Holy Cow

To the environmentally conscious burger lover seeking quality ingredients and a sustainable touch we assure Holy Cow! is the match for you with its locally sourced ingredients and a freshness unrivalled.

– Holy Cow! Positioning Statement

Market Segmentation

“To the environmentally conscious burger lover…”

How should Holy Cow! decide upon its targeted market in our opinion? Simple, the key marketing tool in Holy Cow’s possession is the advantage they have of offering a sustainable burger. If we look at the four types of market segmentation with the Unique Selling Point of sustainability in mind we can analyse it the following way:

Geographical segmentation: Would be of little use to Holy Cow! as the company is based only in the less rural and therefore more developed cities of Switzerland, all possessing habitants with a higher than average income. No matter where they base themselves, they are faced with the same type of crowd, being the Swiss city-based consumer.

Demographic segmentation: Once again this is not a defining factor when it comes to targeting amongst Swiss consumers with an overall higher income. In the general scheme of things, one could assume that no matter the life-cycle or gender, burgers are a desirable product that could be targeted to any age or status. Families with young children may opt for a burger night out. Couples looking for a casual dinner date, teenagers gathering for lunch. Even the older generation or the odd individual would envision stopping by for a burger and fries given the chance.

Psychographic segmentation: This is where things could become more interesting for Holy Cow! We discussed the possibility of anyone being tempted by a fresh burger on any occasion. But would a banker looking to climb the social ladder bring his superiors to a burger joint such as Holy Cow? The chances seem slim. The same can be said for students paying for their rent and education in a university city such as Lausanne, they may choose to go for cheaper options based on their lifestyle. By accommodating to the aforementioned types of consumers and making the brand as approachable and universal as possible Holy Cow! may be able to expand their market share.

Instead as we have seen and stated in our Positioning statement, Holy Cow! should be targeting sustainability enthusiasts. This could be considered a prominent value or characteristic in modern consumers and an attractive component to consider when marketing the brand. Holy Cow! does depend on these environmental values which more and more people willingly possess nowadays and why it is important to have that characteristic in the Positioning statement.

Behavioural Segmentation: This segment can be defended similarly to the previous one. Consumers in the general vicinity of Holy Cow! have probably been eating burgers ever since they grew teeth to chew. By marketing their products as local and fresh Holy Cow! targets those searching for specific benefits of consumption such as moral value and appropriate use of products. By searching for a behaviour in consumers which matches the Mission Statement of the company (grossly summarised as “sustainability in every bite”) Holy Cow! can create a loyal set of burger loving costumers hoping to have their morals reflected in the food they consume simply by marketing specifically to them, which is already one of their strategies on social media. This means finding consumers who will share the passion of a company providing environmentally conscious alternatives to the McDonalds BigMac (for example). When expanding the consumer knowledge of their products, they also expand on the use of behavioural segmentation.

To summarise

We have seen therefore that with our given Positioning Statement, Holy Cow! should focus on dividing the market into segments based on social class, lifestyle, attitudes and responses to a product offered. These characteristics fit into Psychographic and Behavioural segmentation.

Defining the Persona & Establishing Benefits

“…Seeking quality ingredients and a sustainable touch…”

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Based on the targeted market segment how could we define Holy Cow’s ideal customer persona?

Keeping in mind that Holy Cow! is a Swiss made brand located in central urban areas, that it defines itself by the products it offers and has prices which place themselves above average we can come up with 2-3 ideal personas.

1. The well-educated, self-sufficient youth concerned by the environments well-being and interested in trendy concepts such as sustainable burgers.
2. The middle-class business workers looking for a quick bite to eat that doesn’t sacrifice quality for speed.
3. The burger lover individuals wanting to share memorable meals in cozy/casual venues of the city.

Evidently only one persona (number 1) would fit our Positioning Statement which is why identifying & targeting a specific market segment is essential to the formulation of a relevant Positioning Statement. We started by defining our target segment by choosing how to divide our market. By creating a Customer Persona, we can then pinpoint which specific Benefits fit that Persona. In our case sustainable and local products are the benefits our company can offer our target market.

(!) Were Holy Cow! targeting business men operating on a short lunch break they would market completely different benefits and surely sustainability would be the last feature to be mentioned.

The Finishing Touch

“…Holy Cow! is the match for you with its locally sourced ingredients and a freshness unrivalled”

What features differentiate Holy Cow’s offer of Benefits from its competitors? We chose to focus on the fact that the Holy Cow! brand is 100% Swiss, fully supported by the Suisse Guarantie Label of quality. We cater to those who search for morality in the food they consume, noting beats products sourced locally and served fresh. No matter what the competitors are offering, they can’t compete with a brand as transparent as Holy Cow! when it comes to the quality of their products and the regions they are grown and sourced. That is why it is essential to have these features in the Positioning Statement.

