Local + scarce = a great marketing recipe

A simple menu idea and a good marketing lesson from a local restaurant.

Last week, I came across this message on Twitter:
It was about an event at a local restaurant, Turl Street Kitchen. The link led on to an event page on Facebook that read:

‘For one night only we will be sourcing all of our key ingredients for a three course meal from within a 25 mile radius of the Turl Street Kitchen.
(…)
(I)t’s a great chance to explore gems such as white wine from the Vale of the White Horse, honey that hails from Didcot or Banbury’s finest pasture-fed beef.’
(…)
The menu will be priced at £25 including a glass of local wine or beer’.

What do you think of this promotion? Here are my thoughts. I would love to hear yours, too.

The initiative
I think it is a great idea.

Emphasising the source of the ingredients taps into present day customers’ concern for provenance. In turn, the 25 miles radius fits with popular sustainability messages, namely awareness for our carbon footprint.

The decision to make this a one off event is the cherry on top of the cake – ‘scarcity’ makes goods more desirable. Products that are not easily available, or are available for a short period only, become more valuable for customers, as discussed in this video (from minute 3.06):

The name ’25for25’
It is a catchy name and ’25’ has Christmas connotations.

The name encapsulates the key attributes of the meal – namely, the sourcing process (25 miles) and the price tag (£25). That’s OK, but… we don’t buy attributes, do we? We buy benefits, as discussed in this blog post.

The name ‘25for25’ tells customers what the product is. It would be even better if the name told customers what the product does for then.

The Twitter and Facebook messages
Both the Twitter and the Facebook message emphasised the locally sourced ingredients. Win.

The Twitter message then went on to describe the meal as an ‘extravaganza’. I am not sure that this was a good call. I wonder how many customers felt tempted by the idea of a food extravaganza one week or so before Christmas (with all the food excesses that come with it), and at a time when many bank account balances are running low.

The title of the FB message talked about ‘championing’ local food. In my view, this was a much wiser headline.

But, all in all, it’s a very good idea. I do hope that the night was a success… hopefully next time I’ll be able to go.

Do you agree with this assessment? What name would you recommend?