A Case of the Munchies
In the heart of Santa Barbara’s shopping district, there resides a branch of the bakery chain Insomnia Cookies.
Started in 2003 to service students studying late at night, this east coast chain has hundreds of outlets. All are typically located near college campuses to target students who wish to order cookies past the closing time of traditional bakeries.
Most of their stores are open until 3:00 a.m. daily.
Who cares, right? Only our recent trip to Santa Barbara revealed this bakery is not only located on the campus of UCSB, but also has a branch directly next door to a smoke shop selling all things CBD: smokeables, edibles…you name it.
Now connect the dots. Someone visits the smoke shop, buys their entertainment materials, goes home and gets stoned. They then get the munchies and call to have cookies delivered.
Of course, if they’re planning ahead, they may just combine their shopping efforts and simultaneously buy a joint and a bag of cookies.
This also reflects the situation at Encinitas’ Cake House dispensary, which opened RIGHT next door to Baked Bear ice cream and cookies.
Coincidence? I think not. These symbiotic relationships enable customers to plan a full evening to be enjoyed in the safety of their own home.
And depending on how many cookies they buy, it could be a VERY full evening!
There’s actually a valuable lesson here for every business, regardless of what you sell. Because your company should always be looking for strategic relationships to help expand your audience and improve chances of making a sale.
It may be as simple as your location. For example, The Baking Mezzo (my daughter) sells her baked goods outside Vista’s Battle Mage Brewing on trivia night.
Many eateries strike deals with entertainment venues, offering discounts to patrons showing a venue receipt.
But this opportunity’s not just limited to food. Car dealers can partner with gasoline chains, app developers with computer companies, and…
Well, you get the idea.
When preparing your next promotion, consider your product or service from the consumer’s perspective to determine quality partnerships. Because such arrangements can easily get your brand in front of another company’s customers, help you split the cost, and potentially help you make a lot of money you didn’t previously have access to.
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
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