My Marketing class is pretty interesting and full of knowledge that is much needed. Too bad it's only 4 weeks though! sheesh...for something as important as marketing, I would think it would be longer than that. My only prayer is that after completing my BS here that I'm not left with such a small amount of knowledge that was shoved into my brain practically and totally rushed that I wonder what it is exactly that I learned from it, like I did at Platt college for graphics. Once again, had I the chance to do it over again, I would definitely have stuck with the 4 yr degree at CSUF. But that's something I can pass onto my children now at least. Well, on a more positive note, since it's rushed all I can do is delve into it every night and just soak up as much as possible, and make it worthwhile...but I admit...I've gained much more than just knowledge here...I've gained friends and fellowship and have been blessed by many people.
I think I'll use the next few days to sort out my marketing plan here on a particular assignment we have due on the 4th and final week. We have to come up with a fictitional restaurant and use the knowledge we've gained to market it. I originally came up with one yrs ago that I was planning on using, but tonight another concept popped into my mind that my groupmembers told me to use intead...they thought the 2nd one was much better.
The first concept is a coffeehouse I'll call DownTempo. The idea came when I realized that Starbucks continues to create the same ole' coffee shops without much innovation or creativity. I can't say that for every store in the US, but out here in SoCal the stores do not change much. I wanted to take it a step further by creating a more inviting atmosphere for today's culture, one which is looking for the next step in coffee culture to appear. My idea is to create an atmosphere that is relaxing by adding nice downtempo music combined with triphop, ambient beats and chillout tracks, music that has a nice beat but not too much to be a distraction. The seating area would be one of lounge areas that can seat either one or a group of people in nice, low lit areas, possibly with a fireplace or water feature and some foliage to make it really cozy. It's comparable to a club atmosphere, except instead of high tempo beats, alcohol and the stuffy atmosphere, here it's downtempo music, coffee and a relaxing atmosphere. And this particular area would be segregated from the actual counter area, like on the side around the corner kind of placement. I've seen this setup at a Starbucks on PCH and it's very nice the way it's set up. It would also be very artsy per the paintings on the wall and the interior design, but not too bright or too artsy...just enough. I'm also toying with the idea of putting in wi-fi access and ready-made computers to browse on. I think that would give it more appeal, as well as adding more technology into it as well, like maybe the monitors can pop up from inside the tables when accessed, the keyboards released from under the table, almost customizing the tables specifically for computer use. We totally have the means to do it...why not? I think we need to be a little more creative today and integrate technology more into our everyday lives in everyday public places, where access is more readily available. I do think it's coming in the near future, but like all things, it takes time....time I don't have patience for! lol
My second concept would be called Cafe 80's or something similar. I got this idea from Back to the Future. If there was any time to create this kind of cafe it's now! Not only would it cater to the 80's generation, but it's actually very popular with young people today. It would be totally designed with the 80's in mind, from memorabilia on the walls to employees with dyed hair fitted with 80's attire to the music playing overhead. It would be similar to a 50's cafe I suppose. Robert, a classmate, brought up a good point: there's a 50's cafe, but where are the 60's and 70's cafes? LOL Hmmm...dont know...guess they didn't make a big enough impression. Which brings up another point: I think the 80's made a big enough impact on our culture that a cafe like this would be around for awhile, just like the 50's did. In fact, when the 50's is finally forgotten, which will inevitably happen, a Cafe 80's may just be the perfect replacement. In this cafe I thought of just including basic food items similar to a diner, maybe with some 80's style names included in the menu. There would also be 80's cover bands playing on the weekends, possibly midweek too, which would add the perfect compliment to this cafe. I'm still unsure as to whether alcohol should even be served or not. Maybe not. I'd like it to be family-oriented and very clean also, not that respectable places don't serve alcohol. Not sure about that yet...
But my target market would cater to both yound and old. I definitely don't want to convey a trashy image where teenagers come to tag the tables. That will definitely NOT be tolerated. I've seen it happen at a small coffee shop I used to work at and believe me, if I knew who was doing it, that would be the end of his days there! I don't tolerate nor put up with disrespective behavior like that, and I didn't while I worked there either. Anyhoo, enough about that...I think this concept is pretty simple and self-explanatory enough to envision.
The next step is to determine which one would bring in the most business and have the most impact on people. One seems more mellow, while the latter seems more excitable. A coffeehouse seems more simple...coffee and a lounge area, while the cafe seems more involved...a diner with cover band schedules. And I do like to keep busy, so...well see. I only have 2 weeks so I'll need to choose one over the other soon and draw up a plan. Then after my presentation, I'll need to find funding to set up my new store...lol...I wish. =)
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