On my daily commute into work I pass by many different coffee houses —Biggby,Tim Hortons,Starbucks,Caribou,Dunkin Donuts (if you haven’t figured it out,I have a very long commute).
One coffee house that stands out in my commute is The Hot Spot in Waterford,Michigan. The coffee house has been in operation for several years. About one month ago, the drive-thru coffee house tried to increase traffic with a risque special like “Topless Tuesday”. As far as I can tell it is a success because now the Hot Spot has added “Wild Wednesday”,“Tie Me Up Thurs”,and “Flasher Friday”. The only weekday promotion missing is for Monday (can you say “Magamba Monday”?). The Hot Spot’s promotions definately stand out,but will the be successful?
Consumers are creatures of habit. They sample different brands experiences over the years until they find a favorite —a comfortable fit for their tastes,for their lifestyle. Many people define this as brand loyalty or brand preference. In a way it may be something simpler —consumer survival.
Imagine if we had to think through every brand decision for every purchase. Grocery store trips would take hours. Making commuting choices like which gas station,coffee house,or car wash to use would cause traffic snarls. And think about how much time it would take to decide on a restaurant – well,actually many of us still have a hard time making that brand decision (especially if it is a joint decision with your significant other). However,once a consumer settles into a brand pattern,the pattern is difficult to break. Many times only a disruptive event,like terrible service,the store closing or product discontinued,will cause a consumer to rethink their loyalty and change their comfortable brand pattern.
So where does this leave brands trying to attract consumers, brands attempting to break a consumer’s set pattern. For The Hot Spot they went with sex appeal. Their dramatic approach garnered attention and customers. And you can argue it has been successful to date with a line of (mostly) male drivers waiting for their ”Topless Tuesday”special. However,a sexy approach will only a small number of brands. The remainder of brands experiment with a blend of price,promotion,quality,convenience,product differentiation —the basic tenets of marketing. Beyond the basics, I am always on the lookout for the game changers —the innovators. The brands that found ways to get consumers to break their patterns,and try their product or service.
As far as The Hot Spot,I would not consider them an innovator. At least not yet. I do wonder when the novelty fades,will there still be a line? Or,will they have to up their promotional ante to “Full Frontal Friday”?
