I’m so excited to share this brilliant posting from Matthew Zablud, Partner at public affairs firm Adfero Group for two reasons:
What can advocacy and political professionals learn from a travelling Indian food truck? When you are talking about the Fojol Bros “travelling culinary carnival,” it seems quite a lot!
First off, they know how to reach DC audiences, they are masters of getting attention on a limited budget, they are working to build a community of support using social media, and they are proactively engaging their detractors. Sound familiar to any of you advocacy folks! Obviously, part of their appeal is also that they offer delicious Indian food at street vendor prices – but hey, you get where we are going with all this.
For those not familiar with Fojol Bros, they have made a name for themselves traveling around DC in a tricked up 1965 Chevy Step Van blaring festive carnival music. If you go up to order at the window don’t be surprised to see them wearing their signature fake moustaches, one-piece jump suits and Indian wedding turbans.
Ironically, when we interviewed Peter Korbel (truck name: Kipoto) and told him we intended to feature Fojol Bros as a case study for advocacy professionals, we were happily surprised to learn that their original inspiration actually came from an advocacy/political source: the Obama campaign. Peter’s business partner, Justin Vitarello (truck name: Dingo) worked on the campaign in Iowa and Virginia. From the Obama campaign they learned the importance of building a sense of ”community.” As their web site describes, “they hope to bring together local communities through a dynamic food experience on DC’s streets.”
Right now their focus is selling tasty Indian treats, but they plan to leverage their success to deliver much more to the DC community they serve. They’re not revealing too much yet about their grand plans, but they will say that one of their key issues is helping at risk youth. DC already has a Politics and Prose bookstore, maybe it is time for a Politics and Pappadums food truck.
TIPS FROM THE TRUCK
Fojol Advice on Marketing:
We asked Korbel about their marketing strategy. He described it as a blend of online and offline attention grabbing. Their primary marketing vehicle is their truck. Its big, its bright and its noisy. But they do work to slowly layer in different marketing elements to help keep the momentum growing. A recent addition was providing colorful patchwork blankets for guests to lay out on during their lunch service stops.
When it comes to online marketing, Fojol Bros take a targeted but minimalist approach. Their web site is fairly simple and deliberately lacking in the typical “bells and whistles.” While they maintain a basic presence on Facebook, most of their success online has developed through Twitter (follow them @fojolbros). They can let their customers know where they will be stopping and can advertise their specials. What more does a food truck need?
Fojol Advice on Using Twitter:
Fojol Bros strategy for using Twitter isn’t the standard line, but it is great advice for anyone considering using Twitter for advocacy:
1. Don’t try to follow too many people. “If you do, you start missing stuff.” Find “real people of value” who can offer a “real value-add,” says Korbel.
2. Market your online presence offline. Fojol Bros Twitter followers increase exponentially each time they take the truck out.
3. Be very purposeful in the messages you write. Korbel takes pride to note that “you know a tweet from Fojol Bros is going to be relevant to you.”
4. Develop a language (voice) for your messages. In the case of Fojol Bros, they have naturally chosen a circus theme.
Fojol Advice on Engaging Detractors:
Despite their best efforts, the Fojol Bros do run into very occasional claims that their shtick is racist. “In our hearts we are not here to offend, we’re here to celebrate one-piece jumpsuits, turbans and moustaches,” Korbel exclaims.
Even so, Korbel recognizes that you must not ignore the detractors. During a lull in serving customers, Korbel and Vitarello will try to talk directly with people who have a complaint. They both try to explain their vision, outline their view that the wedding turbans are not religious icons, and that the moustaches are not racist, just funny.
But Korbel does recognize that you “can’t answer every question. There’s just not enough time.” He says somewhat defiantly that the “Internet can give a voice to anybody – some get too much credibility who really shouldn’t”. But if someone is willing to come and talk in person, the Fojol Bros will “make time.”
Look out for the Fojol Bros around DC, and when you hear them coming, think about how you can implement some inexpensive but creative ideas to gain attention to your organization’s issues and priorities.
Matthew Zablud is a partner at Adfero Group.
Got all that? Good! See you at the truck, where we can get full AND learn something!
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