I have traveled much of the world on business and personal. I have dined in restaurants that are memorable as well as forgettable. Two even gave me food poisoning. In various conversations with friends and relatives, I have often been asked… do you know any good places to eat in this city or that?
My usual answer is, I remember a great steakhouse in Cleveland or a great place (need I say Italian restaurant) in Sorrento, but I don’t remember the name. I am intimidated by people who can not only remember the name of a restaurant from 25 years ago but tell you what they ate and how it was cooked. So then, I fall back on my trusty collection of matchbooks. At one point, the collection was literally thousands. Over time they have dwindled down to a few hundred. I never set out to make these promotional packets a collectible but I would toss them in a jar and the sheer volume built up too many tankards.
Attn: Millennials - There was a time when smoking was allowed in restaurants and cigarettes were sold there, as well. So, the friends sharing children stories over coffee and a cigarette would linger for hours after dinner, promoting low table turnover and a poisoned atmosphere… but who knew? Atlas, US Match, Universal and other producers thrived for decades. They not only had a huge direct salesforce, their distributors insured that every conceivable customer in the nation could be covered. One of my favorite New York City distributors built his business on Manhattan restaurants alone. Salespeople literally made a fortune selling one product.
All gone, bye – bye. The business, pardon the pun, went up in smoke. Hardly will you find a book of matches at the host counter or cash register.
One of the paramount or top three axioms of marketing is… if you see a void, fill it. Well, there is a void and one great steakhouse sticks out in my mind as having filled it. I love the iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing and the onion rings at Del Friscos and Sullivans. The steak “ain’t” bad either. It is a smart upmarket chain that filled a void. Not just in my stomach but in the spot where there used to be matches.
This organization knows its client demographics -- overwhelmingly, business dining, generally affluent and a mix of corporate male and female. This is also the same demographic that the golf world recognizes. So, this chain has a giant glass bowl at the host station and, upon arrival or departure, your hand can grab a bunch of goodwill and branding – golf tees. I have been using Sullivan and Del Frisco golf tees for many years now. While I appreciate the free gift, it has not had a positive impact on my drives. They still wander off to places I did not aim for. Golf tees are inexpensive, branded, small enough to pocket, light enough to travel and needed enough to be kept. They fill the void perfectly.
I apologize now for what you may perceive to be a sexist remark but, marketing though demographics is sexist. By its very nature, demographics seeks to identify traits by sex, race, color, age and every other factor that would be challenged in a politically correct society today. So, the question here is... how can a restaurant frequented by female luncheon crowds fill the void? Is there a commonality for the majority of patrons that fills the void?
As a supplier and one-time ad specialty distributor, I do not propose any products for your consideration, rather simply point out a void. Matches promoted brand identity long after the meal. Matches were a very inexpensive “give away” and the point of distribution was convenient and did not add any extra cost.
Experienced ad specialty salespeople have placed many products in this void. Some change them frequently and relate the product to the season. For example, book covers were fashionable in the late summer early fall. Small plastic calendar cards (see the museum of obsolete products) we used around the New Year.
Just about the same time the matchbook met its demise, branded apparel popped up at the same register or host station. In some cases, like Hardrock, it became a huge revenue stream. Selling a tee-shirt for $15 or $20 is great for revenue but there is another way to look at it. Were I to wear a “Charlie’s Steak House” tee shirt or cap, it is incredible exposure in one day -- thousands of eyes and maybe even a referral. My point, not a bad gift if I spend $150 on dinner, so why not just give me one.
To sum this all up, there is a void, fill it. I see all too few places with branded packets of mints, crayons, doggie bags, etc. Our job as marketers is not to sell “giveaways”, but to justify and show how branding can increase business, build word of mouth, and promote good will. Because it is internal distribution, the cost is cheap and the range is perfectly targeted. The next time you ask a restaurant to pack up the leftover meal, suggest to them they put it into a supermarket style bag that can be used thousands of times and clearly seen by others every time it is used. Low cost, high impact.
Joel D. Schaffer, MAS is CEO and Founder of Soundline, LLC, the pioneering supplier to the promotional products industry of audio products. Joel has 48 years of promotional product industry experience and proudly heralds “I was a distributor.” He has been on the advisory panel of the business and marketing department of St. John’s University in New York and is frequent speaker at Rutgers Graduate School of Business. He is an industry Advocate and has appeared before the American Bankers Association, American Marketing Association, National Premium Sales Executives, American Booksellers Association and several other major groups. He has been a management consultant to organizations such as The College Board and helped many suppliers enter this industry. He is a frequent contributor to PPB and Counselor magazines. He has facilitated over 200 classes sharing his industry knowledge nationwide. He is known for his cutting humor and enthusiasm in presenting provocative and motivating programs. He is the only person to have received both the Marvin Spike Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) and PPAI’s Distinguished Service Award (2011). He is a past director of PPAI and has chaired several PPAI committees and task forces. He is a past Chair of the SAAGNY Foundation, Past President of SAAGNY and a SAAGNY Hall of Fame member. He was cited by ASI as one of the 50 most influential people in the industry.