Lessons from a car designer – deliver “up market” value,
play to the edges to break through.
The last two things I learned from J Mays that can be
translated into food and menu development are similar yet different ends of the
spectrum of thinking. Sometimes it takes looking to the edges of the brand to
find a way to deliver “up market “value. “Looking to the edges” means really
exploring those outlying ideas or thoughts as you brainstorm. These ideas on
the edge can sometimes be the first ideas we discard for being too outlandish.
Look for simple, “ah ha” moments and then explore them further to see where
they will take you. Always using the brand to lead and guide your thinking.
Edge items may provide a path to brand evolution or a break out action you have
been looking for as a competitive edge. There is gold in the fringe of thought
about a design, brand, menu, concept or food idea give it the attention it so
richly deserves. So this edge thinking can lead to unlocking unexpected value.
The example J Mays gave during his chat was about designing a car for the
growing market in China targeted at Millennials. The assignment was to deliver
a very competitive car at a value price that would attract these young buyers. The
solution they found was to deliver something completely unexpected in a car
priced at this lower end of the market.
This was one of the first cars to be able to completely integrate with your
smartphone. In China, handheld devices out number desk top computers
significantly, have the car be able to become an extension of your phone was a
huge break through. This was something expected in a far more sophisticated and
expense automobile, it was unexpected in this budget friendly car. Unlocking
this unexpected value gave the new car a sold footing in the market place and
drove significant sales. All because the design team found away to “up market”
a budget friendly car, at the time this gave Ford a competitive advantage in
the growing Chinese market. How can we translate this thinking and design
technique into food or food service? By finding ways to unlock “up market
value” in our brands. I have two examples to share with you from my time in my
recent position. First example is the
creation of Steak Night for Brick House Tavern + Tap. I needed to find a way to
grow the dinner business during the week and shift the consumers mind that BHTT
was only about bar food. So in J Mays example I found a solution that used “up
market” value to energize the guest. Keeping in line with the brand I found
that if we delivered a steakhouse experience that usually cost the consumer $40
for about half that amount it would be a win. So I set out to create a steak
night special that did just that, it delivered unexpected quality and portion
size at a $20-25 price point. It hit on all cylinders that I was looking for in
a new product – increased steak night sales, maintained or increased
margin, and drove new traffic to dinner
day part. By meeting an need of the current guest I was able to find a way to
unlock a new visit and to move the sales needle on the business side. My second
example was the re-introduction of baby back ribs to BHTT after having taken
them off the menu a cycle earlier. My goal was to deliver a wow rib experience
that created demand for the product and use this to drive traffic to another
day of the week. So striping the rib plate down to the basics: meat itself,
cooking method, sauce and the sides I rebuilt the product while keeping a gold
standard in mind at a polished casual competitor priced 25% less for the same
or better experience. Again being able to deliver “up market” value at a
surprising price created new unexpected value in the minds consumer without
having to discount or devalue the brand. So you see embracing the lessons from a car
designer when we develop food , beverages or even restaurant concepts we can
truly deliver something unique and innovative to the consumer.
Thank you J Mays for being an inspiring and thought
provoking influence on design and design thinking. I am truly grateful to be
able to translate your insights in cars into the world of food and beverage
development. Finding parallels and mentors outside of our industry is critical
to innovative thinking and success in building businesses.
Sincerely
Jim Doak
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