A SWOT analysis is a simple yet powerful tool which can help companies develop their business strategies. It is useful for understanding the Strengths and Weaknesses of the company, and for identifying both the Opportunities open to it or the Threats it faces.

Strengths and weaknesses are internal to the company. They represent things that can be controlled or changed.

Opportunities and threats are external. Things that are going on outside of the company’s influence, in the overall market. The company can take advantage of opportunities and protect itself against threats, but you cannot change them.

In this blog post we will present an overview of our brand’s SWOT analysis and expand in further detail on the main ideas.

INTERNAL – influences on the inside

strengths

Holy Cow’s strengths lie mostly in the choice of its products. By consistently promoting their locally sourced produce on their social media platform they have transformed their mission statement into a testimony of quality of each burger produced. Changing the way people view fast food, they are a self-proclaimed “Gourmet Burger Joint” showing an innovative way of approaching the burger business and therefore further differentiating themselves from the competition. Furthermore, they show a good level of activity on their official Instagram account, always posting relevant pictures and including their clients in many posts which creates a good feeling of customer inclusion. Finally, they are accessibly located in the centre of town to attract and conveniently accommodate all types of consumers.

weaknesses

The main weak spot of Holy Cow is in its elevated prices, especially when compared to its competitors. Being part of such a large competitive market means that an expensive food offer can be the deciding factor for customers to go elsewhere. Despite having a strong advance in the sustainability sector, some costumers will simply not be convinced, meaning a larger part of the consumer market will be lost to competitors. Another prominent weakness is the brands external marketing which is close to inexistent. Regardless of their strong presence on Instagram, outside of that social platform they are very difficult to find. The customer relationship management is also an area in which Holy Cow! could be criticised. By limiting the contact between staff and customer to the calling out of numbers it reduces the chance of creating any valuable relationships between employee and burger lover.

EXTERNAL – an expanded view

opportunities

When it comes to investing in opportunities Holy Cow! has two main possibilities for advancement.

The first is to look into new ways a providing table service in their venues. Currently the servers will walk around the tables calling out the number of the dish that the customer will have on their receipts. This isn’t always efficient and can be disruptive to the other clients. It’s a simple enough idea to invest in modern technology such as beepers, or screen system that would allow the client to know when their order is ready. If the idea of table service is important enough to be maintained, then the solution would be simply to hand out numbers to the consumers corresponding to their order so that the service can be done quietly and efficiently. These are the same types of services that their immediate competition is employing such as McDonald’s new table service.

A second opportunity lies in becoming ambassadors of the sustainability movement in Switzerland. They could do so by making the trademark “sustainable Holy Cow! burger” the centre as well as starting point of all sustainable fast food branches of the future. Sustainability is already at the core of their marketing strategy, but it is a rapidly expanding trend that is losing novelty. What the brand should look into achieving is the idea of becoming the reference for all future fast food joints looking to market themselves in the sustainable branch, therefore differentiating themselves as the leaders of the movement, the ones who started it all. In that way they will have forever engrained themselves into the growing trend of sustainability.

threats

Often, where there is an opportunity there is also a threat.

As we mentioned earlier, the idea of sustainability as a modern trend is becoming the reality of many food and beverage business entities. Consumers are actively searching for brands who can offer the most ecologically friendly ways of producing dishes. Sustainability in the fast food and burger industry is even more appreciated as it is rare, but it may not be so for long. Brands are rapidly adapting their ways of production to please the new moral demands of consumers. What Holy Cow! presently offers as their main point of differentiation from direct competitors could soon enough become what makes them completely irrelevant in a competitive market well adapted to the sustainability movement. This naturally should be considered a threat to the brands integrity and a main point of concern in the future when figuring out how to keep the competitive advantage they currently hold in this market.

The second threat we will expand on goes hand in hand with the first. From the beginnings of the brand Holy Cow! has made the promise of delivering sustainable and locally sourced produce in each of its burger creations. Whichever way they choose to adapt to the wave of competitors now offering the same thing, they will at all costs have to keep delivering on their promise of ecology in the fast food industry. If they don’t the brand would lose all credibility as they were founded on the solid base of sustainability in every area they address. Their ways of adapting will need to include even more innovative ideas to please the consumer’s morals. Adding the pressure and necessity of differentiating themselves from brands like McDonalds who are now also sourcing 80% of their product locally.

