Innovative Thinking
-Observing The Competition-
"Effective marketing starts with a considered, well-informed marketing strategy" (Genova & Siam, 2017, pg. 1571, para. 2).
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In order to formulate a marketing strategy for BoxPark Sushi, it was important to understand not only the target audience but the competition as well.
According to Carol Phillips, the best-case scenario is that strategy and innovation work together, with strategy working as the face of the business and innovation increasing the brand reputation (Phillips, 2011). To that end, part of any marketing strategy is understanding the competition.
Looking to BoxPark Sushi, if the focus is on the product, the problem is the sheer number of direct competitors. A quick google search for “sushi in Eastside Milwaukee” warrants literally dozens of results.
Google Search: Sushi In Eastside Milwaukee
That being said, not all of the establishments in the area are identical. There are upscale Japanese restaurants, low key faster food options, and generic Asian buffets of all sorts and sizes.
With such a variety in different kinds of competition, the question becomes how can a new brand actually do something different? For BoxPark Sushi, the answer comes in trying to find what all of those competitors have in common outside of just Sushi.
If we look at businesses like Umi Sushi Steakhouse, Rice N Roll Bistro, Lucky Luis, or Fushinami one thing that stands out is their reliance on Asian inspired décor.
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Obviously there are varying degrees of this, these establishments do fall on a very wide spectrum, but it is a common thread.
It could also be argued that this is not something that should be surprising, sushi is, after all, originally a Japanese dish. This, though, is where the key differentiation for BoxPark Sushi begins.
In the article, Sushi American Style, Robin Davis reiterates how different modern American sushi is from its traditional roots as he states “we've turned the delicate vinegared rice dish into something wholly American -- big and bold. We eat it differently and make it differently” (Davis, 1999, para. 8).
Of course, it cannot be empirically stated that more traditional sushi cannot be found in Eastside Milwaukee, but BoxPark Sushi prefers to embrace the more American flavors of things like California, Dragon, and Volcano Rolls.
That in mind, the question becomes: if the brand is leaning into more American flavors, why not lean into a more American aesthetic? To that point, what is more American than a good old-fashioned dive bar?
-The Right Expectations-
"Establishing quality brand-consumer relationships is crucial to the success of a brand" (Tho, Trang, & Olsen, 2016, para. 2)
No matter how good the product or service may be, it won't matter if the audience doesn't understand what they're getting into.
According to Seth Godin, a brand is “the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another” (Godin, 2009, para. 1).
With that in mind, and with the intention of leaning away from what most customers will expect from a sushi restaurant, BoxPark Sushi needs to clearly manage those expectations on the front end.
To achieve this goal it becomes necessary to try and understand what those expectations are intended to be.
It is true that the word bar can conjure up less than admirable imagery, especially if dive is attached to it. Things like dirty bathrooms, grungy buildings, and weird smells. Writing for Home Wet Bar, Katie Shreve definitely acknowledges this but also points out that they often have cheap drinks, good, if greasy, food, and are populated by colorful characters (Shreve, 2020). On the subject, Reda Wigle says that “the lack of pretense in a dive bar provides the context for guts spilling and blood letting, both literal and figurative” (Wigle, 2016, para. 19). A bit colorful perhaps, that lack of pretense really is the key for BoxPark Sushi.
-Selling The Experience-
"Marketing is all about the kind of experience you deliver to your customers" (Joseph, 2013 Para. 1).
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Even having landed on the kind of experience meant to be delivered, potential patrons still have to be convinced it will be what they are looking for.
With BoxPark Sushi, what is being promised is the casualness and pretense-less experience of an American dive bar, but with cleaner bathrooms and sushi rolls instead of wings or burgers. Every element from logo to the messaging and various media assets have been designed in order to show exactly what kind of place BoxPark Sushi will be. The kind of place that is not exactly what’s expected from a sushi joint.
