So I mentioned willingness to pay the other day, which is intrinsically linked to notions of value and price point the former being set by the customer, the latter by the operation doing the selling. Raising the perception of value increases the chance your customer will agree to the price point, and you do this by heightening the expectations set by the brand you're pushing.Now, I'm pretty fortunate in being able to eat at some nice places. Not all the time mind you, but I'm a big fan of food, and I get to indulge that often enough to keep me happy. Most people out there would be familiar with Jamie Oliver (aka The Naked Chef), a guy for whom branding and food are inextricably linked. This naturally brings with it all sorts of extra notions of value.
In his books, you look for the recipes, tips and tricks that mean you can deliver a wonderful meal for anyone who comes to dinner. There's this idea of product delivered, life enriched - through the learning of a new skill and the sharing of that experience. Enriched living? What a great place for a brand to occupy; let us help facilitate this wonderful evening and not be at all responsible if you cock it up. Brilliant!
He has a restaurant in Melbourne called Fifteen, which I've been to a few times. The first time I went I was blown away, but the last couple times have left something to be desired. The pull for me was very much getting to eat at Jamie Oliver's restaurant, and while the service and wine list is impeccable, the food left me feeling a little unsatisfied.
This is interesting because in both cases, the product is the extension of a single brand into places the person cannot be; Jamie can't be at my house making sure I don't drown my risotto, and he can't be cooking in Fifteen every night. Yet in the first example his brand isn't dminished by me messing up a dish, in the latter he can't help but be held responsible.
What it boils down to is a single brand, executed to differing standards in different mediums, which overall dilutes the whole. In the case of the book, he has done all he can do, the rest is up to me - the notion of willingness to pay in this instance is my willingness to buy the right ingredients and invest the time in making a dish; this good will naturally gets transferred to eating in Fifteen, but after that I'm less willing to invest in a Jamie Oliver dining experience than I am in a book of his and my own compass.
I'm trying to think of other examples where a product can be offered but any negative experience had in association fails to actually taint it...I'm drawing blank. Anyone?
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