I had the chance to hear J Mays speak this summer at the
MFAH, it was incredibly thought provoking. J was the group vice president of
design for Ford Motor Company for 16 years and before that the person that
revived the VW Beatle. He shared some simple design thinking strategies that I
find are useful in the world of menu and concept development today. Lesson one,
whether you are creating a new menu item, fixing an existing menu or developing
a new restaurant concept these simple guidelines can have profound impact on
the success of your idea. First and foremost, J shares a Venn diagram that
highlights three characteristics of successful design or product.
For an idea to be
truly successful in the market place it needs to be True the Brand, Meaningful
to the customer, and Differentiated in the market place. “Be true to the brand”, the idea or product
needs to be on point and relevant to the brand it is within. Seems simple but
sometimes we chase the latest and greatest trend which may not even be close to
the brand it is within. You know just because every other restaurant company
has got “the new item” you have to have it too. I mean do you really need a
free range chicken taco if you are a better burger place, probably not. Next
the new product has to be “meaningful to the customer”, they have to want it or
it needs to meet an unfulfilled desire. How many times have we added new items
to a menu just because someone thought it was a good idea without even
considering what the customer wants? I
mean would it be meaningful to Arby’s core customer to add a vegetarian
sandwich to the line up when they are all about “we got the meats”? Probably
not something the team is looking to add to the menu right? Last characteristic
is the idea has to be “differentiated in the market place” creating a craving
or desire for the new item that can’t be found anywhere else. This is can be
the hardest point to deliver because we continue to live in a “sea of sameness”
and the market has to be willing to accept something that is different and
break through. It was truly a point of
difference when 8 years ago I rolled out antibiotic free, humanely raised
chicken in Culver’s making the brand the first chain to do so on a large scale.
This really allowed me to separate this growing brand from the big three - Mc
D, Wendy’s and Burger King. We used our size (about 300 + locations at the
time) and nimbleness to be first in the better burger chains to be a leader and
separate ourselves. Now did it hit on
the other 2 characteristics, I would say yes and no. It was a move that was
true to the brand, it continued to support the brand promise of high quality
ingredients. Was it meaningful to the customer, at that point in time, it was
to some. What it did overtime became more relevant as the marketplace and
consumers caught up. It was easy for me to see that was where we needed to go
with the brand so the risk / reward was moderate. I think now it continues to
pay dividends to the brand because it delivers on all three of the
characteristics of a successful or innovate product category.
Take a look at your menu items, put them through this
process and see how many of them are able to satisfy all three attributes. If
they can they are likely the core of your brand, they may even be the brand.
You will find that most items will only hit on two of the three, this gives you
a roadmap for either and “up or out” strategy. I also think you can uncover
your cravebale menu items with this exercise.
This is the type of thinking and collaborative tools we use
at JWD Consultancy to help you build the best menu or restaurant concept in the
market place. Give us a call today to help you get started on innovating your
brand. Next lesson from J- who leads your ideation the customer or the brand? -
more to come. www.JWD-Consultancy.com
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