Branding and Management #Fail: What Does Ruth’s Chris Steak House Have to Do With Moe’s Southwest Grill?
There's an old marketing adage that goes like this: How many drops of pee does it take to ruin the punch? The answer naturally is just one.
I recently visited Ruth's Chris Steak House in my hometown for a family dinner. The service was excellent, the food was just OK … but that's not the story!
We had some food left over and asked for a to-go box. The takeaway box came and it blew us away. Take a look at the picture below — it was from Moe's Southwest Grill.
Right, Moe's! Is it kidding? Why would a high-end steak house do that? Did it not understand the implications? Too cheap to care? And does that mean it took shortcuts with my food? I certainly paid for top quality (thinking back, my filet wasn't that good, maybe there was common ownership and procurement).
I commented to the waiter and all he could say was, "Yes, it bothers me too, but it was not my decision"
I don't think I really need to discuss how a high-end steak house shouldn't cheapen its brand with a fast casual takeaway box. Naturally my audience of marketers gets that. However, let's look under the hood a bit and turn this into some different takeaways that fit with online retailers so you don't ruin the proverbial punch.
1. Branding fail can occur at any point within the customer experience. Consumers are finicky; it only takes one element out of place to ruin the experience.
2. In the age of smartphones and social media, your "fail" will likely find its way onto the internet, posted to Facebook, blogged, Instagramed, tweeted or all of the above. And of course nothing goes viral faster on YouTube like cute kitties and brand fail.
Jim Gilbert has had a storied career in direct and digital marketing resulting in a burning desire to tell stories that educate, inform, and inspire marketers to new heights of success.
After years of marketing consulting, Jim decided it was time to “put his money where his mouth was" and build his own e-commerce company, Premo Natural Products, with its flagship product, Premo Guard Bed Bug & Mite Sprays. Premo in its second year is poised to eclipse 100 percent growth.
Jim has been writing for Target Marketing Group since 2006, first on the pages of Catalog Success Magazine, then as the first blogger for its online division. Jim continues to write for Total Retail.
Along the way, Jim has led the Florida Direct Marketing Association as their Marketing Chair and then three-term President, been an Adjunct Professor of Direct and Digital marketing for Miami International University, and created a lecture series, “The 9 Immutable Laws of Social Media Marketing,” which he has presented across the country at conferences and universities.
