If You Build It...
Remember that great line in the movie Field of Dreams: 'If you build it he will come'? If you change this phrase to the plural it not only applies to building baseball diamonds in the middle of corn fields but other things as well.
A few weeks ago I went up to cottage country for the Labour Day weekend. On the way up there is a well-known local place called Webers that sells great hamburgers and has actual railroad cars to dine in. Quite the temptation for kids.
Other drivers impersonating Formula F1 speedsters prevented us from pulling over as we headed northbound but I wasn't concerned. Webers built an overhead bridge on the highway so southbound customers can pull in on the other side for a pit-stop. How brilliant is that?
The story goes that too many people were risking death trying to cross the highway for burgers. Kind of a like that old Frogger video game. So in 1983 Webers bought a portion of a pedestrian bridge from the CN Tower for their customers benefit and ultimately their own.
Webers sales skyrocketed by 60% and the bridge helped make Webers an even bigger landmark. Why have highway billboard signs when a bright orange bridge will suffice?
Million dollar budgets are not the be-all end-all for marketers. To be successful, a little innovation or bridge-building for customers (be it figuratively or literally) goes a long way.
If you build it they will come.