Marketing Objectives

Previously in this blog we have discussed how efficient the Instagram marketing team of Holy Cow! can be. The posts are consistent and relevant to the brands identity. Consumers will easily understand the concept portrayed online but regretfully this can’t be said for the brands external marketing where Holy Cow! is nowhere to be found.

Indeed if they were to set an objective for themselves it would be to promote the brand externally. In cities based in Switzerland the most efficient way of doing so, we believe, is to set up billboards in the city locations of the Holy Cow! venues. For example in places like the main streets of Lausanne or at public transportation stops.

The final goal of our marketing objective would eventually be to expand the Holy Cow! consumer market and furthermore increase brand awareness overall.

Below is our vision of a SMART Holy Cow! Marketing Objective

An overview of the situation

The Holy Cow! marketing strategy is based on one very simple thing. It underlines the sustainable and local supply of produce offered by the gourmet burger joint. Sustainability is a modern trend of today’s food business and is increasingly being demanded by the consumer with every passing day. It is therefore becoming a necessity for brands to adopt a sustainable approach in order to be up to date with current demands.

This represents an immediate danger for Holy Cow! As their main point of differentiation within the competitive market is their sustainable imprint on the production of burgers. This particular strength is what allowed them to compensate for the weak spots of the business such as:

• a lack of variation in the offered sales mix
• above average prices
• a large competitive market (fast food & other burger joints)

In a of couple years when a larger number of competitors will have joined the sustainable movement Holy Cow! will find itself in the situation where the company’s weaknesses will outweigh the strengths.

Previously in our research…

In the previous blog post our marketing research was based on quantitative, secondary data. Our sources and information came from online websites of different Holy Cow! competitors, as well as review sites, and in some cases our own personal analysis of the situation.

It was what we can now identify as an Exploratory Research, the gathering of a basis of information to define a hypothesis about the problem(s) at hand.

By comparing Holy Cow! to a few of its competitors we were able to distinguish the strengths from the weaknesses arising within the company. (See table below)

The next step

We therefore have the beginnings of what we call a SWOT analysis (Strengths Weaknesses Threats Opportunities). If we now look into developing a Descriptive Research, meaning refining what we know from the information gathered, to obtain an improved understanding of the situation, we can then form a complete SWOT analysis of the Holy Cow! competitive market, meaning develop a list of Threats and Opportunities which Holy Cow! currently faces derived from their Strengths and Weaknesses. We can then show how these will either aid or impede the development of the brand.

Step 1

The first step is defining the objective at hand. The goal of this research is to define the threats and opportunities relevant to the Holy Cow! brand. By going further with the secondary data collected in our search from last week’s blog post we can give concrete understanding to the SWOT analysis we further develop here

Step 2

Secondly, if we follow the logical way of proceeding, we would collect all the available information related to our research. In this case most of the data concerning the SWOT analysis has been found and presented in our previous blog post. This way we can move on to directly analysing and further developing our findings.

Step 3

We can now fully interpret our findings while keeping in mind our fixed objective.

• There is a severe lack of marketing strategy within the company. If we look into the advertising output of the brand, we note that the only active promotion of the brand is on the official Holy Cow! website as well as their main Instagram page. Despite their social media presence being a big strength of the company, the lack of exterior, public advertising means that the brand depends mostly on luck and external forces to get the word out about the “freshest burgers of Switzerland”. This is the first immediate threat derived from our SWOT analysis.

• Another important issue we discussed is the idea of sustainability no longer being enough to differentiate the brand in the immediate future. As of right now Holy Cow! finds itself somewhat at an advantage with its unique offer of local Swiss products within the burger market but it cannot hope to survive off of this strength indefinitely. A direct opportunity arises to advertise themselves as the ambassadors of sustainability in any fast food industry of Switzerland. But currently Holy Cow! adamantly refuses to categorise itself as a fast food joint, preferring the term “gourmet burger joint”. This means losing an opportunity to make a definite name for themselves in the sustainable market. It therefore increases the threat of losing their competitive touch when, soon enough, their many competitors will adopt similar sustainable methods as theirs.

• Now let’s discuss a couple more weaknesses identified in our previous research plan. Holy Cow!’s sales mix is significantly underdeveloped which isn’t helped by prices that place themselves quite above the norm for an average burger in Switzerland. Despite the first negative impression of these two factors, an opportunity arises for the brand to develop on their food offer, renew their menu and rethink their pricing strategy. Loyal and new customers always appreciate the refurbishing of a brand. In this case the idea to surprise and incorporate new elements in the Holy Cow! menu is an important opportunity.

To summarise

To conclude, the areas to reflect on:

To wrap up our Marketing Research we can ask ourselves the question:

How would these results influence the hypothetical management decisions?

