Community Counts

February 5, 2006 by Dave Haynes

I was doing some buddy calling with a new client last week, with the intention of putting my client’s ideas on the table with the target accounts … BEFORE this new company actually went to market. There’s far too much guesswork out there about what target clients want, and too few entrepreneurs who actually run their ideas past the right people, ahead of time.

This was a supermarket operator, and the obvious presumption was that what was going to wind this guy’s watch was a set of big digital screens that would help him move more product. Well, that was true, but only partially.

He wanted to cover his operating costs for such a network through a boost in sales, but what really interested him was a network that was going to help his customers feel his stores were more than just a food warehouse. He wanted a media network that made his stores part of the immediate communities. Neighbours. He wanted to congratulate the local soccer team on a win. Celebrate a school initiative.

That’s really interesting, and quite valid. I really like the notion of making consumers feel at home in a store, and good about supporting a local-oriented business. That type of content also has that all-important “stickiness” that will get people looking each time they walk in. I’ll let you know how that goes as the working model comes together.