Marketing
March 2005

BRANDING YOURSELF

By Roy MacNaughton

When I was a young whippersnapper, attending classes at what was then and still is called “one of the more famous hotel schools in North America", the marketing prof gave us an interesting, but quite challenging assignment.

We were to find a hospitality business that marketed itself by using the participation of the owner as part of the “distinctiveness” of the business. At the time, this seemed like a most difficult assignment, because in those days, it seemed that not too many people really stood out in this field. Or maybe it was just that they didn’t want to either make a fool of themselves, or attract too much attention. There seemed little need to drive the world to their door. Heck, in those days, you just opened your doors; and if you had a nice ambiance, combined with the age-old formula of quality, service, cleanliness, and value for money, you were in the cat bird seat. It really was a case of “build it and they will come.”

There wasn’t that much competition. There was still room for everyone. The four corners of every intersection were not yet filled up with four directly competing QSR’s or casual dining spots. Restaurants had not yet allowed some of themselves to be turned into basic, undistinguished commodities, like laundry soap, auto insurance, or gasoline. The industry had not yet been sullied by copy-cats and me-tooers. There was a still lot of individuality. It was still the age of the entrepreneurial independent. (I know, now re-reading this, that I sound like I must be at least 95, going on 106!). Actually, it was a bit more than thirty years ago. Therefore the concept of differentiating yourself by your actions was indeed a unique concept for us greenhorn, wet-behind-the-ears hospitality students. This professor knew what he was asking us to do.

At first, I was stumped. Then I heard about a crème-de-la-crème restaurant that was owned and operated by one very eccentric dude, named "Jules F". He went by the name of Julie. His extravagant location was housed in one of the old original ‘castles’ in the downtown core of this large cosmopolitan city. It was named, “Julie’s Mansion". It could only be described as one phantasmagoria place.

Julie was a guy who had quite a reputation. He was a legend based on his shenanigans in and around town, but particularly inside his restaurant. From the very get go, he set out to have the most impeccable service and food one could buy in those days; and he was not afraid to charge for it.

He had learned from other area restaurateurs that if he didn’t have fabulous food and competent, courteous service, nothing he did personally would make any difference. These components in the equation were a no-brainer for any foodservice operator who aspired to success, especially with the upper income crowd, which was his target group. He was famous (and with the local branch of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, ‘infamous’) for the tricks he played on his own customers while they were eating—and drinking--in his ‘mansion.’

It took me three personal visits with cap in hand to get Julie to agree to let me study him and his methods of marketing the mansion-restaurant. But finally, he relented and let me have the free run of the place. I had lots to do for my assignment and report, so I spent many fun-filled hours watching Julie and his staff do their thing. Actually, I had so much fun doing this assignment, which I stretched it out as long as I could before I handed in my final report to the professor. I really didn't want my fun watching Julie to stop.

One Saturday night I showed up and he was trying to ‘insert’ himself into the home team’s pro hockey uniform. This in itself was worth quite a hoot. It was instantly obvious that Julie had never played hockey. To see a middle-aged man struggling to both get into and then have to have me extricate him from the jersey, equipment, elbow pads, etc. was hilarious to a young guy who had been playing the game since age four. He certainly was not afraid to make a fool of himself. When I showed up that night, he had less than no idea what piece of equipment went where, and was struggling with the shin guards, and had got himself all tangled up with what he thought were hip guards, when in fact they were shoulder pads, worn over the shoulders. It was indeed the first time I had ever seen someone wearing the shoulder pads around his butt.

I helped him get ‘dressed’. Next came the taping of the hockey stick. This was genuinely funny, watching this guy trying to figure out the right way to tape a hockey stick without making a mess of it and looking foolish to his customers. Because he had a plan for that stick.

I taped his stick and now he was ready. He had on his uniform, equipment and helmet, borrowed from one of the local NHL players who was a frequent guest at the mansion. Now, he actually looked like a real NHL hockey player...in black and white running shoes, sans skates!

