Saw this item (with the lead “Recipe For Disaster”)…
“Classic menu items and why chefs hate them”
…and was reminded of a surprisingly common marketing blunder.
Namely…
… that a company or marketer gets tired of a promotion and stops it…
…before the market actually loses interest.
The result at a minimum is not making the most of that particular campaign.
At worst…
…if the replacement campaign bombs, is a potential disaster.
This sums up why this can happen…
“Removing a long-standing item from a menu can be more trouble than it’s worth, as these chefs have discovered.
Jared Ingersoll learned his lesson the hard way.
In 2003, the founder of Danks Street Depot decided that, after two years on his menu, a popular chicken sandwich should be taken off. He had simply become bored of the sandwich, made with shredded and stuffed organic chicken, garlic, butter, rocket, home-made mayonnaise and Brasserie Bread ciabatta.”
The result was a noticeable loss of business. Fortunately, this particular marketer and businessman was alert to what was happening and the signature chicken sandwich was promptly restored to the menu.
And note the reason for the change…
“He had simply become bored of the sandwich”.
In this case the guy was lucky that he had rapid feedback from customers. In other cases the problem might not become obvious for a long time.
Close monitoring of results and testing of alternatives will provide guidance as to when to change a campaign…
…and that should be standard practice for any serious direct response marketer.
There’s a balance to be struck here, because in certain situations it’s important, even essential, to keep marketing fresh and current.
The financial market is one area that comes to mind…
…and also when you’re communicating with existing customers.
In that case it’s important to keep them up to date and keep them engaged with new approaches and new ways to use your products or services.
But in many cases, particularly lead generation, campaigns keep performing for a surprisingly long time.
(For example, here is the “Charles Atlas Program” that uses pretty much the same ideas and appeal as when it started 80 years ago…
…and here’s an article about an ad that’s been running in the UK for over 50 years.)
So, before you make a potentially costly blunder…
…think carefully and test results before ending a successful marketing campaign.
And be particularly careful if a new advertising agency or marketing consultant advises a change without solid reasons.
Just because they might be bored with a marketing campaign doesn’t mean the market is too!