These delightful eatables are called cinnamon pretzels. They are from Louis' Hungarian Confectionery in Hampstead, North-West London.
I pass hundreds of cafes and delicatessens, tea-rooms and restaurants on my way home from work every week but once a week, usually on a Friday, I make a point to stop on my journey, go to Louis' Hungarian Confectionery and buy these frankly AWESOME pretzels. I usually buy myself a coffee too. And sometimes something else to eat.
Louis' has been running for nearly 50 years and I put that longevity down to these pretzels. I have never seen them anywhere else, they are ridiculously tasty and they are always the same.
Do I need to spell out why this is interesting?
First up - these pretzels are a point of difference for Louis'. They are the one thing Louis' do better than anyone else - and frankly the coffee is pretty poor but I drink it anyway.
Secondly, these pretzels make my life a little bit more enjoyable. They are a positive force for happiness and Louis' provides them. This is why I love Louis'.
Lastly, they are consistently good, have never let me down (except for when they are sold out) and so I have come to trust them - these inanimate sugar/cinnamon cakey things are like old friends.
So I'm reminded of how my business needs to run: We only really need to be known in the market for one thing - and as long as that thing delivers real benefits and is consistently delivered we should continue to be successful. This 'one thing' becomes what I've heard call a 'pointy thing'; the thing that allows a service business like a sonic branding agency to get through the door of a big corporation - even when they already have vast rosters of general marketing agencies.
Of course, once you have made it through the door, your strategy can change - you can sell coffee and sandwiches - but try selling your average coffee without having a cinnamon pretzel to bring in the customers...it's just not going to happen.
The best sonic branding agencies have cinnamon pretzels; maybe logo design or retail sound design, vocal branding or device sounds. The companies that work out what their pointy things are and concentrate to make them as good as they can possibly be are the ones who will share in the enormous growth of the industry over the next few years. My personal challenge? I like almond danish. And lemon drizzle cake. And pain au chocolat. And Brioche. And tiramisu.
