I received some comments on Free Shirt Friday questioning the effectiveness of selling t-shirts at your hot dog cart. I’m going to turn the whole idea on it’s head in this article.

I think we’re missing the marketing angle here…
The purpose of having t-shirts for your hot dog biz is not to make money by selling them, and it’s not a phone number distribution system either. We should be using t-shirts not as a profit center, not as an old school advertising play, but as a validation tool.

Consider the following fact. No one wants to be the only one doing something.. Our species knows intuitively that there is safety in numbers. If we perceive that many others are taking part in a particular behavior, we feel that it’s OK for us to try it too. This is basic psychology, it’s been tested and proven, and it has a name. It’s called “social proof”.

We can use t-shirts as part of a social proof strategy. If you see two or three people wearing Hot Dog Johnny t-shirts over the course of a week or two, you get the sense that a lot of people must eat at Hot Dog Johnny. It creates a feeling of familiarity and trust. It makes you curious to try their hot dogs. But most importantly, it makes you feel that it won’t be a risk – everyone eats at Hot Dog Johnny.

Here’s where I depart from the “normal” way of doing things (again…). The way that you distribute your shirts has everything to do with the success of this strategy. Display your shirts prominently at your cart – but don’t offer them for sale.

Here’s what to do instead. Give them away. Use the shirts as prizes in your contests. Offer them as rewards in your incentive programs (think punch cards). And obviously wear one when you’re working the cart. But when someone asks how much they are, tell them that they are not for sale.

If a person can’t buy one, they’ll want one even more. And if they’re lucky enough to get one, they’ll wear it a lot because it’s special. Heck, it’s a prize, an award! It gives them the feeling that they’re part of the inner circle and this usually results in them becoming an evangelist for your brand. Again, all this is basic human psychology. We’re hard wired to behave this way. We can’t help ourselves.

The idea is to create a sense of loyalty and exclusivity among your current customers, and to foster social proof, brand awareness, and strong desire among those who haven’t yet sampled your delicious food. This marketing tactic will ascribe the following attributes to your business… Exclusive. Cool. Exciting. Trusted. Prominent. Trendy.

Make your customers feel like they’re part of your tribe and you’ll keep them forever.

-Steve