It is one thing to be able to identify the strong and weak aspects of our brand. By defining a complete research plan and deciding exactly what we are trying to find (in our case developing a SWOT analysis) we give ourselves direction and clear objectives. From our findings we identified where Holy Cow! can look into refining its strengths and reducing the negative impacts of their weaknesses.

If management and marketing were looking into having a better comprehension of these results or of carrying out any other research analysis, we would recommend developing a network for the collection of primary data as well as a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) plan to enable a better understanding of what the market and customer demands.

As Holy Cow! is in fact a lesser developed brand, the available information and data is limited and restricts us to having a very basic overview of the company. This makes any type of research difficult to carry out and is yet another aspect to develop were Holy Cow! hoping to transgress its current market.

Sources derived from:

• https://lifeofmarketing.weebly.com/the-competitive-market.html
• https://lifeofmarketing.weebly.com/the-competitive-market.html
  
• https://www.holycow.ch/
  
• https://www.crazywolf-lausanne.com/
  
• https://www.mcdonalds.ch/fr/

Investigating the competition

Direct or indirect competition are factors which concern all types of companies and operations. From hotels to retail stores, when it comes to the competitive market one specific business entity will always be able to offer something which another entity simply cannot. Be it by limitation of concept, customer target market or even suppliers, some business entities will have to restrict their offers to the public which certainly does not mean they won’t be made up in areas which the competition in turn doesn’t offer. Competition is healthy and pushes businesses to exceed their potential. It is the drive which motivates the achievement of better results. Even more important is to understand the competition. Recognising where the competition places itself above and below us is vital to understand where efforts must be concentrated.

To carry out our competitive research plan we will base ourselves on a quantitative research method. This will enable us to quantify a number of defined variables within Holy Cow’s immediate competition and generalise the results to come to a possible findings analysis. By using measurable data represented in the table below we can analyse patterns and differentiations within Holy Cow’s competitive environment. Our research will be based on secondary data sourced directly from the restaurant’s websites and social media platforms as well as different reviews found online.

With our research findings we will examine the areas in which Holy Cow! differs from its competitors. By analysing several areas such as sale mix and average prices we will be able to determine the main strengths in Holy Cow! market offer. Additionally, we will be able to identify the areas of the market where the Gourmet Burger Joint is lacking; meaning where they are potentially losing sales and customers, but most importantly we will figure out the whys and hows of this loss.

Competition Comparison – Table Analysis

We have therefore chosen to analyse Holy Cow! alongside two of its direct competitors, both with venues located in Lausanne. The first one being McDonalds, the more obvious burger competition and Crazy Wolf, an industry with similar influences as Holy Cow!

Comparison & Findings

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Our analysis will be base itself on Holy Cow’s strengths (where they exceed the expectations set by the performance of their competitors) and weaknesses (where they lose the competitive advantage) which are represented in Blue and Red respectively on our table of comparison.

Strengths

• Product & Suppliers: Holy Cow is the proud and loyal partner of Swiss suppliers and uses only the freshest local products in all of its burger creations, supported by the Suisse Guarantee label of quality. Our searches have found that only 80% of the products used in McDonald kitchens are locally sources (not necessarily from Switzerland) and the other 20% are not accounted for.
• Social Media & Customer Inclusion: When it comes to their personal website and Instagram account, Holy Cow! is consistently active and includes pictures of loyal customers and fan art in many of their posts. They also constantly support their mission statement in their social media and make it the centre of their operational value.
• Location and Venue Expanse: The total amount of Holy Cow! restaurants is greater than most individual burger joints as the brand is positively growing and making a bigger name for itself in Switzerland. This establishes a good rivalry with small scale competitors such as Crazy Wolf. The location of the main venue we concentrate our blog on is in the Central Business district which allows access to a larger circle of customer markets.

Weaknesses

• Prices & Customer Satisfaction: The main aspect that is affected by the use of local quality products is the effect it has on the sale price of Holy Cow! burgers. A high Cost price inevitably means a higher than average Sale price which in turn lowers the average customer satisfaction as well as the willingness to pay for a Holy Cow! burger as opposed to a obviously cheaper alternative such as Mcdonalds.
• Limited Sales Mix: As we compare Holy Cow’s menu to its direct competition we note that their offer of products is very restricted as opposed to other burger joint menus which include wraps, desserts and more often than not, breakfast foods. Despite Holy cow! having an extensive choice of burgers, the customer’s choice of turning to a competitor could depend simply on their desire for something sweet at the end of a meal.

