EDITOR'S
NOTE: When you run a small business, there is never down time. While Christmas
and Easter keep us running simply to fill orders, the spring months are devoted
to catching up with paperwork and marketing. Each spring, we at Anderson's
Candy Shop take a step back and look at trends in what we are selling, and NOT
selling, and try to correct. This year we noticed three major
"duds" in sales. The following walks you through what we discovered
and the changes we have made in response.
Names
are important.
Would
you look something up on “Backrub”?
Would
you watch a movie starring Norma Jeane Mortenson? Or a cartoon show about
Mortimer Mouse?
Does a
nice, cold “Brad's Drink” sound delicious?
How
about using Google to search for a movie staring Marilyn Monroe or Mickey
Mouse while drinking an ice cold Pepsi?
Sound better?
Surely
each of these name changes had an impact on the popularity of each person or
product.
At
Anderson's we recognize that names carry a lot of weight and we like to think
we understand a thing or two about naming our own products.
But
sometimes, we know we've gotten it wrong.
Two
years ago a customer pointed out an error in our ways when he insisted that werename the Filbert candy bar Hazelnut.
A few
letters different and today the once slow-selling chocolate covered Filbert is
enjoying a lot more love and understanding as the trendy Hazelnut.
We feel
it is that time again.
Our
storefront associates have pointed out to us that a few of our handmade
chocolates need a new lease on life – and an updated name!
Don't be
alarmed, we haven't changed a single recipe or ingredient. But, we did listen
to our storefront associates suggestions, and the next time you're in our shop
or browsing online, you will notice some new products (or at least new names)!
The
first starlet to enjoy a name change this spring was our Meltaway Cream bar.
Sweet,
rich and smooth this candy bar was constantly misunderstood.
Folks
who loved peppermint would reach for Meltaway and then recoil when they
realized what they were reaching for was not mint, but a brown sugar
buttercream.
And who
could blame them?
Meltaway
Fudge is minty, and so are Frosted Meltaways … what were we thinking!?
With the
help of a call-out to our Facebook friends and a brainstorming session in
house, we settled on a more descriptive name.
So, on a
rainy Friday in May, Meltaway Cream became Brown Sugar Buttercream.
It has
been almost a month now and we don’t think Brown Sugar Buttercream will ever
look back!
Instead
of being passed over by those seeking mint, scores of chocolate lovers are now
enjoying the velvety, brown sugar cream center.
It is
funny to be on the serving side of the counter when one of our regulars
exclaims, "Oh, Brown Sugar Buttercream! That sounds good. I don't remember
seeing that before. I'll try one of those."
Little
do they know it's been there all along.
In some
ways, changing the name of a product is as easy as ordering new packaging.
But the
transition also presents challenges.
We fret
- will current fans of the given product be able to locate it under its new
name?
Will
fans fear that we have changed more than the name and - gulp - the ingredients,
too?
These
were some of our major concerns with the two other candy products that we have
recently renamed – our Hard Centers assortment and our Hard & Soft
Centers assortment.
Although
these assortments include some of our most popular pieces of candy -
Buttercreams, Caramels, Peanut Butter Crunch pieces for example - they are duds
at the sales counter.
And
again, who could blame the customer? What
is a “Hard” center?
The word
Hard is typically associated with rocks, stones, breaking teeth, and difficult
personalities. Not delicious candy!
And for
that matter, a “Soft” center could be… well, anything.
So, after more brainstorming, we arrived at the following longer, but hugely more descriptive, new names.
INTRODUCING! Crunchy, Nutty, Chewy. (Formerly Hard Centers)
If you
are a fan of chocolate dipped crunchy centers like molasses and mint chips and
peanut butter and raspberry crunch AND you love our chewy centers, including
caramel,nougat and butterscotch AND you are a fan of our chocolate dipped nuts
- you can now purchase a box of our Crunchy, Chewy, Nutty centers!
And,
last but certainly not least, we introduce to you: Everything But Nuts.
(Formerly Hard & Soft Centers)
If you
are a customer who loves everything we make, BUT can not have nuts then
Everything But Nuts is for you!
We know
it's not Pepsi or Google, but we're hoping these names changes really do give
our beloved bar and boxes new leases on life.
