Summer 2009 found my husband and myself in Montreal. For my husband it was back to his birthplace, for me it was my first visit. We were just barely off the plane and my husband tells me, "we have to go to Schwartz's". He informs me that "this is where you get Montreal Smoked Meat", the best in the world since 1928. Okay, he's pretty hyped about this so I figure I'd better see what is creating this excitement. We arrive at 1:30 in the afternoon and there is a line-up a block long. We strike up a conversation with these the two fellows who are in front of us. They are from Saskatoon (see above picture). They ask me if I would take a picture of them in front of the sign. Kinda sounds weird to me, but okay. And to make them feel really special, I ask them if I can take a picture of them with my camera. They are ecstatic. On fellow is a Jazz musician and, like my husband, had told his friend that Schwartz's was a must place to go to. His friend is as baffled as I am. As the line moves at a snail's pace, an employee comes out and yells "Four for the counter". The Jazz musician yells out "two here" and my husband yells out "two here". And I'm thinking "the counter, I don't normally sit at a counter in a restaurant." But as the four of us are ushered into the restaurant, I see this is not a normal restaurant. It is a walk back to the '50s. My husband explains that the counter is the best place to be because you are part of the action. He adds that clearly the people standing in line are "tourists" as they didn't jump at the chance to get a counter seat. He said his experience of coming to Schwartz's hundreds of times, is that most people standing in line have never eaten at Schwartz's before. They've just heard of it. So, as a consumer behaviour specialists I have to ask myself what's the big deal about coming to this place? People are standing in line who have never, even been into this restaurant before, the restaurant is quite old and shabby and it is hotter than heck inside. The restaurant is noisy, waiters are running around bumping into each other, and there is absolutely no "ambiance" except a feeling of coordinated chaos. My thoughts are interrupted by a waiter asking the Jazz musician what he wants. He orders a Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich, with a pickle and fries. His friend orders the same, my husband orders the same and... caught up in the hubbub... I order the same, and I'm a vegetarian! (In Consumer Behaviour terms this is called the "cascade effect" or "herd mentality"). As we wait for our orders, and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to eat meat, I have to think about how would this company market to tourists. Hey come to our shabby, old, coordinated chaos restaurant to eat meat that you have never tasted before. Not a very sexy branding theme. But somehow this established and constantly busy restaurant has done a fine job of viral marketing, creating a hype of people telling others that "they just have to go to Schwart'z if they go to Montreal". This photo is of my husband licking his fingers after eating a humongous sandwich (and helping me eat mine). My husband has never licked his fingers like that in public before! This example is a great example of irrational Consumer Behavour and irrational Consumer Behaviour is all around us. What motivates people to come to a certain restaurant over another restaurant? Why do women ask questions they don't want answers to? (Do I look fat in this?) Why do me cringe when someone says "size matters"? Much of business strategy is based on the though that people make rational decisions about purchasing products and services. But study after study have shown that the majority of people don't think rationally about purchases. The newly emerging field of "behavioural economics" is clearly showing business people that, in reality, consumers rarely behave in a rational manner when buying a product or service. And, a report by Harvard Business Review indicated that irrationality is the driving force behind decision-making. Let's face it, think of yourself as a consumer. When was the last time you purchased a product or service base purely on rationale reasons? I am a self-proclaimed shoe-a-holic with over 300 pairs of shoes. I don't need any more shoes but I can always find a rational reason to buy more. But, is that rationale reason real or perceived? Do I really need another pair of shoes (NO), or do I just perceive that I need another pair of shoes? (YES) Does a man with four children under six really need a big screen TV or does he just perceive he needs a big screen TV? This is Consumer Behaviour and it's extremely hard to plan for. It's no longer simply a matter of defining your target customer through demographics, geographic or psychographics. It now is absolutely essential that when a business is planning their Marketing strategy, they must understand potential customer's Consumer Behaviour. That's what WOW specializes in - taking your Marketing strategy to a level that will motivate potential customers. Oh by the way, next time I am in Montreal... I will go to Schwart'z and I will have a Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich, even though I'm a vegetarian. Why? Because going to Schwart'z was a fabulous experience.