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier our research has strictly been based on quantitative search results meaning the conclusion of our findings is relative and dependent on many different variables. And as the name suggests they will vary on a day to day basis and exceptions to these variables will occur. For example, an external group of tourists could at any moment choose to savour one of Holy Cow’s authentic Swiss burgers. In the exact same context, they could instead stick to a brand they know and choose a McDonalds BigMac instead. These choices depend on moods and thought processes which cannot be represented as dependable data since they occur randomly, on the spot. Our analysis can in fact be identified as a SWOT analysis of the competitive market. The results allow us to understand where losses are being generated and where work should be focused. In fact this is where the hard work begins. It is once the analysis is over that Holy Cow! must begin to take corrective action.

SOURCES RETRIEVED FROM

• https://lifeofmarketing.weebly.com/the-competitive-market.html
• https://lifeofmarketing.weebly.com/the-competitive-market.html
• https://www.holycow.ch/
• https://www.crazywolf-lausanne.com/
• https://www.mcdonalds.ch/fr/

There are two kinds of external marketing environments: micro and macro.

These environmental factors are beyond the control of marketers but have a strong influence over the decisions made within a company when creating a strategic marketing strategy. Macro-environments are outside forces –not controllable by the firms but having significant impacts on a company’s functioning

The Cultural Environment and Holy Cow!

A current macro-environment which directly affects Holy Cow! Is the cultural environment. The cultural environment looks at the values, customs and norms of the environment in which a company or organisation is placed. When analysing this particular macro-environment it is important to consider the social values of the environment. Organisations observe these characteristics within the surrounding society and consider all values and customs while they try to market and sell their product or service.

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In response to the importance of this environmental factor Holy Cow! promotes their socially responsible behaviour above all else. The bulk of their products sold immediately come from raw materials sourced locally and in a sustainable way. This fact has always been at the centre of their marketing campaign as well as the main point in the company’s Mission Statement.

 “We are proud of the fact that we buy Swiss, and always look to for the Suisse Guarantee label as a sign of quality.”

Holy Cow Team

The direct impact this has on the consumer is, naturally, a positive one as it registers as an extra effort made by the company in order to offer sustainable burgers in all of Switzerland. Which goes to say that their adaptation to the cultural demands of the general public is effective. By proving constantly just how local their products are as well as promoting the unity between suppliers and producers of Switzerland there are no questions asked on the reliability of their environmentally friendly effort.

“Holy Cow! Is committed to the goal of buying at least one product from each canton. It’s our way to bring all of Switzerland into our burgers.”

Holy Cow Team

Any friendly competition?

Their use of sustainable, Swiss products is a unique trait among the burger joints of Switzerland.

But is it effective for everyone?

Who is to say that an infamous burger chain like McDonalds couldn’t appeal more to a particular set of consumers if only for different reasons? Indeed, despite offering lower quality products, McDonalds is also offering a lower price and is known to be active in many charities such as their Ronald McDonald houses and Donations in Favour of Children. This, in its own way, appeases the minds of the consumers looking for companies which take into consideration social welfare as well as basic values.

To conclude…

All this to say that despite Holy Cow!’s efforts to respect the cultural environment in the most sustainable way, there is no concrete proof that ensures their strategy will be more effective than others’. They will have to play on other macro-environmental factors as well to completely convince the larger number of consumers that their approach is superior.

SOURCES

• Oxford College of Marketing Blog, Mico and Macro Environment Factors (23/11/2018) https://blog.oxfordcollegeofmarketing.com/2014/11/04/the-impact-of-micro-and-macro-environment-factors-on-marketing/

• https://www.care2.com/causes/10-reasons-why-the-meat-and-dairy-industry-is-unsustainable.html

• How Cow! website: https://www.holycow.ch

A Happy Cow is a Happy Customer

Sustainability on the farm is sustainability on the fork

Holy Cow marketing team (Instagram)

When it comes to advertising, content and placement are two primordial factors to keep in mind for a brand’s marketing team.  Knowing who you are trying to attract through outdoor advertisement and then going from there to efficiently target customers is important.

What will positively strike the mind of an onlooker?

How will the brand be correctly translated into a single ad?

In terms of location, which one will successfully target the chosen market?

Theses questions are the base on which to build an outdoor ad.

In the case of Holy Cow! the immediate message behind their mission statement revolves around the sustainability of their products and the strong relationships they build with their local Swiss suppliers. This is why the choice of having a picture of an open, green farm area with healthy looking cows walking right up to the camera as our advertisement demonstrates a secure way to attract customers looking for something fresh and delivering on its promise. Encompassing the product, the farmer and the Swiss origin into one picture ensures the message is clear yet softly delivered. It serves to inspire appreciation in consumers for the efforts that go into satisfying the terms of the Holy Cow mission statement

We partner with local suppliers and utilise honest ingredients.

