What Whole Foods has Taught Me about Marketing!
I have a minor obsession with Whole Foods. And by minor I mean I am there multiple times each week. Some times just to simply be there. I don’t even need to purchase anything. Just hanging out in Whole Foods.
What a sad life. Maybe so.
“But Lucas, you can go anywhere and get Gluten Free Cherrios!”
You, my friend, are not wrong.
The reason why I time and time again find myself walking in Whole Foods, appreciating the brilliantly laid out store, buying yet again their delicious single slices of pizza, admiring their array of cheeses & oh yes their random assortment of foliage plants is this: their marketing is brilliant.
I attribute my appreciation and draw to Whole Foods not solely because of the quality of the product. Rather, it’s what Whole Food’s does prior to you getting through the door & actually making a purchase.
Whole Foods knows very well what their customer likes & wants. Not just in products, but in a space that all sorts of people would enjoy to be.
This my friends, is dang good marketing.
Before I continue though, what is marketing & why is it important for a company like Whole Foods?
Marketing: What it is.
Marketing can be summed up as the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.
The funny thing is that marketing at first glance is pretty all encompassing. Not to mention, sales and marketing are essentially the same thing. Both have the primary objective of making sure they:
- Create a buzz for their product & determine their audience.
- Getting that product or service in front and in the hands of prospective customers.
When I think of what Whole Foods does well, I immediately think of this current generation of people and their overall lifestyle. With the recent trends of whole food diets and mindful eating, Whole Foods is tapping into markets that are super appealing to pretty much anyone age 18 to.. well old.
Not to mention, the concept of community spaces with a variety of attractions from food, drink, music and an overall welcoming atmosphere. Whole Foods knows that their customers are beginning to mesh the “get in, get out” grocery shopping with the convenience of food options already prepared.
The buzz they create is directly linked to the current trends of consumers. These trends are more than material; they’re deeply seeded values that we as a culture are actively seeking to live out.
Where is it that a marketer comes into play in this whole process?
Once we take a closer look, it becomes apparent that marketers have a different approach as to accomplishing the task of drawing in the consumer.
Marketers: What they do.
Marketers spend their day asking themselves the question, “How can we generate more interest in our company’s service or product?”. To a marketer, interest and the brand of a company is of utmost importance.
Why?
Back to Whole Foods for a second.
If a company is successful at determining when, where, and how a customer desires to communicate with their business, they’ve got it. That’s my daily experience at Whole Foods. It’s the space, the lighting, product placement, colors, layout, environment, and more.
For instance, just about every Whole Foods you walk into the first parts of their stores you’ll come upon are:
- Fruits & vegetables
- Food bar & restaurants
The brilliance of this might not be apparent, but think about it: the first emotions and thoughts illicit when you walk in are key to customers coming back. A reminder of the need and desire to eat and stay healthy. Along with that, you are met by the convenience of food already prepared.
As a customer, you and I want to be drawn into a product or service. And not because we need that particular thing. Rather because, we have to have it. Because we see the intersection of our values with what is presenting itself currently.
That’s a marketer’s job. Telling a bomb story, communicating an effective message, creating a beautiful space & creating a HIGH demand around a brand.
All of that said though, a marketer’s work is always going to be ordered towards meeting the needs of those who make the wheels go round; the consumer.
That’s the name of the game.
In closing..
The next time you watch an Apple commercial, drive by a massive billboard, or even walk into Whole Foods, I’d encourage you to notice the draw. I challenge you, think back to the very first big kid purchase you ever made in your life.
Why did you do it? What was it about that purchase that your 12 year old self was so convinced that you had to have it?
What created the need and the urgency to have it?
In the world of supply and demand, those who are the most successful know that it isn’t about them. A company’s product or service is only as good as it’s intent. The intent to meet a customer where they’re at with the answer to their need.
To do this very well, it takes creativity & an overall willingness to become a student of other people’s wants. This my friends, is what is at the heart of good marketing.
