
Coldest Milk and Positioning and Slogans and Winning
He sells food. The dollar-type store sells food, albeit not as good, not as much variety. But for $1.
The day one of those opened close by he lost 40% of business, he said. So, he got worried and put his thinking head on.
His first step: go pretend -shop there.
He noticed those people sold Campbell soup for $1, though it was the same type and size can that cost him $1 to buy.
So, he called Campbell and asked them WTF. And WTF was: since the dollar store chain places so many orders, they get special treatment,i.e., prices so low they can still turn a profit at $1/can.
So, he went back to pretend-shop the dollar store.
And he noticed that the fridge where they kept the milk was set 1 degree higher than his fridge.
So, he put up ads with "Coldest milk" and he got back the business he had lost.
He professed to be amazed and not know why 'coldest milk' worked.
Me, I think it has to do with parents thinking coldest milk means not spoiled, no chance of the little ones getting sick.
They probably took the 'seal of safety' the coldest milk got and applied it to all the food items.
Reason I'm posting this?
I meet business owners who don't have such things, who, when asked to come up with something say: "I do things like everyone else." Or, worse: "I'm the cheapest." Or equally bad: "I've got better customer service" or "We are the fastest."
The difference between this guy and them: this guy actually studied his competition with a view to find a winning difference. And he did.
And it does not matter one bit that milk kept in a 39 degree fridge is just as safe as milk kept in a 38 degree fridge.
âDo not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.â - Matsuo Basho
âDo not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.â - Matsuo Basho
âDo not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.â - Matsuo Basho