Build your brand’s crossover appeal

​In the social media age, businesses have opportunities to build their brand personality in multiple directions. When restaurants and other foodservice businesses can do this, their brands can become much more than the food and drink they serve. Further, they can increase their market share and public exposure at a time when competition is tighter than ever. Consider how large brands have managed this successfully (and surprisingly) in recent months – there may be lessons there for far businesses of all sizes. For example, a Nation’s Restaurant News report mentioned efforts by brands including Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A and, notably, Starbucks, to launch consumer packaged goods. Starbucks, for one, collaborated with Stanley on a “winter pink” 40-ounce insulated tumbler to help promote the brand’s winter menu. The tumblers, priced at $49.95 and sold at Target in numbers limited to just a few dozen per store, motivated consumers to line up at Target stores in the early-morning hours of January 3rd. (Those who weren’t lucky enough to snag at tumbler from Target have since taken to eBay, where the cups are reselling for $350.) The mania over a tumbler may sound ludicrous, but consider it an inspiration for how you might expand the reach of your brand with the right partnerships and online promotion – particularly if you’re trying to strengthen your connection to the TikTok generation. Even if you’re running a small regional business, what complementary businesses might help you build your brand through new collaborations and promotions?

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