Pizza Niche Marketing Shows You Need to Speak Customers' Language

The New York Times Magazine had a story today about Pizza Patrón, a pizza chain aiming at Hispanics, not though some gimmicked up pizza toppings, but through branding and having bilingual help. As the story says, "That didn’t mean a new kind of pizza, but a new context for pizza. One that sort of feels . . . Hispanic."

Branding isn't about a faked appearance or an advertising campaign. Branding is an expression of the essence of a business. And the chain operators realized that the only way to appeal to customers is to speak their language - literally. That's what they did. No wonder business during the final quarter of 2006 was reportedly up 35% over the same period of the previous year. Too many companies make the enormous mistake of thinking that customers have to do things their way, rather than the business accommodating the customers. That doesn't mean, by the way, that a smart company always bends over backward for everyone. It will want customers that fit the business model and that are good, both in loyalty and payments. But too many corporations are inflexible and inappreciative of their customers, expecting them to bring translators. Then management teams wonder why their competitors toss them about like a pie about to go into the oven.