How a restaurant could have turned a catastrophe into an opportunity

A couple of weeks ago my colleague, Megan Lane, wrote about businesses that have problems dealing with marketing campaigns that are “too successful.” This week, my wife and I experienced that situation first-hand.

One of our favorite local Chinese restaurant chains offered a “2 Entrees for $10” special in honor of its 10th anniversary. When we pulled into the parking lot, I was pleasantly surprised to see a fair amount of vehicles but plenty of spaces still available. Once inside, we discovered why.

Earlier that evening, the promotion attracted so many people, the restaurant shut down its dining room. “The kitchen couldn’t handle it,” was the only explanation the hostess gave us. We could still order takeout, but it would be a minimum 90-minute wait. Sorry, but I didn’t cool my heels that long for Springsteen tickets. There was no apology as we headed for the door (possibly for the last time).

Clearly, this establishment was unprepared for the onslaught of guests and they panicked. Shutting down the dining room was the only “solution” they could come up with when things began to spiral out of control. Cooler heads and a little creative thinking could have turned this into a win for everyone. Instead, I’m sure we’re not the only regulars feeling alienated and disappointed.

Here are a few ideas they could have implemented on-the-fly.

Post a sign in the window – Allowing customers to walk in and get ambushed by bad news was a big mistake. A little advance warning could have softened the blow.

Manager – Where was this guy? He left the staff to do the dirty work – and didn’t even prep them properly. I’m picturing him cowering in the back until closing time.

Apology – A few sincere words could have made a big difference.

Complimentary beverages – For those choosing to wait for take-out, a free cold drink would have been a nice gesture.

Bounce-back coupons – Here was a genuine missed opportunity. You’ve got a room full of loyal patrons (becoming less loyal by the second). Why not print up some home-made flyers giving them a chance to redeem the same special anytime during August? Or the manager could write it on the back of his business card. Oh, wait. See above.

Obviously, in the grand scheme of things, this is a minor annoyance. But one that could have been easily avoided. They’re lucky I don’t own the Mexican food place across the parking lot. I would have passed out coupons to all the upset customers on their way out. That’s guerilla marketing at its finest.

Brian Rouff is the managing partner at Imagine Marketing.
Contact Brian at brouff@imnv.com

Selling yourself through other people’s products

I recently purchased a swimsuit from a Florida-based retailer. I realize we’re nearly halfway through summer already, but it’s Vegas. I figure I still have a good three to four months of use I can get out of my new suit this year.

To my delight, I received my swimsuit by mail this week. Better yet, as a marketer, I was even more delighted to see promotional flyers included in my package, all of which were from outside companies who sold moisturizers, jewelry and ceramic figurines. I tried to resist browsing through the flyers, but to no avail. All flyers were read thoroughly – except for the figurine piece. (Ceramics aren’t my thing.)

The swimwear company, and its partner advertisers, snagged me. They successfully targeted their demographic of 30-something women who somewhat take an interest in their appearance. Therefore, I browsed.

There’s a good lesson to reiterate from my experience, one that is often overlooked by businesses, and that is the importance of knowing your audience and finding partnership opportunities that provide you access to your audience. The opportunities are always there if you look hard enough.

In my case, they got me and got me good. (I expect to receive my moisturizers via mail next week.)

*Blog originally appeared at: The Biz-E Gal: Life as a Marketing Pro & Parent

Amber Stidham is the director of strategic planning at Imagine Marketing.
Contact Amber at astidham@imnv.com

Diversification can save your bacon

During the ancient days of marketing – roughly three years ago – I believed that businesses should focus on a very narrow set of skills, products and services. That philosophy had always served me and my clients well during my three decades in the field.

Recent economic developments have led me to rethink my position. While companies like Southwest Airlines and In-N-Out Burger continue to outperform their competition by concentrating on a few things, I’ve come to realize it’s a potentially risky position for the rest of us mortals.

Here at Imagine Marketing, through a combination of luck, necessity and design, we’ve managed to dodge a whole machine gun full of bullets by being diversified. Diversification means different things to different people. Recently, I read an investment book that said if you put all your money into stocks and mutual funds, even if they run the gamut from small caps to index funds, you’re not really diversified. It helps to be in real estate, commodities, gold and silver, etc. If one or more sectors take a dive, the hope is that another will pick up the slack.

Imagine Marketing, as far as I can tell, is diversified in these areas:

Clientele – Marketing firms that relied heavily on gaming, automotive and construction have seen those large-scale clients evaporate. For good or for bad, we were never a major player in those arenas. Our clients are all over the board: medical, legal, HR, architecture, sports, engineering, financial, retail, education, government, nonprofit, union and more. While some have been hit very hard, others have taken advantage of new opportunities. And we like to think we’ve helped.

Expertise – We’re good at a lot of different stuff. (As Muhammad Ali once said, “It ain’t bragging if you can back it up.”) Some of the areas where we excel include strategic planning, graphic design, copy writing, public and media relations, social media, facilitation, training, public outreach, video production, animation and consultation. Oh, and we’re nice people to work with (if I do say so myself).

Geography – For those of us who have called Las Vegas home for many years, it’s hard to believe that other parts of the country are doing much better than we are. Thanks to virtual-this and e-that, there’s no reason we can’t ply our trade anywhere. Which is exactly what we’ve been doing.

People – Our team couldn’t be more different in personality, temperament, strengths, weaknesses, skills and work styles. Some of us are “shoot first and ask questions later” types, while others process everything, and I do mean everything, through the analytical meat grinder. But together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish. I wouldn’t want it any other way. You couldn’t have a bunch of people like me, for example, or they’d multitask their way into oblivion.

So diversification has saved our bacon on more than one occasion. Of course, we have to be ever-vigilant about not losing focus. But that certainly beats losing business.

Brian Rouff is the managing partner at Imagine Marketing.
Contact Brian at brouff@imnv.com