102: The myth of keeping new foodservice products a secret

DSRInsightslogo300wjpgEPISODE 102

By DSR Dave Miesse and Bill Hornung
Co-hosts, DSR Live

You've probably heard of the trivia game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon... the idea is that virtually any person can be linked to the Oscar-winning actor (no, he didn't win the Oscar for his appearance in Animal House). 

The goal of the game is to find somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody else who knows Mr. Bacon.

Well, the same phenomenon applies to foodservice... call it the Six Degrees of a New Flavor of Bacon.  You may think your new product is top secret before launch, but your competitors have likely heard all about it long ago because...  somebody knows somebody who knows somebody else.

billdavesixdegreesthumbnaijpgGet over it... your new product is not a surprise to most worthy competitors!  So stop trying to think you're going to control the news.

In fact, we suggest embracing the leaky ship of communications out in the foodservice world.  You know about your competitors' new products before they launch, right?  So what makes you think your brand is any better at keeping secrets?

DSRs lose precious time to start selling in your product  when you squirrel away information.  In most cases, it will take months before an operator will try a new product (they have bigger things to worry about).  So, your VIP team of DSRs can get the sell-in process moving well before the magical day of your official launch if you give them an early heads up.

Think about it as if you're launching a new Kevin Bacon movie (hey, how's that for a segue!).  Purposely preview a new product months BEFORE launch to get people excited about the coming attractions.  You have nothing to lose and only advanced orders to gain!

In this DSR Insights podcast, DSR Dave Miesse and Bill Hornung also talk about:

  • Where all the new product leaks come from and why there's nothing you can do about it.
  • Why you should NOT introduce a new product at the NRA show or most industry events.
  • How early can you start releasing the news about your product.

Click the player below to hear the Podcast...