Pizza Today - January 2018 - 74

Mike's Monthly Tip
MIKE BAUSCH

* You want better Italian food? Forget
about it!
* Nothing compares to our pizza!

Advertise Accolades,
Not Opinion

I

was driving in Tulsa and outside
a BBQ joint read a sign that said,
"Best Ribs in Town." The fact of
the matter was I knew they weren't. I
know and everyone in Tulsa knows who
has the best ribs. That's not to say there
isn't a whole ton of other places that
don't make fantastic ribs in Tulsa. This
place, that falsely named itself as "Best
Ribs in Town", is pretty darn good. Just
not the best. It was named on a list of
Tulsa's Must-Try BBQ by Tulsa Magazine. Not too shabby.
By making a sign based on what
would appear to be the owner's opinion, there is no reason to go. In fact,
it's a turn-off - it looks desperate and
deceptive. What the sign should have
said was, "Tulsa Magazine says (Name
of BBQ place that will remain unnamed
in this article) is a must!"
Now, I keep this BBQ place's name
7 4 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / J A N UA R Y 2 0 1 8

anonymous because I did tell the owner,
"You know, if you put a real source
up there, it will resonate more." His
response: "I think we're the best, and
who cares - I write 'Best in Ribs in
Town' up there, someone will see it and
stop in."
That logic and way of marketing is
outdated and self-defeating. No one
calls up a pizza place to ask how good
they are. That's asinine. What a typical
customer does is check out everyone
else's opinion on Yelp, Trip Advisor and
Google. They also look for awards. If
you can market your award, no matter
how small, it sends a message that an
unsolicited, unpaid source validated the
food as good and worth your time and
money.
Gone are the days of these phrases:
* Best (pie, pizza, brick oven pizza, pan
pizza, etc.) in town

For all things marketing you need
validated awards. Magazines, even
online polls, are great for making a
name. I've been surprised over the
years what my pizzeria, Andolini's
Pizzeria, has won. It started with best
pizza in our suburb. As we've grown
it was best pizza by local magazines.
Then, out of the blue, we won best
slice in Oklahoma by purewow.com.
Never heard of that site at the time,
but I put it on all my branding for
the next marketing push. Then "The
Chive" named our bar as the best
bar in Oklahoma. Now I know our
bar is very good, but it's a reach to
say my pizzeria bar is the best bar in
the state. Still, I can say: "The Chive
Named Andolini's as the Best Bar
in Oklahoma" without having any
misgivings. It just works that way
now. People seek validated sources to
choose their dining option or reinforce their choice.
That is why the big chains like
Applebee's are dying. Because they
are never on these lists.
Advertise your accolades. Odds are
you have something you can tout. If
you don't, then International Pizza
Expo is a great place for making a
name and getting some major validation. By going and competing, even
not coming in first in your region,
still gives you cred to say where you
placed on a national stage. That's
where it's at, that you are validated by
a source other than yourself. ■
MIKE BAUSCH is the owner of Andolini's
Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is a
frequent speaker at the International
Pizza Expo family of tradeshows.

JOSH KEOWN
http://www.purewow.com http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - January 2018

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