There’s a small pizza restaurant near the corner of Park Avenue South and 17 St (Union Square) that I pass two or three times a day as I’m heading to/from work or out to lunch.
Typically, when I walk pass the storefront of the pizza restaurant there’s a guy (not well presented… at all) standing out front handing out flyers (I guess that’s what they are) and he typically says something like “Hot pizza” or something of that nature when you walk by.
It’s annoying and the marketing tactic has never made me think, “I’d love to stop in and grab a slice of pizza.” And that’s a big deal, because I love pizza.
That being said, something did happen recently that made me think, “I should stop in there and try a slice of pizza sometime.”
So what happened?
I was making my way down Park to the subway station and a guy walked out of the pizza restaurant holding a plate with a slice of pizza on top. He was just a few steps ahead of me and after walking for a moment he folded the pizza in half and took a huge bite. I instantly thought to myself, “Man that looks good!”
If you have a product it’s important to remember that you not get caught up in marketing tactics that do more harm than good. Had this restaurant hired someone to stand out front handing out small ¼ of a slice sized samples they’d have hooked me a long time ago.
And yes, I’ve now eaten the pizza – it’s quite tasty.