Holy Cow Website – Mission Statement excerpt

Using this as the main content to put forward in our ad we then concentrate more on who will be targeted and how they will be reached. We consider that the target customers for Holy Cow! are primarily young adults, families and individuals. With that in mind we examine the possibility of a place which reunites all these people together. This is where the idea of diffusing an ad in the cinema comes into play. Picture families and friends and even the odd individual movie goer sitting in a movie theater impatiently waiting for the movie to begin and staring up at a cinema widescreen. Were a picture of Swiss cows and the promise of good food to flash up there, the audience, who is surely happily anticipating the start of their movie, will easily be influenced to entertain the idea of trying out a burger linked to a promise of quality products and customer satisfaction. Why not head over there right after for a meal all together? Why not even organise the next social outing at Holy Cow for an authentic Swiss made burger? By creating links from one leisure activity to the hypothetical next (being the trip to Holy Cow) the chances of the ad staying in the minds of potential customers are high. Even better, were there any current customers in the room they would find themselves with a refreshed desire to return in the near future.

Any downsides?

It’s important to note that the ad remains very simple and could perhaps offend the sensibilities of certain people with different ideas of morality and diets. But as a burger joint which promises kind treatment of their animals and good quality products, local sourcing being a bonus, there isn’t much more we could expect or even demand from Holy Cow!

Insight on the 4 Ps of Holy Cow!

What’s the offer on the table?

As a restaurant chain in Switzerland, here is a general look as to what Holy Cow! has to offer on the market.

Some prime tool examples…

Product – Local. Sustainable. Quality.

The possibility of offering local Swiss sustainable food is a big advantage for Holy Cow! as it works like the main event which attracts customers. Despite higher than average prices in the burger industry, people will make the effort to pay a little more because of the quality food Holy Cow! offers. Having close relationships with Swiss suppliers helps to showcase the company’s values and the green handprint they have over their production.

Place – Central Business District

Another important asset they possess is the location. The main Holy Cow! at Rue des Terreaux 10, in Lausanne is based in the Central Business District in the middle of the city. Having such an accessible location can put them in the firing line of business workers on lunch breaks and a common spot for students looking for a quick, casual and affordable meal. This particular asset is vulnerable when we consider that many other restaurants are in the surrounding area and offer various menus but if we take a closer look to these menus, we note that once again the idea of sustainable Swiss food is only present in Holy Cow!

Promotion – Social Media Presence

Finally, Holy Cow! has an incredibly strong presence on social media (Instagram and Facebook) which works to their advantage when wanting to target new customers, sell their brand and involve loyal customers in their production.

They consistently post mouth-watering pictures and aim to surprise and include their customers in their food offers by inventing seasonal or weekly limited burgers such as the Run Run Rudolph –the Christmas edition or even having a special 10^th year limited edition burger to celebrate the creation of Holy Cow! with their faithful clientele. Despite these efforts, they shouldn’t think loyal customers remain loyal for life. Holy Cow! must keep to investing time and hard work in their online presence to get the word out about their gourmet burger joint. As we have noticed as a team, Holy Cow! advertising outside of the social media company platforms is very limited, if even present at all. Holy Cow’s main way of staying in the customer’s mind is by their quality online posting and little else which is something that needs to be kept into consideration as they go forward.

There’s a place and a burger for everyone!

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Due to its location, we have already concluded that Holy Cow is very attractive to business workers but that’s not all.

As we previously mentioned in our blog, Holy Cow! Lausanne works very closely with students. In fact, the company proposes student discounts and menus making it an appealing choice to students. They also include them in many online social media posts which is not only relevant but especially important to today’s youth.

In addition to this, we can say from personal experience that families with young children are also targeted customers. Children are often fond of fast food; therefore, parents try to find a better choice than the unhealthier options –our gourmet burger joint has their backs! Holy Cow! can offer a healthy kids menu alternative to the McDonalds Happy Meal, for example, thus benefitting the child and satisfying the parent.

We can even attest to individuals coming in to enjoy a burger by themselves. Equipped with either their laptops or a good book, they can spend a good hour if not two enjoying their food as well as the cosy interior of every Holy Cow restaurant.

So what’s in it for you?

To conclude we can say that this targeted clientele benefits not only as individuals but as a general community, from many different aspects of the Holy Cow! marketing mix. From the location to the food offered at different price ranges and all the way to the restaurant layout, customers will always find something to convince them that “Holy Cow!” are the words to go by.

A Mission Statement to stand by proudly

When it comes to Holy Cow it’s simple to say their Mission Statement aims to be straight forward and attractively wholesome. It can be found simply by browsing on their main website in bold letters, which reflects the bold statement they choose to make. Belonging to the larger scale of Fast Food restaurants they aim to demarcate themselves from the expectations the public may have of such a place. Choosing to serve burgers as a revolution in sustainability is not an easy feat which is why Holy Cow makes it their pride and honor to attain such a goal.

