 |
| BK menu on 39th & 7th Ave in New York. |
Advertising can’t solve all of your brand’s problems. Many other factors play an important part as well. Sometimes - as shown in this story - even with all four ‘P’ (price, place, promotion, product) in place, success is not guaranteed.
EXAMPLE 1: THE SLOW
The King has what a fashion brand would call a ‘flagship store’ on 39th Street & 7th Avenue, right in the heart of Manhattan’s fashion district. About a year ago, the old joint got an expensive overhaul, and a quite revolutionary concept (within the BK universe) was launched: the customizable burger. The options are more than enough, Prices are great, the Place is contemporary and fresh, Burger King’s Promotions/ads are fun and cool, and the Product is good, with the caveat that it’s fast food.
Within the fast food industry, that would seem to be enough to leave the competition behind. Yet in Manhattan, where two dozens of lunch options can be found in almost any one block radius, you need to do better. Gladly though, the direct competition (no, not McD) is only a block away, on 40th & Broadway – a brand new burger concept place called ‘The Counter’.
Enter BK. 1pm. Lunchtime peak. The previously 4Ps absorbed, I’m waiting in line – a way too long line for a fast food joint. Only two of the four cash registers open, the order taking progresses in a graceful manner, and watching the service staff cope with the challenge of assembling not a cookie cutter burger order, but individually unique meat towers, one can only admire the peacefulness and calm in their workflow. It’s like watching a cooking show in slow motion.
Summary: a shiny storefront, and flashy LCD displays can’t make up for the lack of excitement and passion in this joint. Somehow you get the impression they are trying to sell you an old product in a new packaging. If you’re product is standard fast food, then you’d better be fast.
 |
| Passion in a bun: The Counter on 40th & Broadway. |
EXAMPLE 2: THE GOOD
Enter ‘The Counter’. Only one block away, the place is packed beyond capacity (BK was at about 25% capacity). The people waiting in line here don’t seem to bother. A look at the menu: wow! What a difference. Not just the sheer number of options (5 meats, 12 cheeses, 30 toppings, 21 sauces, 6 buns), but also the factor that it’s all fresh, natural, hormone and antibiotics free, tells you that someone here really cares about burgers.
Add another ‘P’ to the marketing mix: Passion. Go see for yourself, take a bite, and you will understand what BK is lacking: the pride and the intrinsic motivation and identification of its staff with its product. Advertising can’t buy that. A nice store can’t buy that. It comes from within. If you care, your customers will notice, and subsequently they will care about you.
Summary: great differentiation from all the fast food chains armed with multi-million dollar budgets, and furthermore from all the delis and bars and grills that throw greasy burgers out there. Betterburger may have had a chance to do the same, but somewhere along the way they lost that special something.
No comments:
Post a Comment