Diesel yells this epic line while pointing the barrel of the gun at Statham….
“Did you think this was going to be a streetfight…”?
Diesel then discards his shotgun, grabs some pipes for the rumble and then yells…“Damn right it is”. The battle then ensues.
Make no mistake, building a stand-alone brand can turn into a street fight, where the normal marketing channels and platforms may not be available; but just like Vin Diesel, all you need is a willingness to battle it out with what you do have to get where you want to be. In some cases, you will have not much more than a strong mission and a community of folks that are starving for a new solution to an old problem. Not having a huge budget or a bunch of marketing staff might, in fact be to your advantage.
The Curious Case of The Slutty Vegan
Such is the case with a restaurant in Atlanta called The Slutty Vegan. Its founder Pinky Cole was inspired by the mission of bringing healthy vegan food to inner cities. Starting as a food truck, she now has a brick and mortar that has crushed it beyond belief. Traditional and online media are extremely expensive in the Atlanta market and another restaurant opening in a city with thousands of restaurants is not exactly a huge story. Slutty Vegan found itself in a street fight.
In a community where there are dozens of fast food joints with not so healthy options, The Slutty Vegan experiences regularly sees lines of 600-700 people. They have been visited by Tyler Perry, Usher, Snoop Dogg and Senator Cory Booker. How has she been able to gain so much business without employing a marketing company, social media strategist or celebrity influencers? By delivering a solution (healthier options) to an under-served community, she has been able to tap into those intangible benefits that make us all tick:
- Social: When I am here, I relate to the folks that are here. We care about our health and don’t want to compromise animals to get our nourishment.
- Emotional: In addition to getting some good food that is serving an under-served community, I feel cool when I am here.
- Self-Expressive: The long lines give social proof that the Slutty Vegan is a cool place to be. I relate to the attitudes and lifestyles of the folks that are here and I feel comfortable at The Slutty Vegan.
Ms. Cole is winning the street fight and building a stand-alone brand by delivering a solution to a community that is hungry for a change while growing a daily connection with a highly engaged audience. By engaging the Slutty Vegan story with hundreds of brand advocates there is an abundance of social proof that the brand is a force to be reckoned with. The brand will continue to benefit from word of mouth that will level the playing field against more established and better financed competitors.
The Cult of The Bearded Pig….Mobilizing Your Customers to Be Your Marketing Team
The Bearded Pig in Jacksonville, Florida is another example. There are dozens of BBQ restaurants within their mile, but owner Chad Munsey continues to duke it out with awesome sales and even better customer experience. They have added a second location in Jacksonville and is looking to bring on a third.
What makes them so successful? Does the Bearded Pig have a huge advertising budget? Not hardly! What is their secret sauce (excuse the pun)? I was referred to the Bearded Pig through a friend of mine and was instantly hooked. He actually could not (or would not) stop talking about this restaurant. In addition to slow smoked meats (brisket, turkey and pulled pork), they have a loyal army of happy customers that are not shy about recommending them and being their best advocates.
If you want to be successful and don’t have a ton of money to put behind advertising campaigns, success leaves clues. Look at how smaller or local restaurant brands are able to grow and sustain sales with larger or more heavily funded brands in their mile and you will see that there is a path to winning.
Without question, there are thousands of Chief Mile Owners that know that every day is a street fight and they are prepared for the battle. Whether you are in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta or Miami, there are plenty of restaurant rivals to battle it out with. Fortunately, though, when you are a Chief Mile Owner for your stand-alone restaurant brand. You use what is on hand, stare those competitors in the eye and kick butt!
“Did you think this was going to be a streetfight…… “Damn right it is”.
CHIEF MILE OWNER TAKEAWAY:
With the proliferation of social media, it is not always necessary to have a marketing team and a big budget. If you are able to build a connection with your audience, they will do the marketing for you.
Don’t be afraid to bringing your product/service to an under-served or underrepresented area. Those are the areas that might give the biggest returns. In fact, there is a book Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne dedicated to brands going where other brands are not going or willing to go. Another example of serving an underserved market is the restaurant concept 110 Grill. This restaurant focuses on allergy-friendly dining and everything on the menu can be made gluten-free.
