For example, in the food and alcohol industry, restaurant and bar owners begin the process by deciding what style of food and type of drinks they want to serve, which inherently dictates who their target market will be. One way that entrepreneurs are switching it up in the food industry is by creating theme bars and restaurants, specific to pop culture subject matter. While this is not exactly a new idea, the pop culture theme is. When entrepreneurs choose a specific theme like this, it significantly narrows down their target market through niche marketing.
An Example of Successful Niche Marketing: Beetle House
If you’re a fan of Tim Burton films, there’s a theme bar in New York City’s East Village called, Beetle House that is decked out in décor and memorabilia from one of his most popular films, Beetlejuice. It’s a cult classic and one of my personal favorites. I’m a big fan of Tim Burton films, so when I discovered this theme bar, I booked my first trip to NYC and went to Beetle House. It’s like being transported into Tim Burton’s realm. The menu items are named with his films in mind and theme music from his movies play over the speakers. They also hired an actor to play Beetlejuice and interact with customers, whose performance was spot on to the likeness of Michael Keaton. It was truly a delight for me and my friends.
So why are theme bars and restaurants like Beetle House so successful? As Forbes.com explains, one of the key strategies to build a successful brand is to create emotive appeal. The owner is a huge fan of Tim Burton and the overall theme of Halloween, so immediately he demonstrated how the emotional appeal works. The theme transports us to our favorite film and the memories we had when we first watched it. Nostalgia sells. Forbes.com also explained how branding and niche marketing is about the customer experience, not how you’re positioned. “Look for ways to wow people in their encounters with you. See every touch point as an opportunity to uplift your customers and leave them feeling better about themselves, not just your brand.” I’d say Beetle House hit the nail on the head with this strategy!
As the owner of Beetle House has demonstrated, creating a pop culture-themed bar can be successful, but it’s not enough. Along with having quality products and service, appealing to customer emotions in a positive way, such as through the nostalgia of film, is what separates Beetle House from other theme bars and makes them a successful brand.Want to learn more about successful branding? Check out these related blog posts from the Three Girls Media crew!
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