Back in May, I wrote about Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee, and the scourge of businesses following the “Sugary-Sludge-At-The-Bottom” method of product afterthoughtedness. This morning I was eating an Apple Pie from McDonalds (at 2 for $1, not a bad breakfast), and thinking about how many companies add products to their offerings without fully considering how it strengthens their brand or message. I’m not saying that McDonalds has done this with their Apple Pies, and in fact, I think they’re a great addition to the Breakfast menu, as well as the Dessert menu. Versatility is a big part of their thing.
But then we have Dunkin Donuts offering pizza and hot dogs and selling Sobe and Gatorade and Snapple, Subway introducing their own version of pizza-to-order, and some idiot asking Steve Jobs why Apple doesn’t put “Intel Inside” stickers on their gorgeous, sticker-free, computers.
The best restaurants (and the ones that command the highest prices) have the smallest menus. Some don’t even let their customers choose. Whatever the chef wants to cook on Tuesday is what they eat.
I don’t care what focus groups and user-testing tell you what people think they want your business to sell. They don’t actually know. If you listen to enough of them them for long enough, you’ll turn your business into a convenience store.
A place where nothing matters but the fact that it is there.
Don’t let brand dilution happen to you. You know better than anyone what your business is and should be. Stay strong. Be honest.
Add value, not menu items.
13 August 2007
Dunkin Donuts: Revisited
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3 comments:
I see where you're coming from, but I'm not agreeing at all. I think a strong brand adapts to it's product offerings - not the other way around. I blogged about it for kicks. Good topic - got me thinking...
i agree. stick with your core; focus on what you're good at and keep it that way. people will come to you for you and not just because they can.
fyi, mcdonald's has a coffee shop here called, mccafe! it's almost as expensive as the ubiquitous starbucks.
why on earth would i want ronald's coffee when i can get something from someone who's been brewing better, longer?
Businesses claim they need to have new, bigger, better and improved in order to stay competitive. There is some truth to it. But the culprit may also be greed and fear.
Problem is they lose a lot of credibility and consumer trust in the process. Too many products or services always wreak with poor quality.
For instance, I can remember when McDonald's Apple Pies were larger and they tasted a lot like home made. I bought one sometime ago and have not bought another since. The quality is insulting.
It's true businesses don't have a clue what customers or consumers want--in most cases. Annually, they (collectively)spend billions trying to figure it out. They settle for smoke and mirrors than lose that market edge.
I'm not saying they shouldn't expand their products. But they rarely expend the resources to maintain quality and customer service integrity.
McDonald's will never move away from their core product, but their hamburgers (quality wise) are a far cry from what they were when I was a kid. Good news, a niche, independent hamburger joint could do very well these days.
Great article and something to chew on.
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