The marketing tactics that are about to be described are not for the faint of heart. They are a preview of what to expect at PMQ’s New York Pizza Show (www.newyorkpizzashow.com, Nov. 2-3, 2004).
There you will find guerilla-marketing strategies…Big Dave style. In no particular order, these are my most successful competition busters.
Customer Appreciation Night
Every order was free. This night was unannounced, unadvertised and outrageous. I invited the customers and crew to play. My employees voluntarily worked for only tips.
Capturing Competitors Data
I wanted to direct an advertising campaign targeted at my competition’s mailing list. We used a variety of methods to extract this information. Dumpster diving, following drivers and registering to win contests gave the name, address, phone number and last pizza ordered. With this info, I drafted a laser-sharp direct mail letter and repeatedly mailed to my competition’s customer list.
Hotel Strategy
This was a cross promotion with motel owners. They allowed me to place delivery menus on the night stands of all their rooms. We thanked them by giving them a Big Dave Pizza Buck every time we delivered a pizza to one of their rooms. Weekly sales went from seven pizzas a week to 70 a week, especially after we did a Yellow Pagectomy on the phone books in the nightstands of 300 rooms.
29-Minute Delivery or Free
A national chain was cleaning my clock because they delivered so fast. I was losing market share until I discovered how they were doing it and one-upped them. While we were killing them with our newfound speed and accuracy, I bought a special Pizza Express Delivery Truck and offered guaranteed 20-minute radio dispatched delivery on pre-made popular pizzas.
Big Dave’s Ultimate Pizza Guarantee
This guarantee was good for any pizza made by any pizzeria in my town. If you ever purchased any pizza from anyone, just return the uneaten portion to Big Dave’s and we’ll replace it with a free Big Dave’s Pizza, same size and toppings.
Competitors’ Coupons
Competitors’ coupons were gladly accepted at Big Dave’s. We encouraged our competitors to print and mail often. They became our printer and distributor at no charge to me. We were no longer perceived as the highest cost provider of pizza in my town. While we were there, I came up with the Worldwide Coupon Search. This was a contest I ran every year. The person who presented us with a valid pizza coupon furthest away from my town won a crispy $100 bill. Think New Zealand.
Operation Safe Ride
From Christmas until New Years Day, we placed signs in every bar in town. We instructed the servers to let Big Dave’s drivers become designated drivers. This was a free, no-questions-asked safe way home for those who over induldged. We cross-promoted with the local funeral home.
These strategies and many more will be explained in detail at my seminar. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready to enter the Dark Side of Guerilla Pizzeria Marketing…Big Dave style, November 2nd at PMQ’s New York Pizza Show.
