santa stands out so vividly in our memories is because he’s different. Customers have just one slot in their mind. You have to enter that slot at such an obtuse angle that they remember you for life.

—————————————————————————
Give and You Shall Receive
How many of you are out there networking like crazy? Trying desperately to fill in your steadily depleting bank reserves? You want, want, want! Take a look at Santa’s style. He’s into giving first. If you probe deep into your mind, you’ll find the people you like best are those who have given you their time, their money or their knowledge. You trust them, and it’s very hard to say no when they ask you for a favour in return.

—————————————————————————
He Knows if You’ve Been Bad or Good…
Heck Santa knows his customers. He even knows when you are sleeping, or awake.
Then, there’s you. Look at your biggest customer. What’s her name? When is her birthday? Does she like Indian curries or sushi? In curries can she handle hot or medium? What does she think about you? What doesn’t she like? You’re guessing for sure. You can’t be dead certain because you’ve been so busy looking at dollar signs that you’ve missed the plot completely. The reason why Santa’s marketing works is because he intimately knows your individual needs. If you want a drum kit, you get one. If you want a Barbie, you don’t end up sulking with a xylophone. Santa knows because he’s interested in giving. To give, you have to know exactly what the receiver wants or your gift is not worth the packaging it’s wrapped in.

—————————————————————————
Once a Customer, Always a Customer
Santa Doesn’t Lose Customers. Period.
One of the primary reasons why he’s able to achieve this amazing feat is because he thinks of his customer’s customer. His customer is the kid, who in a few years gets a little wiser about Santa and his customer’s customer is the parent who has the amazing power to get their children to be nice not naughty, if only for a short while.

###

Posted by jcohen in
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Restaurant Marketing: I’m often asked, “What do I talk to my restaurant guests about? What else can I talk about instead of saying that same, lame old thing—is everything okay?”

Restaurant Marketing: Here are 6 great openers that will get a conversation with your guests started and flowing:

1. Clothing: When you spot a guest wearing something attractive or unique, say- “I really like your tie (example). Did you get that in this area?”

2. Sports: When you spot a guest wearing a hat, shirt, or jacket bearing the logo of a sports team, ask- “Are you a Giants fan?” (example)

3. Kids: When you spot a family with young kids/teens, ask- “What school do you go to?” “Do you go to Leesville High?” (example)

4. Babies: When you spot parents with a new born, ask- “How young is your baby?”

5. Electronics: When you spot a table with a camera, a blackberry, gameboy, ask- “How do you like your blackberry?” (example)

6. Restaurant or Product Differentiation Story: When you can’t figure out what to say, just introduce yourself and give the guest a business card and an invitation to come back. Also tell a unique story about the restaurant or the product.

Posted by jcohen in • Restaurant Marketing
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink