News

Box-top marketing

September 19, 2004

The customer called, ordered a pizza, and you delivered it. Transaction over, right?

Wrong.

What better time, say experts, to convey your message clearly, cheaply and effectively than when the customer is enjoying your product? As a former area supervisor for Domino's Pizza, Jim Moran used box toppers to do just that.

"I knew they had time to read a menu when they were eating their pizza, so I put the menu on box toppers," said Moran, now a consultant with Restaurant Trainers. "Most of my clients now have expanded menus, which won't fit on a door hanger, but they will fit on a box topper."

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Kamron Karington, a former pizzeria owner cum marketing consultant, printed his menu on one side of the box topper and promoted certain items on the other.

"I usually put my top eight pizzas on one side," said Karington. "The menu on the other side is good, too. But if you've got some space, try to put a reprint of some good press about your operation in there. And say things that tell a story about your company, something that educates the consumer."

Such as the TLC put into your aged dough or the farm-fresh ingredients used for your toppings: anything that helps distinguish your pizzeria from all the others.

"Saying that is far better than saying 'Dough made fresh daily.' There's nothing unique about that," Karington added.

What would Karington not put on his box toppers? Big bargains.

"This is not a vehicle for reeling in new customers. It's for reinforcing your message with the people who already buy your pizza," he said. "If I did put discounts on there, they typically were in the 50 cents to $1 range."

Moran said discounts are OK as long as they're profitable.

Make it fetching

Tom Roach, co-owner of Best Choice Printing in Taylor, Mich., said box toppers will only end up in the trash if they don't catch the customer's eye.

"Box toppers are designed to be taken off the carton and put on the side of the refrigerator," said Roach. "If you don't want it thrown away, get a professionally done, high-quality piece that stands out."

At a minimum, Roach said, that means four-color printing on glossy paper. The best box toppers, he added, are tastefully designed and include photos. Karington agreed.

"My stuff always had photographs and they were always glossy," he said. "Because I sold an upper-end pizza, I couldn't go cheap. That polished look is a branding technique."

Like Karington and Moran, Roach recommends his clients print menu items on box toppers. He also suggests operators print a wide variety of offerings if they sell more than pizza.

"You know the kids are going to get pizza, but Mom and Dad get tired of that," he said. "So put a sub on there that Dad might buy or a salad that Mom might buy. Now you've got an order that not only goes beyond just pizza for $15, it's now a $20 sale."