Back in college I waited tables. I’m fairly certain it goes hand-in-hand with attending music school. One of those establishments was The Cheesecake Factory. Being there 40+ hours per week got you very familiar with the menu. While that may have been a detriment to my overall and future health, it was an incredible tool for my product and marketing brain. And that education continues to this day!
Yesterday for lunch, I found myself at the same Cheesecake Factory where I once hawked ” Raspberry Upside Down Jack Daniels Cheesecake” on the unsuspecting masses. That particular flavor didn’t last too long, but secretly I yearn for its return. Anyway…yesterday’s visit coincided with a new menu rollout. Lots of changes, deletions, and additions, but the one that really got me thinking was a new “glam”burger. I seriously question whether or not that term tested well, but that’s not the point here…
Along with removing burgers with more than one patty (the Double BBQ Bacon Burger and Tons o’ Fun Burger), they added few new ones, and a “Mushroom Burger.” The Mushroom Burger contained all the basics you’d expect (a burger, a bun, mushrooms, cheese, and onions…) and also their CCF Madeira Sauce that they normally ladle over a couple other dishes. And, they’re serving this new burger with either french fries, sweet potato fries, or a small green salad. I personally think it’s un-American to order a “burger and salad,” but that’s another discussion…
So I ordered this mushroom burger, and when it arrived, the marketing lesson began. First off, it’s smaller! The burger is in fact just a wee bit smaller than the previous burgers of my gluttonous past, and instead of a mountain of crispy, salty fries … they’re served upright in a shiny silver cup. It looks very cool, but the actual quantity is probably 1/4 of what it used to be. Naturally the entree price hasn’t been altered one bit!
So what? Who cares? Well, think about it. You’ve got a product/company, and you want to maximize revenues while keeping overhead costs to a minimum. You enhance the presentation, re-use an ingredient that you weren’t maximizing use of before, and you reduce the overall quantity, so at the end, your unit cost is lower than before.
My burger was definitely tasty — and there was a full portion of food on the plate, so it’s not like I felt cheated or “ripped off.” And when the smiling waiter came out to tell me about the new cheesecakes on the menu, I wasn’t in that comatose state that most CCF diners end up in. Sure, why not, I’ll try the Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake (no joke…). It too was quite tasty.
As musicians and music marketers, you’ve got to take a lesson from the folks behind the Cheesecake Factory’s product marketing team. They’re able to maximize uses for their ingredients by repackaging them in ways that provide less, cost the same, and leave you wanting more. And when you really want more (Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake), you likely spend more.
When you’re putting out a new release, or creating a merch item, stop and think about how much you’re giving to the public. How are you going to follow that up? Are they going to be “too full” to want anything else from you for a while? Sometimes the “deluxe edition” of your disc isn’t a great idea — even if you know how cool it is. The fan/customer is already full from eating up the regular edition. There’s not much value for dollar in buying the same tracks over again if you’re still full from your oversized burger and fries.
Every artist wants to get as much support from their fans as possible. Sometimes that support is built on helping enlist new fans (re-tweeting posts, sharing Facebooks statuses, etc.). Other times they want their direct monetary support: tickets, merch, and music sales. But understanding how much your fans can afford to spend, and offering them the right burger is going to work out much better in the long run. If nobody’s ordering your custom Bedazzled t-shirt for $52, it’s time to rethink that menu item.
In the meantime, go get some Cheesecake …