They orientate themselves towards a public which takes into consideration quality, taste and above all harmonious production. They do so by advertising their close working relationship with Swiss suppliers and pushing forward the concept of local products therefore attracting a self-aware clientele searching for ultimate satisfaction; simple good food made respectfully.For these reasons it can be said that the Holy Cow mission statement is a direct reflection of what they hope to influence in the immediate environment surrounding them. By associating themselves with young crowds, as discussed earlier in the blog, they promote relationships with an “in” crowd concerned by their futures. Why not start with a focus on final products we are all familiar with. Be it munching on fries with a group of friends or stopping at the drive-in with your family on a Sunday, we all have fond memories associated to the all-time classic burger and fries. By concentrating their production on such a familiar offer, Holy Cow is able to easily divert from the classic burger idea to a burger founded on sustainability.

A Question of Needs

If we consider consumer needs by following the Maslow Pyramid idea, Holy Cow not only fulfills physical needs, like our instinctual craving for a good burger to satisfy our hunger. We can go so far as to say it fulfills a need of esteem. By concerning themselves with the impact their burger creations have on the environment and involving the local suppliers into their production, Holy Cow successfully involves an entire community and country. As a Swiss consumer you can feel a certain pride in a brand which reflects the environment you grew up in. This could even feed into a need of belonging as the brand brings customers in contact with things which directly affect their immediate surrounding and translate the sense of an accomplished relationship. All in all, as consumers of Holy Cow, not only can they appreciate an all-time favorite comfort food, but they can do so guilt free by fully keeping in mind the values the brand supports.

In other words, sit down and enjoy our burgers while we work to make the community a happier place. An effective strategy is one that has clear objectives that are met on a consistent basis, which is the case for Holy Cow. They stand by their statement, their very own words, and stay efficient in delivering what they promise. From the Suisse Guarantie label which honours their work with local suppliers to the freshness found in every burger sold.

But is it enough?

Were they to expand their mission and make Holy Cow an even more inclusive brand couldn’t they come up with a statement that is far more ingrained in the consumers mind?

Instead of having a comforting general idea about the environmentally friendly burgers they serve up, they could involve their loyal customers in active sustainable campaigns by making them ambassadors of their brand. If they worked more closely to the people who are ready to advocate their values, be it with fellow Fast Food revolutionisers or other Partners willing to represent them, Holy Cow could go much further than the simple Market challenging Gourmet Burger Joint they are now.

It all comes down to how dedicated they choose to be, as long as people will want burgers there’ll be more that can be done.

The Gourmet Burger Joint

Rue des Terreaux 10, 1003 Lausanne, Switzerland

What are they about?

At Holy Cow! we are preserving the environment, challenging the market and raising its standards.

Introduction to the brand

The company we have chosen is Holy Cow!, a Gourmet Burger Company celebrating its 10th year anniversary and owned by The Parsaco Group, a restaurant consulting company, growing rapidly in the increasingly popular fast casual F&B sector. The group currently operates five critically acclaimed concepts.

Holy Cow gained immediate success and recognition in the region and at a rapid pace, mainly due to the large student population of Lausanne. Their relationship with students has always and is still today a big asset for the group.

Why represent Holy Cow?

There are many different reasons to choose Holy Cow as the focus of our marketing blog and we will elaborate on the multiple aspects that differentiate the brand from competitors as well as other restaurants in Switzerland. To begin Holy Cow is one of the trendiest fast food restaurants in Switzerland. With its 14 locations it is a fast-growing chain, and even though it follows the main trend of healthier fast food joints similar to Shake Shack or In N’ Out it differentiates itself inside Switzerland where their only competitors are McDonald’s, Burger King and other smaller chains. Furthermore, their commitment to using local and sustainable sourced products makes Holy Cow an attractive and new concept chain for students and young professionals that follow the megatrend of healthier food.

Beyond that Holy Cow’s values of respect and raising the standards resonate within their target market and create a personal relationship with their customers which subsequently evolves to a certain loyalty towards the chain. Last but not least Holy Cow’s social media presence is a strong asset and with over 2000 followers on Instagram and 22 thousand likes on Facebook, it shows a very passionate and engaged community around the brand.

As for our team’s collective choice, Holy Cow was our final decision purely in honour of the personal relationship we share with the company. Beyond being avid fans of their core product we share the same values as the company concerning sustainability and locally sourced products and feel a strong interest in a company with a big future in the hospitality industry.  

