A Cobb Salad Increased Sales?

Recently I went out for a nice night out, and as most night out’s start, ours started with dinner. The destination of choice on this day was Kelsey’s. I enjoy going to Kelsey’s; the food is good and the ambiance feels a little more upscale than most places. Once we arrived at the restaurant I was faced with the most chancy question of our evening, “What do I order?”

I scanned the menu up and down, side to side and page by page. So many good choices, how does one decide? I came across something that had caught my attention, it was called Cobb Salad. What is Cobb Salad? No one at the table knew, nor had they tried it before. There were no pictures of this Cobb Salad on the menu and after a quick scan around the dining room; I couldn’t tell if anyone there had it.

After a long debate, I ended up ordering something a little more familiar and left the Cobb Salad as a mystery. I wonder how often this happened. Something that could quite very well be delicious, but no one knows what to expect, so they decide to play it safe and order the usual. Apparently, it happens quite a lot.

Kelsey’s wanted to teach people about the deliciousness of Cobb Salad, so they came to us at Intrigue Media. I was charged with making a video to advertise and to educate the masses about this delectable entree. Let me tell you, while researching for the video I was salivating the whole time. What a mistake it was to not order Cobb Salad on my night out.

Once I completed the video and it went to air in sequence on the Intrigue Media TV in the lobby of Kelsey’s in Guelph. People could now get a glimpse of what they might otherwise skip over on the menu, to fully grasp what it is they are about to order.

After the video went to air, in a few short weeks, Kelsey’s head office had quite the surprise. They had found that the Guelph location of their franchise had an increase in Cobb Salad sales to the tune of a staggering 300%. They had to call this individual location and ask, when? Why? How? They couldn’t believe the results.

They credited Intrigue Media's video, the video that I made, as the motivating force behind the increased sales. As it turns out, people were too afraid to find out what Cobb Salad was on their own, but a little visual motivation was all they needed. Now it is a Kelsey’s Guelph fan favourite.

I think there are 3 things I am going to take away from this little experience. First, when you offer something that is different, no matter how delicious it is, you have to inform the people. Secondly, advertising can really pay off if it’s the right message found in the right place. Finally, I am starving; maybe I’ll head to Kelsey’s and try some of their Cobb Salad.