Magnolia Street Grocery wanted to offer its customers a free cookie for shopping in the store. The store’s owner, Kent, decided to hire Louis Sideways of Sideways Marketing to help roll out the cookie plan. Sideways brought his own ideas, but he was surprised when Kent started laying out his thoughts.
“We have several ideas on how to distribute the cookies, and we want feedback,” Kent said. The conference room was empty except for Kent and Sideways, so Sideways was unsure who else had contributed to these ideas.
“Can’t you just put the cookies in a display case and have customers take them out?” Sideways said. “That’s what it was like when kids used to get free cookies.”
“Do you know how many people (not kids) come and take dozens of cookies in that model? The kids can’t reach the display case. It’s a lot of grandmas, businessmen and dog walkers who come and steal the cookies.”
“I thought you wanted people to feel like they can take cookies,” Sideways said.
“Just like they are after dinner, the cookies should be the reward,” Kent said.
“So what are your ideas?” Sideways asked. Sideways took his own ideas and subtly threw them in the trash can under the conference table.
“We have three ideas,” Kent said. “The first idea is that we create a cookie vending machine. You enter your phone number and you get a cookie.”
“Seems like that would be more expensive than the free cookies,” Sideways said.
“That’s also the problem with our second idea,” Kent said. “Paying a full-time security guard also seems ridiculous.”
“What’s the third idea?”
“We have a wall of shame, where we put the pictures of people who take more than one cookie to discourage others from doing the same.”
Sideways sat for a moment, trying to figure out something to say.
“This isn’t really a marketing problem, is it?” Ken asked.
“No, it’s definitely a marketing problem,” Sideways said with a laugh. “Turning your customer into criminals is definitely a marketing problem.”