- Shakti Gawain The Artist's Way

How do you create a successful concept? You begin with the First Golden Rule of Method Marketing, or at least, a part of it: Know Thyself. A wonderful example appeared in the Style Section of a recent issue of The Sunday New York Times. They did a mini-profile on a phenomenon which opened on Melrose Avenue in West Los Angeles. Called Knit Café, it has drawn an avid base of raving fans. People come to knit, schmooze, have a piece of homemade cake, buy knitting supplies and chill. And it is packed; although 'packed' may be an odd word to use in describing a hangout for knitters. What's the point? Susan Mischer decided she had had it with the entertainment rat race. She found her 'inner Susan' and out popped Knit Café.

The Times commented on how the store differs from other craft stores, with their must and dust. This place is homey, "in a sleek sort of way. It is welcoming. Everyone seems to know one another's name."

Susan created a place "Not just to buy supplies, but to gather, to slow down, to sit and talk. I just wanted to have a place where I had the music I loved, a cup of coffee and a relaxed, laid back atmosphere." Now, mind you, it sells a ton of yarn, but while you buy, you can sit down and have a piece of homemade layer cake. People come by just to knit. If some energetic entrepreneur had come to you to ask for funding for such a venture, you reply would have been "Tah Tah, Goo by, wish ya luck."

So what is the point? Our culture is in the midst of a seismic shift. My reference to "The Experience Economy" and focus on the Five Golden Rules of Method Marketing provides a methodology to profit from the shift. Important researchers have been telling us about the change for the last six years. Barbara Kaplan of Yankelovitch Partners captured the change; "There is a backlash against 'big ' and 'sameness' among consumers. They crave a return to the personal touch, to intimacy, an experience, not a transaction. People are growing tired of the blood, sweat & tears approach to personal fulfillment. They're saying, 'I need pleasure, I want pleasure and I deserve it, without apologies, to myself or anyone else'.

We are in a new age, folks, an era where the emotional reaction to the food or service produces a memory which has value to the consumer. A beautifully orchestrated dining experience raises the odds that you produce the right feelings and memories. But it starts with you. Who you are? What makes you unique? What lights your fire? That is worth a trip to the mirror. As Shakti Gawain says, "You start where you are."

Have any questions about this issue? Please feel free to email me at rick@rickhendrie.com, or call me at 617-547-5123 or 617-335-1011. I'll do my best to help you out.