Target Marketing: “Sicilian Wood-fired Pizza” vs. “Food”

As strange as it seems, smaller targets can lead to more hits. Restaurant owners have known this forever. You don’t see a restaurant advertising “food,” they advertise “pizza,” or “steak, “or “Chinese,” or even “Sicilian wood-fired pizza,” or “Kobe beef steak,” or “Cantonese Chinese.” The rest of us can learn a lot from them. Yes, a narrow market excludes most buyers. If I crave pizza I’ll totally ignore the Chinese restaurant. BUT if I’m in the mood for pizza, an ad for “food” won’t even register on my radar screen, the “pizza” ad will get me salivating, and the “Sicilian wood-fired pizza” ad will get me excited to try something new and different, but still in the “pizza” family.

Offering everything to everybody is offering nothing to anyone. Casting a wide net is useless if all the fish swim through. Customers buy on emotion. “Pizza” resonates with the person longing for gooey mozzarella, tomato-ey comfort, and “Sicilian wood-fired pizza” makes your brand of gooey comfort exciting and different from the tens of thousands of competitors.

It takes time and effort to narrow your target market. You need to be focused, you need to be unique, and you need to be something people want. Focused marketing is effective marketing. Go for it!

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