According to Christopher Ross, Neon signage is almost intrinsically linked to bars. It has “the ability to channel the cozy scuzziness of a 1970s hole-in-the-wall or the midcentury cool of a bustling diner” (Ross, 2015, para 5). This allure shaped the first iteration of the BoxPark Sushi logo.
This idea, fun though it was, proved difficult to reproduce for media assets, however.
In the end, the text was simplified to make it easier to read, even in smaller formats, but it remains set in a circle making it reminiscent of those old signs and could very easily be turned into a more modern neon sign if so chosen.
In terms of advertising, there will, of course, be some social media, particularly Instagram and Facebook as, according to Robert Katai, the two interconnected platforms make for a perfect advertising tool (Katai, 2017).
Outside of those social media shorts, the majority of the advertising will be done through less obtrusive methods.
In keeping with the theme of a dive bar, reputation doesn’t come from ads, it comes from other customers. Things like coasters and bumper stickers are great “if you know, you know” advertising.
Having said that, the question “why coasters” may come to mind.
The answer is that they cost next to nothing and once they’ve been taken, which Claire Lower actually suggests people do because “coasters are a smart thing to have, but a dumb thing to buy” (Lower, 2019, para. 1), they actually shift to in-world advertising and the people who take them become part of the reputation network.
Along with that, in the line of customers becoming part of the reputation network, bumper stickers are another advertising tool that may need a little clarification.
According to Bella Zee, "When handing out stickers, you are putting the decision in the hands of your customers" (Zee, 2017, para. 9). In other words, these items don’t have the appearance of being placed by some faceless corporation or chain, they humanize the brand and make it more relatable.
There will of course be some actual signage, including pole banners, because, according to LRT Graphics, pole banners tie a business to the community (LRT Graphics, 2013). These elements, though, will be strategically placed specifically with that goal of community integration in mind. Nothing should be overt or omnipresent.
All of these elements work together in order to create the feeling that BoxPark Sushi is a neighborhood hole in the wall bar and not just another generic vaguely Asian cliché outlet.
References
Davis, R. (1999, December 1). Shush American Style. Retrieved from
https://www.sfgate.com/recipes/article/SUSHI-AMERICAN-STYLE-We-ve-fallen-in-love-with-2892840.php.
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Genova, G., & Siam, S. T. (2017). Analysis of Marketing Strategy and Competitive Advantage. International Journal of Economic Perspectives, 11(1), 1571–1579.
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Godin, S. (2009, December 13). Define: Brand. Retrieved from
https://seths.blog/2009/12/define-brand/.
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Joseph, J. (2013, April 22). How to Build a Brand Experience for Customers. Retrieved from
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226460.
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Katai, R. (2017). Here are Four Benefits to Advertising on Instagram. Retrieved from
https://nealschaffer.com/4-benefits-advertising-instagram/.
Lower, C. (2019, January 17). Take Coasters From Bars. Retrieved from
https://skillet.lifehacker.com/take-coasters-from-bars-1831839564.
Phillips, C. (2011, January 26). Innovation and Strategy in a Down Market. Retrieved from
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Ross, C. (2015, August 4). Like Barflies to a Flame: The Allure of Neon. Retrieved from
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Tho, N. D., Trang, N. T. M., & Olsen, S. O. (2016). Brand personality appeal, brand relationship quality and WOM transmission: a study of consumer markets in Vietnam. Asia Pacific Business Review, 22(2), 307–324. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1080/13602381.2015.1076655.
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Shreve, K. (2020, April 3). Ten Signs You’re at a Real Dive Bar. Retrieved from
https://www.homewetbar.com/blog/ten-signs-youre-real-dive-bar/.
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Wigle, R. (2016 April 14). Why We Love Dive Bars. Retrieved from
https://matadornetwork.com/notebook/love-dive-bars/.
Zee, B. (n.d.). Why the Biggest Companies in the World Use Stickers. Retrieved from
https://stickerbeat.com/discover-why-the-biggest-companies-in-the-world-use-stickers/.
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