The Critical Moment of Truth

A brand in touch with its customers

If you’re craving for a burger and you don’t know where to go which factors do you believe will influence your choice? In the ever-growing industry that is burger joints, there are 3 focuses that will affect the customer’s decision and they are linked to what we call the Zero, First and Second Moment Of Truths (MOTs). These are crucial moments in which the customer will come into contact with the brand, in our case Holy Cow, and define their opinion within the first seconds of contact. As a team, we discussed what we believe would be the main points which would convince customers to walk through the doors of the gourmet burger joint upon experiencing various MOTs. To better explain this we defined what we think are the MOTs regarding Holy Cow.

Zero

The Zero Moment of Truth happens, in the case of most restaurants, when effective advertising meets a hungry stomach. The choice depends on factors such as attractive marketing, diverse food offer and a welcoming atmosphere. The harmony of these factors will decide the customer. When it comes to Holy Cow, their presence on social media reaches a significant market segment, mainly made up of Swiss youth facilitating positive word of mouth advertising. This, in turn, influences larger segments such as families and couples who are brought in by a younger crowd.

Second of all, when searching up ‘burgers in Lausanne’ Holy Cow appears in the top 3 offers, with the highest amount of positive reviews at an average of 4.3 stars. In comparison with their competitors who have fewer reviews, it demonstrates the consistency of Holy Cow and how they aim to satisfy their customers.

These moments represent the very first contact between burger joint and burger lover.

One

The First Moment of Truth could be considered the more personalised research approach when customers feel like deepening their knowledge on the choices laid before them to help them come up with what we call a final choice. During this phase will take place a comparison between offers.

What makes Holy Cow stand out from its competitors?

Were a customer to investigate using the most accessible source of information they would inevitably come across the Holy Cow website and find there a clear and informative platform to provide complete answers to all their questions. It translates its values to the viewers of the site by setting clear standards for themselves; “Good food served fast, preserving the environment, challenging the market”.

In this way, they set themselves apart from the competition.

At the forefront, Holy Cow stands by its mission of providing local Swiss products sourced from multiple cantons throughout the country. Their main source of pride is in the sustainability behind each burger creation supported by the Suisse Guarantie Label of quality.

It differentiates itself from its competitors by remaining consistent in their offer and sharing their values openly. By doing so it varies uniquely from all the other alternative burger joints not only in Lausanne but in all of Switzerland and appeals to become the customers final choice.

Two

The Second Moment of Truth comes into play once the customer has walked through the doors of the Gourmet Burger Joint and experienced the vintage, cosy-casual set up as well taken the first bite of their locally produced burger. The question that remains is; were their expectations met?

This links directly to the postpurchase behaviour and our last MOT.

Customers appreciate feeling understood and relating to the things in which they invest time and money. Feeling successful for choosing a burger joint which leads by example and promotes sustainable burgers is one aspect which aids in creating a positive relationship between consumer and supplier.

As we said earlier, Holy Cow is very present on social media platforms. They completely include their customers by actively making them a part of their Instagram posts and letting fans and loyal customers be at the head of their marketing strategy.

Holy Cow is also adamant when it comes to satisfying their customers, as is stated in their website; “Taste begins with quality, fresh ingredients from our suppliers who are committed to reducing packaging, shelf life and transport time”. They link taste with quality as well as satisfaction and play on it to emphasise the adequacy felt by their consumers.

In addition to being represented by partners such as ‘The Montreux Jazz Festival’ & ‘Swiss Tourism’, Holy Cow has also opened another joint in the Polytechnic School of Lausanne which integrates it completely into the Swiss community. As a consequence that can only be conducive to them, it has become a part of something bigger. All these factors remind new as well as return consumers that Holy Cow isn’t just trying to sell burgers with a side of fries but rather burgers with a side of sustainability, involvement and improvement which in turn affects the entire burger joint business.  

As a whole Holy Cow handles its MOTs at a very personal level. Meaning that customers should feel comfortable and involved with the brand from the first to the last contact. As we have seen they ensure this by means of their positive online presence and the homey layout of their restaurants, as well as the sustainable message in their mission statement. This all plays together with their strong belief in customer satisfaction.

Any improvements?

Were Holy Cow trying to improve themselves in a particular domain we would suggest the expansion of their brand. Speaking in terms of their product offer and even in the number of branches currently open in Switzerland, Holy Cow could envision a potential growth in this area.

For example, by increasing their number of partners and expanding their reach or even by imagining a specific menu offer for each of their individual restaurants around the country, therefore, making each branch unique. This would generate more noticeability to the naked eye of all burger lovers in close proximity, ultimately helping them touch a greater number of people with their message.