A warm summer evening filled with music and good food was where I got this week’s lesson. Blue skies, trees bearing the soothing rustle of leaves as the wind blew through them, and a festive atmosphere greeted me as we settled into our foldable camp chairs. The grass was cool and calming, and the live music from the band that brought families and friends together is a happy memory I carry with me as I look back on the week that went by.
There were at least 20 food and drinks trucks parked up around the periphery of the park where this musical evening was happening. One truck in particular caught my eye because of its unusual colour. In the sea of blues and greys and dull greens, she was a pretty pink in a sea of blues and greys and dull greens with a bright neon sign that caught my attention from afar.
The ironic part was that being the most visible from a distance did not translate into good business in the end. As I reflect on what did not work after the initial attraction, here is what I figured out.
I need to see what I’m buying. When I got up close and personal with the one food truck that piqued my interest, it was disappointing. I could not get a feel for what they were selling. There was no food on display, and the digital menu on the side of the truck had words but no visuals.
If possible, a tiny taste helps close the deal. Other trucks that we walked past offered us a sample of their wares. This ‘pretty in pink’ did not. I am sure if they had been distributing little samplers of their cookies and brownies, it would have been difficult to resist making a purchase.
Body language speaks loudly. The two people taking care of the truck were sitting together wrapped up in a deep conversation. Their body language was closed and disconnected from the customers. This I believe, played an even more important role in them having no customers.
Good from far but far from good. In the attention economy, it’s not enough to grab eyeballs. It’s a good start, but once you have the attention, closing the sale requires an equal amount of attention once the customer is up close and personal.
In the end, it was the smells and sights that needed to do their magic of tickling the taste buds. The visual appeal of the actual product and the readability and recall of the names are what worked. I could not even remember the name of the pink truck other than it ended in café. The sign was in a font that made readability hard. Even with the help of a photograph I had taken I could not figure out what it was called.
We finally bought some ‘Disco Chicken’, the most yummy, golden fried succulent chicken tenders. Not the most elegant truck or the most creative name, but it smelt great, and it tasted even better. So, in the end it’s not enough to be seen; visibility is just the first step.
Getting attention is hard; keeping it is even tougher. To be seen, understood, remembered, and then recommended is what counts. The product must deliver, after that some good public relations helps. Easy to remember, easy to repeat is the name of the game. Disco Chicken, anyone?
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