Julie then ‘flew through’ the different alcoves and floors of the restaurant with a big ball of foodservice aluminum foil for his ‘puck’. He stick-handled in and out and between tables, took shots with the aluminum ball off the walls, cross-checked his own waiters trying to serve tables, all the while yelling cheers and the phrase made famous 'round the world, by Foster Hewitt: "he shoots.... he scores!" All at the top of his lungs. Then he had planned for a horn to sound loudly indicating that the ‘period of play’ in his imaginary ‘game’ was over. It was now time to go to the dressing room. In a flash, just like an on-stage magician, he quickly disappeared into thin air, hidden in his office.

I could not stop laughing. My face was covered in tears. The restaurant was in an uproar! Guests were laughing so hard…one guy literally fell off his chair. The waiters were laughing, the guests were laughing, I was laughing and all the while Julie was having a ball too. Here was a restaurateur who made his work fun. I had not met one of these types before. I really liked and respected this fellow. Everyone I had met up until then was very serious and there never was much laughing. I realize now that this was because I was just young and starting out in my hospitality career; but someone who had that much fun…and made that much money…must know something the others didn’t. And he did.

Julie knew how to create a “Unique Selling Proposition” for his restaurant. His USP was classic, a page taken right out of Rosser Reeves’ book. Reeves was the man who coined the term Unique Selling Proposition while at Ted Bates Advertising in NYC in the late forties. His work and definition has stood the test of time for nearly six decades: learn how to differentiate yourself from the others competing in the same market segment. And do it preemptively.

Let’s apply this definition to Julie and his Mansion. He first took a unique building; an old mansion built in the 1890’s, and turned it into one heck of a restaurant. Next he added impeccable food and service. Then, for entertainment, he differentiated his place with carefully chosen “jazz music” when not many were playing jazz on the radio or television. Finally, he added himself as the additional, no charge, surprise secret ingredient.

His antics and reputation for craziness were both intriguing and appealing to this discerning crowd of upscale jazz lovers who could buy the best wherever they wanted. But you could only see Julie--live and in living color--here at Julie's Mansion.

Julie was the preemptive factor.

Who could follow an act like that? And if they did, they would instantly be labeled a second-rate copy cat, no matter how good they were. First in is always best. Julie was first to do this, and he dominated that “position” in his target group’s mind for years.

He had designed and pulled off the perfect U.S.P.

This allowed him to “brand” himself by virtue of his offerings, his unpredictable behavior and his resultant reputation on the street and in the local media. These are the kinds of things he was famous for in his own place. People would go to Julie’s place firstly for the renowned food and service (you couldn’t really be in this business without this) and to see what Julie would be up to next. What craziness would emanate from his office during the evening?

This was one of the most enjoyable student projects of my university career. I learned tons from Julie. I learned that branding is really theatre. It’s the taking of every single aspect of your business—as seen and experienced by the public—and then ‘managing’ those aspects so the buyer/customer experiences them discreetly as your brand within that category of businesses. Julie’s Mansion was a distinct brand of restaurant that included much more than the food, service and ambiance. Included, at no extra charge, was the surprise element of unique experiential enjoyment.

What is your brand? I’ll tell you what it’s not. It is not your name, logo, décor, website, menu prices, product line, slogan, ad campaign, or color of delivery vehicles. Sure the elements of your brand might include these components. But your brand is something that is identified as a perceptual experience by your customers and consumers. It’s a way that a customer “sees” you in his or her mind.

In the case of Julie, he was the brand. He personified the uniqueness of this business. He made that restaurant. He gave it a human face, one of laughter and surprise. His business was his own personal circus, and he knew it. He planned his moves and added his own spontaneity to come up with a blend of zaniness that intrigued and entertained people. They experienced his restaurant with stick-in-the-mind-memories. When someone was asked about Julie’s, they would respond: “isn’t that the big place on Jarvis street, with the wonderful food, owned by that whacko guy who does all the crazy stuff?” Notwithstanding the wonderful food and service, the question was never answered: “oh, yes, that’s the place on Jarvis street with the super food and service.”

You have the innate ability to be your own brand. For some, that will sound scary. But for others, those of us who have a bit of actor or actress in us, it will sound downright exciting and challenging. Break down your customers’ experiences into components that can be managed and offered better than is being done now. This is your basic recipe. Now add to that some uniqueness that they can't experience elsewhere. Mix in a bit of the unusual. Add a dash of surprise, and then cook on the front burner for a few minutes. Now serve red hot.

You just might have a brand new recipe for your new brand of recipe...for success.