Wednesday night I managed to butcher a box of Pasta-Roni that I was preparing for my fiancee and me. It involved a boiling over pot of water and milk, the scrambled dumping in of ingredients and not reading the directions properly. Basically, I created a mushy pile of watery parmesan cheese sauce and soggy shells.
Now, my fiancee was to be home any minute from a 12-hour nursing shift as the hospital. What was I to do? Almost immediately, I knew what to do! Jason’s Deli! It’s close by and convenient (and apparently open until 10 PM every day of the week).
So, I waited for a few minutes for my gal to get home, took her order and sprang to the car to make consumer magic happen. What struck me as I took her order and as I browsed through the menu while waiting for the meal to be ready, were the names of the sandwiches.
Jason’s Deli doesn’t just offer a turkey sandwich, they offer Amy’s Turkey-O. Instead of a standard club sandwich, they have the Club Royale, the Chicago Club, the Deli Club and the California Club. One of their subs is called the MeataBalla.
Most importantly, I realized that ever since I first ordered it, I remembered my favorite sandwich by name: the Sante Fe Chicken Sandwich©. It features grilled chicken breast, guacamole, and an assortment of other things on whole grain wheat bread. Let’s be honest, they could have easily called the sandwich the Southwestern Chicken Sandwich. It’s an easy, generic name used by plenty of other delis and restaurants.
Instead, Jason’s Deli has gone about creating memorable menu items through individual branding. It makes me feel familiar with the deli franchise, even though they are a large-scale organization with hundreds of storefronts throughout the United States.
Understand that you don’t need to go and rename every little thing in your catalog, but don’t be afraid to offer up some memorable monikers for what you sell. Even a carpet-cleaning service can use something like this: instead of “Steam Cleaning,” they may choose to offer “Carpet Steam Therapy Cleansing.” For the masseuse, a simple relabeling of a “deep tissue massage” to “sports recovery massage” changes the value and target market, making it memorable to those who need it.
If you are thinking of rebranding your business, you should check out Zine Graphics in Northern Virginia. They have helped a number of folks in Great Legal Marketing take the look and feel of their law practice up to the next level (in addition to plenty of other businesses!).
Or, you can just keep selling “turkey sandwiches.”
Image c/o healingdream / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I’m happy to report that I ate lunch here today and their gluten free sandwiches are awesome!