FC Expert Blog
Why Caring for Your Customers Is Good for Business
BY FC Expert Blogger Simon Mainwaring
This blog is written by a member of Fast Company expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone.
I wanted to share with you an inspiring example of how a
corporation is reaching out to its customers in a meaningful way. The
brand in question is called Panera Cares Café. As you walk inside the store, everything looks exactly the same as every one of the other Panera Bread restaurants across the United States except one thing is missing -- a cash register.
Instead, Panera has chosen to manage a number of these Panera Cares Cafes out of the corporate foundation.
So instead of a cash register, you'll see a donation box where
customers are invited to pay what they think is fair value given their
financial situation at that time. As the former Panera co-founder, Ron Shaich,
explains, "If you've got a few extra bucks, the right thing is to leave
it. If you're feeling pressure, you can take a discount. If you've
got nothing, you're free to enjoy your meal with dignity."
Panera opened up the first one of these Restaurants of Shared Responsibility
in a suburb of St. Louis in May, 2010.This business model is as
strategic as it is well intended. Sights for the cafes are chosen due
to their mix of affluent professionals and homeless families so that the
concept is mutually beneficial. What's more, the powerful humanizing
effect this has on their brand resonates loudly with all their
customers.
What's extra smart about this strategy is its self-sustaining
design.The profits generated by the cafes are going to be channeled into
job training for disadvantaged youth, while any shortfalls are made up
by the generous donations of the more affluent clientele.
Even if the Panera Cares Cafes come out behind financially in the
short term, the brand itself will come out way ahead. Such a powerful
demonstration of concern for the well- being of the entire community in
the way it engages both affluent and less affluent customers is simply
smart business that contributes to meaningful change. What it
demonstrates is a commitment to the well being of society as a whole
over the long-term rather than a one-off marketing strategy designed to
merely benefit the bottom line.
Panera Cares Café is a wonderful idea that deserves our support in principal and practice. It is also an inspiring example of a We First
approach to marketing and our world. Let's hope more brands follow
their example and build healthy communities by offering them great food
and the opportunity to take care of each other.
Do you think more companies should take a greater responsibility for
the less fortunate in society? What other examples have you found?
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