Identify your market target!

[jpshaw]

Thats an old saying in marketing class from college but I want to share a story of it in use. My wife and I and kids were visiting Hot Springs one summer. They had jewelry auctions everywhere and after closing the door would have a sign that read "THIS PREMISES PROTECTED BY SUCH AND SUCH HIGH TECH ALARM SYSTEM". Well being a north Louisiana redneck I would go up and raddle the door witch would bother my wife. So we decided to take the kids to the Museum of the America's just east of town. After traveling for about 10 miles and ending up on a dirt road (the museum was only 5 miles away) I decided to stop and make some codger give me the REAL directions. You know how you tend to think it's the poor persons fault at the local convenienc store that you are lost. No convenient store but then there was this old run down country store ahead. I was going to stop and give this guy the "what for" for bad signage in Arkansas. About the time I had stopped and just about had all the slack pulled out of the door handle. I saw the sign.
Misspelled words and writen with a paint brush it said: "THESE PREMOSIS PROTECKTED BY BITTEN DOGS AND AUTOMATIC SHOTGUNS". Being the redneck I am I could visualize 3 or 4 mongral dogs boiling out from under that porch and a very irratated local pushing open that raged screen door, Browning in hand, and I meekly released that door handle and drove back 5 miles to a gas station and very nicely asked directions. You see that man knew his market target and wrote his sign accordingly. He would have made an excellent grade in Marketing 901.

 

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

Funny but so true! I would be more afraid of the Dogs & the feller holding the gun than the high-tech alarm system

Around here where we live there are so many homemade signs (Spray-Painted of-course and spelling is usually at least Southern slang phonetically correct) "Fer Rent" or any such thing. We have had many great belly laughs with some of them. My Dad was the worst one to make fun of the Farmers at the Market selling "Maters" it was a great source of fun to hear him tell & re-tell the story about the old men selling their "Juicy Maters"!

 

[jpshaw]

Well I never saw any man or shotgun, or any dogs for that matter except in my mind. It was a Mom & Pop store on a dirt road at 8 o'clock on a Sunday morning. Those signs in town brought no fear to me but this one I could relate to.

 

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

Well I never saw any man or shotgun, or any dogs for that matter except in my mind. It was a Mom & Pop store on a dirt road at 8 o'clock on a Sunday morning. Those signs in town brought no fear to me but this one I could relate to.

Hey JP your story brought back a hysterical memory for me! One morning my Dad and I had traveled to Jackson, Mississippi very early on a Sun. We were in some part of Mississippi along the way and we saw a Diner and Dad said "Let's Stop for Breakfast!" Well we walked in and the first thing through the door we were hit by Elvis Presley songs blaring on a juke box, it was LOUD....Ok we were hungry so we figured we would just deal with it! So we sit at the counter & up walks this woman, this BIG rough looking woman, man this woman is like MEAN , she's not only big she's got a lit cigarette hanging from between her lips with an ash on it about 5 inches long, and she asks us "Whad'll ya all have?" Well Daddy says "Bacon, grits and eggs with toast no ashes please." This comment from Daddy made me start giggling, and the Big Mean Waitress was unamused, matter of fact she was looking even madder than a wet hen by the time she had taken our order. So anyway this juke box continues to belt out the loudest tunes ever, Dad makes a little remark to me about this being the wierdest way to spend a nice quiet Sun. Morning breakfast together and I start giggling again. The locals (there were maybe 3 scattered around here & there all chain smoking and looking hung-over) began to look at me giggling away because my Dad kept making jokes and I never remember a bite I ate, I kept feeling like laughing the whole time and I was there. I and could not concentrate on my meal at all. It was one of the most memorable meals I ever had with my Dad believe it or not!!!

 

[jpshaw]

But Cathy, were your ashes and eggs good?

 

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

But Cathy, were your ashes and eggs good?

LOL, my Dad sure did give that toast the one over, he was scarred she could've camoflagued them as she buttered our toast and mind you my Dad is a non-smoker so he could've tasted those ashes in a heart beat!!!

 

[jglass]

Cathy that sounds like a few places to eat around here.
The Judd's are from the next county over and one diner between here in there has been visited by Ashley Judd. I think they have her pic on the wall. I have never been in the place because of the smoking but I read about it in the paper.
On the road between here and there you will see tons of hand made signs in spray paint for everything from horse rides to rocking chairs for sale.

 

[chubbyalaskagriz]

Jp, Cathy and janie- your stories all reach me on SO many levels!

First- JP, your observation of the whole marketing thang is really true! In cooking classes (I didn't gradutate- I dropped-out) we learned that being a food snob is no good. Afterall, those who'd turn-up their noses and inappropriately serve fancy pheasant-under-glass at a casual back-yard barbecue are as backward- or MORESO than a group of 2-toothed misfits from the woods who'd serve 'possum at a high society banquet! There's a fine and proper place for everything- again- it's knowing your audience!

Also- since I now work in the alarm monitoring dept. of a huge insurance company- I identify w/ your tale of the security sign, fully!

And speaking of signs- 2 quickies: 1.) Up in Alaska a dude out in the boondocks had a sign on his drive-way gate that read: "Nuthin' on My Land is Worth Yer Life!" and 2.) cutest sign I ever saw in a fancy antiques store read: "Unattended Children Will Be Given an Espresso and a Free Puppy!"

Cathy- your cig-smokin' waitress story brought back SO many memories of my time coming-up in various restaurants. Can you believe when I was a kid it was still actually acceptable to smoke on the line, while cooking food in restaurant kitchens? And today customers cannot even smoke at their own table in the dining room- my, how far we've come!

janie- I love most country music and I LOVE the Judds! Ever see Naomi's cookbook? It's a good'un and it's currently available USED at Amazon for a measley 21 cents! I highly recommend it- I've gifted it to several friends as a wedding gift!

Amazon.com: Naomi's Home Companion: A Treasury of Favorite Recipes, Food for Thought and Country Wit and Wisdom (9781577192718): Naomi Judd: Books