by Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) In theory, the more people a brand reaches, the more likely it is to increase sales and grow an evangelist movement that ensures more future sales.
Based upon that, we create more content and buy more space to interrupt people. We fill every inch in sight with even more brand-related messaging, scream at potential customers for attention and repeat the formula for the next launch.
But, contrary to popular theory, a recent experiment has shown that, the less you shout, the more people spread your content more effectively.
Narrowcasting vs broadcasting
Alixandra Barasch, a doctoral candidate in marketing, and associate professor of marketing, Jonah Berger, conducted six studies into how the size of an audience affects the way consumers share content. They found that, when people communicate with a larger audience (broadcasting), the message tends to be focused more on the individual communicating as opposed to sharing useful content for the recipient. It was also found that talking to a single person (narrowcasting) leads people to sharing useful information for the recipients.
The study further revealed that posts on social media, because they tend to involve a large audience, shift people towards sharing self-presentational content. For brands, this means people in larger audiences share less-useful information and authentic views.
This study gives insights that are contrary to marketing and advertising principles that encourage reaching a wider audience with the same message.
The Dog’s Bollocks way
The Dog’s Bollocks is one of the best burger joints in South Africa — if the recommendation of colleagues who frequent Cape Town is anything go by.
Unlike traditional fast-food places and restaurants, it serves less food and builds more meaningful connections with customers. It has built a community by stepping away from the norm and creating a brand-evangelist community that spreads its message.
Following the conversation with colleagues, I looked for The Dog’s Bollocks on the web and there were only reviews about it. It didn’t have a website, only conversations by people — from bloggers to food journalists. It was as though it did not want to be found, similar to Fight Club, except everyone who knew about it had broken the first two rules. It was the Facebook page led me to it.
Against the grain
After 30 years in the restaurant business, Nigel Wood, the founder of The Dog’s Bollocks, decided to go against the grain. He prefers to only be known as The Dog’s Bollocks. He attributes its successful growth to the fact that its customers feel as though they are part of an exclusive, but also open, community. It’s as though they’ve found a secret tribe, where getting one of the burgers is even more priceless, as only 50 burgers are made between 5pm and 9pm.
According to Wood, these 50 burgers also contribute towards their being the best in South Africa. He shares that, on one of the restaurant’s best days, the burgers sold out at 5:03pm –just three minutes after opening.
When asked how The Dog’s Bollocks and its lunchtime sister eatery, known as The Bitch’s Tits are marketed, he says, “We don’t market. In fact, we avoid marketing at all costs – aside from our Facebook page.” He adds that he pays his staff to get people to come back, spreading the word nearly organically through a small but gradually growing audience.
In a recent interview with Popular Aesthetics, Wood shares how they started and what sets them apart.
Let your community spread the word
The idea of narrowcasting, in the age of nearly-endless access to various media, seems contrary to the logic of wanting to spread a message across large audiences. The six studies that went into the Broadcasting and Narrowcasting: How Audience Size Affects What People Share research talk to how we communicate as consumers. We naturally want to share useful information, more so far from the masses.
Brand evangelist movements grow from one person who’s had a memorable experience to another. They come out of the human need to share useful information — similar to chatting with colleagues.
Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) is the founding MD of WordStart (www.wordstart.co.za). Apart from being a kiteboarding and sandboarding adventurer, Mongezi connects companies and brands with measurable word-of-mouth. He contributes the monthly “The Word” column on word-of-mouth marketing and social media strategy to MarkLives.
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