Joe's Hotdogs video segment 9 of 9

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Note: There is nobody standing at the beach waving you up the bluff. There is nobody standing at the bottom of the beach telling you that some deal expires, or handing out a coupon. These are not necessary.

It is more important, as the story goes, to discover Joe’s Hotdogs, have a positive experience from Joe's, and to be proud of yourself for having made a discovery – rather than having saved fifteen per cent or gotten a dollar off, or something to that effect.

These are some of the lessons that run through my mind when I contemplate the Joe's Hotdogs story. I am sure you thought of your own business and marketing concepts, too. There are, of course, other lessons that can be taken from the story.

For now, I will leave you with this thought: Joe’s Hotdogs sells more french-fries than anyone else on Vancouver Island.

I didn’t say whether the hotdogs were good. I didn’t say whether the relish was good. However, Joe’s Hotdogs is a marketing success, and a well-branded company, whether there is somebody named Joe behind it or not.

Joe’s Hotdogs sells more french-fries than anyone else on Vancouver Island.

© Glenn R Harrington, Articulate Consultants Inc.

Joe's Hotdogs video segment 8 of 9

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How about the promise to yourself, "I am going to come back here again and I am going to bring friends or refer family"? Sometimes, all people need is to discover something, and if the discovery turns out to be pleasant, then they want to share it. The self-satisfaction of having discovered things is a powerful motivator for some people to bring their friends, to bring family, and to bring themselves back to a restaurant (or any other kind of business) where they might have never planned to spend their money.

You climbed up the bluff from the beach. You discovered that Joe’s Hotdogs really does have good french-fries. You discovered the experience of Joe’s Hotdogs’ homemade relish. That was a pleasant discovery for you, supported by witnessing others making the same discovery.

That makes many of us feel proud. So proud, in fact, that we want to share our discovery. There is a sort of… let's say… vanity discovering a new positive experience and having that experience for the first time. We’ll often repeat it or share it all over again.

Joe’s Hotdogs has the appeal of a place that you discover. Such an appeal, indeed, that one might say to oneself, “Gosh I feel good now. I’m glad I discovered this. I want to share my discovery with other people.” It would be good if they had a positive experience at Joe’s Hotdogs similar to yours.

In this way, you would have deepened your sense of satisfaction about your own discovery by having others try a new experience that you introduced to them. It may even help to deepen your friendships with those other people.

This is how referrals happen. It's not the only way referrals happen, but it is one of the key ways in which they do. Of course, referrals can lead to new customers and repeat business.

People like to discover things and to repeat the pleasant.

Joe's Hotdogs video segment 7 of 9

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Something else that is important is that the Joe’s Hotdogs sign says “Joe’s Hotdogs.” The sign does not say, “Joe’s Hotdogs, with the best selling french-fries since 1976.” Nor does it say, “Joe's Hotdogs. Get your favourite coffee!” It does not say, “Joe’s Hotdogs. Come here for pop.” It does not say, “Joe’s Hotdogs. Come here for home-grown, homemade relish.” It just says, "Joe’s Hotdogs."

One of the lessons that come from that is that Joe’s Hotdogs’ reputation, through its name at least, is a simple one. The Joe’s Hotdogs name carries with it the cultural assumption that there are probably beverages. There are probably onion rings and french-fries. There might even be such things as homemade relish.

How does the name Joe’s Hotdogs imply that there might be homemade relish? Well, it doesn’t say McDonald's. People know that McDonald's does not offer homemade relish.

The name Joe suggests something that might not be true about Joe's: There is an individual named Joe, Joanne, Joseph, Josephine. Who’s to say who it is? Often a name carries enough implications that no one has to say “Joe’s Hotdogs with homemade relish” or “Joe’s Hotdogs: we have great french-fries”. The name Joe’s Hotdogs not only implies Joe's menu, but also, it implies the possibility of homemade relish more than the name Holiday Inn might, or more than the name U-Haul might.

So, a company name is important in ways that are subtle.

Now, sometimes people bank on or have strong expectations for their name. For example, "Why doesn’t the whole world read my mind? Don’t they realize that I have the best homemade relish?" These are unwise assumptions.

However, it is also unwise to name your company Low-Budget Rental and assume that people will buy lots of french-fries from you. Cultural awareness, especially including the implications of a name, is important in marketing products.

Just don’t get witty with your wording. The greater the number of people who encounter your concept, the lower the common denominator of their savvy.