There’s something quite odd going on in casual dining. Industry data paints a picture of sector growth, yet we’re constantly reading about businesses falling by the wayside (Prezzo, Jamie’s Italian, Byron.)
Clearly there are a lot of “macro” factors at play but, in our view, the failures have often (ironically) been driven by too casual an approach.
They will all have had some “research”, blandly constructed and lacking any real provocation, that gave them a false sense of security based on feedback from lazily run focus groups. Research that told them they were on the shopping list and there were no major issues, but which did nothing to help them win in that defining moment when someone asks the question… “where do you fancy tonight?”
In that micro-moment the brands that win are the ones that “own” something – those who know what they’re about and who they’re for… the ones that have genuine insight into their brand’s capability and their audience’s need.
We’ve developed a model called the Centre of Gravity, which comprises three key truths… what’s your audience looking for, what shows you at your best and what makes you most different from the competition?
The intersection of these three key truths is the Centre of Gravity and it’s this that a business needs to be famous for.
We use the model to inform our approach for insight generation and we use that insight to help clients in casual dining to activate and amplify their brand and delivery to better effect.
And rather than rely on idealised views from the armchair, we spend more time in the pubs and restaurants where these bottom line defining decisions and interactions take place.
“Centre of Gravity” is a Brand Edge proprietary tool.
Learn more about the Brand Edge approach by visiting our homepage www.brand-edge.co.uk or contact us by clicking here.
