Not every business needs extensive online advertising. Why have some businesses been around for decades and continued to hold their own even after social media took off? One business that continues to hold its own is Šálka kávy, a cozy little café on the corner of Hlavná Street in Košice, run by Michal Pisár.
When I asked why they spend so little money, if any, on online ads, I received an interesting answer.
Because online ads also attract customers who may not appreciate the concept Michal has spent 11 years building. Šálka kávy’s brand identity isn’t built around going viral. They don’t need to find thousands of new customers who will photograph their homemade cakes and share them on social media.
Šálka kávy’s brand identity is rooted in how you feel when you walk through the door. It’s a place where you can step away from your followers’ gaze and simply savor a great cup of coffee. A place where you can choose a dessert without wondering which one would look best in a photo. You simply pick the cake that holds a special place in your heart because of the memories it brings back. Because yes, places like this still exist. Šálka kávy helps you switch off. It did that for me as I wrote this article in my journal.
Don’t get me wrong, but I agree with Michal that lately, social media has made it more important for coffee and cake to look good. Along the way, we lose some of the magic of a moment spent with loved ones or simply by ourselves, on a solo date.
Online ads don’t have to be the only way to attract customers. Of course, the situation is different in e-commerce. Still, I don’t think we need to pour money into something we don’t fully understand when we’re just starting a business. That’s why it helps to turn to skilled PPC specialists or ad managers.
Some brands can still thrive without online ads. In my humble opinion, Šálka kávy’s identity is so firmly established among its regular customers that it doesn’t need to pour money into expensive advertising. That said, some new businesses do need to build awareness of their identity online. The question is which ones, and when, and whether other ways to advertise might work too.
Not everything has to go viral. A brand doesn’t have to appeal to everyone to succeed and attract the right customers. Everyone has different tastes. Not everyone has to want whatever is going viral.
Vavřík Studio Love Brands is a series of articles about brands that have captured our hearts at Vavřík Studio. We want to help brands feel comfortable with their own identity and use it to reach the right customers, people who appreciate their true values. In this series, we introduce brands we’ve grown fond of and whose identities we love sharing as inspiration. Our love brands.
Where can you find Šálka kávy? Hviezdoslavova 1003/2, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.