The Insatiable AVIDITY for Success
- Cheryl & Kayla
- May 28, 2017
- 9 min read
Through our journey of innovative understanding, Avidity has gained a privileged wealth of insight into the Wok Box Brand Entity.
We have further integrated the information, assessments and findings to culminate and construct the final analysis of The Wok Box innovation process and culture within their organization.
The main objective of the analysis serves to credit and critique their innovative status as well as to further enhance the Wok Box brand identity, gain consumer awareness and loyalty and to help them leverage on to achieve a competitive advantage and a sustainable future in the food industry.
While it may seem a tall order, We are up for the challenge because of our insatiable AVIDITY for success.
ANALYSIS of the Wok Box's Current Innovation Status:
Innovation culture is the work environment that leaders create, in order to encourage and develop revolutionary thinking and its application (Rouse, 2017). It includes leaders being able to cultivate innovation in order to nurture unorthodox thinking and its application to better the organization or entity (Rouse, 2017). Workplaces that foster a culture of innovation generally subscribe to the belief that innovation is not the sole responsibility of top leadership but can come from anyone in the organization.
The Innovation culture within The Wok Box – Mr. Sean Beatt as the sole owner has had to constantly reinvent and innovate on himself and his business in order to keep up with the continuous changes in society. To ensure success for his business entity by staying relevant in the market. Avidity found that The Wok Box enjoys its success because Mr. Beatt is able to lead his organization in a fashion that thereon leads to consistency for a great working environment for staff as well as a good climate for all internal and external stakeholders.
Avidity’s understanding of drivers of innovation is that, in order for an organization to become and remain a market leader their needs to be a continuous flow of innovation. Some of the drivers of innovation include - profit, sustainability, boredom, passion, a gap in the market and ambition (Pluskowski, 2017). Today businesses need to come up with new ideas, rather than settle for marginally better ideas, as Gallup Chairman and CEO Jim Clifton stated, “Better doesn't work anymore. Different does” (Mika, 2017).
The Wok boxes drivers of innovation:
Preferences for healthier, nutritious and delicious food options
Modification and uniqueness of the menu
Social drivers- Incline towards global foods
New ideas – Enjoyment in experimentation
The external environment- gaps in the market
Competitor actions
Focusing on Generation Z (social media savvy- Emerging technologies)
Facing the obstacles:
Reward failure: Innovation is high-risk and requires failure; something that true innovators expect and celebrate.
Invest in risk: Innovation means making financial commitments according to compelling investment theses. This marks a difference from traditional industry approaches, which make business decisions based on careful calculation. For example - as traditional business making decisions go a concept like “Uber” could be turned down.
Think disruptively: The traditional industry often finds it difficult to embrace truly powerful innovation, refusing to examine it where the industry has been most successful.
Due to the nature of the entity, Avidity found there to be no set process for innovation within the business itself. Being privately owned has meant that a passion for food and the shared culture of Mr. Beat’s family creates interesting fusion and flavors within the menu offerings. Mr. Beatt has also successfully considered the restaurants value offering and ensured the customer comes first. Avidity sees the way in which the restaurant has been created to be highly considerate of systems internally and expertly merged with external systems. By means of employing both local Durban staff as well as hiring Thai national chefs the merge and fusion of flavors and cultures create and authentic ethos.
Avidity found there to be a distinct collective process that encompasses all kitchen staff for ideation plus output and front of house staff that provide precious customer feed back. This collaboration takes place when it comes to creative ideas and innovation within the Wok Box. However Mr. Beatt has the final say by tweaking, scrapping or recreating what goes onto the menu and the specials for the night. Avidity finds that this open, clear and comfortable line of communication allows everyone to be involved in the process of innovation. Thus giving internal stakeholders a deeper measure of value and promoting continued ideation.
Avidity experienced first hand how all together the staff at Wok Box contributes to the vibrant atmosphere and the creative cuisine that the head chef dishes up. Thus making the Wok Box’s innovative processes a truly collaborative one.
A SWOT analysis, which ultimately is done to evaluate a brand’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, Avidity believe often mirror the enablers and barriers of innovation. When analyzing the SWOT; Avidity encouraged the Wok Box to turn their findings into Vision and Mission Goals in order to utilize the information in a positive way to best benefit the organization and keep it moving from success to success.
Barriers:
A lack of marketing: The Wok Box does not have a website or blog. As a result when a potential customer searches for an Asia style food restaurant they are unlikely to find the Wok Box as the Wok Box has a low SEO (search engine optimization) ranking.
A lack of integration across the four different business entities owned by Mr. Beatt namely: Wok Box, Green Parrot, SW1 and Milk.
Facebook page: not rigorously marketed, updated or necessarily engaging. No paid adverts or campaigns being done to increase number of likes and reviews on the page. Seen as static and slow growing.
Unawareness of the importance of more concise Innovative ideation sessions. By only innovating within the organization there is a lack of opportunity to radically collaborate and innovate.
Segmented market and Competition without a plan to match and outwit fellow competitors in the market the Wok Box cannot anticipate exponential growth.
No link to a Wok Box Instagram page as a result they are loosing the younger market that prefer Instagram to Facebook.
Entities treated separately rather than treated as a whole to increase the “Beatt Brands” strength.
Leadership within the Wok Box that enables Innovation:
In the words of Mr. Beatt – founder of the Wok Box and subsidiaries – “A true leader does not create followers, they create more leaders”. This saying holds true to Mr. Beats’ leadership style and structure across his business entities.
