Experience Manifesto

Oreo Café at American Dream

If you know me at all, you know how I feel about Oreo's. And if you don't, well, know that there's no way I could pass up a chance to visit the first Oreo Café at American Dream. Regular Oreo's, Double Stuff, yea, I can eat them all. Knowing I was pretty close to their first Café, I grabbed the family and we went over to check it out.

I'm also a great fan of location based branding, using the physical space to bring your brand story to life. To me, this is more than just having stores, it's spaces that allow consumers to both experience your brand and create a social space at the same time. The Oreo Café works on both levels.

It's on the 3rd floor of IT'SUGAR store there, which as you can imagine, had a pretty damn great selection of sweets and candies before the Oreo Café opened. The day we were there it was actually pretty crowded with quite a long line, so sadly, I didn't get to try anything while I was there. But I'll certainly be back to try it!

As you can see by the menu above, there's a good variety of Oreo treats to experience. From the more traditional, like Oreo Cookies & Cream cheesecake, or the more fun Twist Your Oreo, where you can create your own Oreo creation. I could certainly make more than a few meals from what's offered!

Below is a bigger picture of the full space, with the giant Oreo overhead as the centerpiece of the space. There was certainly a great deal of Oreo merchandise, from cookies of course, to a full line of Oreo cookies. Seating areas around the space gave guests a place to sit and enjoy their creations. There was also a full line of clothing, etc., so you could literally wear your love of Oreo's on your sleeves.

As you can imagine, everyone was having a pretty good time here, how could they not? I'll be back at American Dream next month when their luxury wing opens and I'll make sure I have time to try the menu when I'm there.

Remember, people want to hear a great story, people want to share a great story and people want to participate in a great story. Without a great story, you might get some attention, but you'll never get engagement. Thanks to Oreo's great story, there was a lot of engagement at the Oreo Café.

It’s the Little Things

It's 2020 and we're in the middle of a pandemic where people can't go out to eat in restaurants as we usually do. Thankfully, take out and delivery is booming!

So why do so many restaurants still not have their actual menu online??? Sometimes I can find the menu in pictures taken by guests and posted on Yelp or Trip Advisor, but the restaurant itself doesn’t have their menu available. This seems like such a simple thing to do to keep themselves going in these very challenging times. If I can't get this simple, basic information, how can you expect me to buy from you?

It’s always surprising to me how sometimes businesses miss the very simple easy things that they can do to make the sale. If you’re reading this and you own a restaurant, please make sure your menu is available!

Booze Business » Here Comes Whiskey

Now that I'm getting ready to speak at the World Whiskies Conference later this month in Glasgow, I've been doing some reading on the biz. Arthur Shapiro, an old friend from my days at Brand Experience Lab, has started on blog on the booze industry, and I thought that would be a good place to start. If you're looking for information about what's happening in the liquor industry, Arthur's blog is a good place to start. Guess I need to add whisky tasting to me research, anyone volunteering to be my guide?

Once upon a time when the folks from Mad Men ruled the earth, it was all about whiskey – Scotch, Rye, Bourbon, and Blends. Oh sure, there was the multiple martini lunch (Gin not Vodka) but for the most part it was the “brown goods” that ruled the home bar. By the late 60’s, Vodka started its ascendency and today it is the single largest category of spirits. And, it’s rise practically wiped whiskey off the map. The so-called brown stuff became “my father’s drink” and a new generation of drinkers jumped on the “white goods” bandwagon.

But guess what? There’s a newer generation of drinkers for whom Whiskey can be a real alternative to Vodka. Spurred on by the emerging sub-category of flavored whiskey (Red Stag by Jim Beam, Wild Turkey American Honey, others) I think Whiskeys will continue to grow and at a faster rate.

Bourbon is the engine of growth but you can expect good old Rye to fuel the category. Who knows – Blended Whiskey may make a comeback.

Booze Business » Here Comes Whiskey.

Extending the Experience Continuum

Almost forgot about these pictures, but they're a great example of extending the brand experience. We had dinner at Bahama Breeze a few weeks back and at the end of the meal, we took leftovers home. When our waitress brought them back to the table, this is what they looked like. How many times have you brought leftovers home, but them in the fridge and then couldn't remember what was in the package. But with these, we not only knew what was in there, but when we got them too. Simple, fast a great example of a post-experience connection. We've always enjoyed our meals there, this was just a very simple bit of icing on the cake. One thing I wished they'd change -- I couldn't find a way to turn off the sound on their web site. Liked the music, fit with the brand, but just wanted to turn it off.