Avidity found that the Wok Box maintain a horizontal structure of leadership & strive to empower employees at every level to be independent. They strongly believe in the power of transparency, as Mr. Beatt says sharing more information with the entire team allows them to make aligned strategically driven decisions that, in turn, enhance performance.
Mr. Beatts business leadership team responds to the goals & strategies of the company. Each member of the leadership team has a function within company activities & oversea how it is carried out. Gift has worked for Mr. Beatt different stores for a total of 10 years. He has learned and progressed through the ranks to now be fully accomplished at managing the Wok Box.
Proposed solution
Avidity felt that it would be beneficial for The Wok Box to embrace the vibrant culture that has been associated with them. With this being said, Avidity aims to implement a two-pronged approach consisting of short-term activations as well as a long-term brand building strategies within their organization to help them with brand image.
By means of a professionally designed interactive website, blog and the integration of all social media pages, platforms and sites linking back to the website. Avidity would like to market to increase brand awareness and SEO ratings of the united entities.
Campaign to raise brand awareness and create a loyal following through paid Facebook and Instagram adverts. By utilizing Google ad words and electing the most effective back end meta tags further enhancing SEO. “Meta tags are snippets of text that describe a page's content; the meta tags don't appear on the page itself, but only in the page's code. We all know tags from blog culture, and meta tags are more or less the same thing, little content descriptors that help tell search engines what a web page is about” (Easy Wordstream).
Avidity desire to harness the powerful potential of the amalgamated brands to create a more unified and better product offering and service to existing customers as well as to draw in new potential customers.
In creating greater brand awareness Avidity endeavor to create great business potential.
Long Term
Systemic and design thinking have been relied upon to enable Avidity to consider the best outcome scenarios for The Wok Box and all various stakeholders.
Avidity intends to invest heavily in technological-driven initiatives. We propose the development and launch of an innovative digital ordering online App, as well as the development and use of a Functional Website to boost brand awareness, create easier consumer interaction and eventually to increase profit sales.
Launching a Website and their very own ‘Wok Box’ App, will be seen as an identity card of the venture and also a marketing tool for establishing communication with customers, promoting the restaurant, giving information about daily deals, prices, menu changes and announcements about events schedule at the restaurant.
These initiatives, which aim to link all four business entities, will allow customers to place orders online through different platforms, including social media networks. They will create a unified platform for all four brands, The Wok Box, Green Parrot and SW1, linking them under one umbrella.
Avidity believes this kind of IBC integrated brand communication and advertising along with newly created corporate identity will boost with the overall success of each entity.
Avidity proposes to introduce a tracker into the app. Bringing order tracking capability to mobile devices and allowing for consumers the ability to observe their order transit and status. Therefore further enhancing and creating a consumer centric network that is beneficial for all stakeholders and in turn boosting the Wok Box value chain offerings.
What our technology-driven initiatives will provide
A unique Mobile App that will build a connection with your customers that goes beyond food and atmosphere, it builds loyalty with your patrons and helps increase restaurant traffic, turnover and profit sales.
Avidity believes that this digital revolution will catapult the brand into achieving increased local sales and to allow The Wok Box to keep on par with international trend.
Empowering your business like never before, Creation of:
Online ordering - a food delivery service in addition to online ordering will boost sales. Many consumers prefer to experience the menu and choose their desired dish from an online menu. Ordering through this platform has ‘cut out the fuss’ and is more appealing and convenient for younger markets.
Higher quality standards being reached with regard to orders, as there is no room for human error. Bookings and orders are well recorded and refferable.
Online Corporate Bookings – Avidity intend to incorporate into the app a customer log in feature allowing for larger groups, businesses and nearby entities’ to use the Wok Box as their preferred lunch time meal caterers. We want to encourage surrounding business to support local and make use of a loyalties program.
Another venture we believe benefit can be greatly gained from is a;
It would require for branding of either a bought or rented food truck that would be utilized to travel to various markets in and around KZN.
As the Wok Box brand is already an established one that we intend to raise awareness around when the venture becomes viable expansion of the food truck fleet will be easier to maintain than openings of new restaurants.
Avidity intend on taking bookings for the food truck to service and be present at special and corporate events.
The major difference with The Wok Box food truck as compared to others and or fast food retailers will the diversity in menu, authentic, fresh, healthy and delicious original food that is prepared to the very same high standard people have become accustomed to receiving within the Wok Box and sister restaurants.
We plan on cleverly packaging and processing orders quickly to create greater value and offering for the consumers as apposed to just going by their local drive through for a burger.
Short Term activations:
Restaurant promotion activities
The main objectives of these activations and promotions are the influencing, informing and creating a fantastic atmosphere for your customers in order to ensure they come back to the restaurants time and time again. Including the goals to create awareness about the new offerings and creating a memorable experience for your guests therefore leading to an increase in sales revenue.
Suggested Activations
Ladies night while we understand that traditionally women spend much of their time preparing meals for their families we want to market and encourage a night off. In this we will promote a relaxed and eclectic evening for the ladies. Fuss free and we propose a partnership deal with Uber to complete the experience for your patrons. Avidity believe that the idea of a beautiful setting, superb meal, circle of girl friends, a carafe or two of wine without the hassle of driving to and from - this offer will be too good to pass up.
Beer tastings @ Green Parrot to showcase the different types of craft beers being imported. As well as to capture a new and different market rather than solely niches.
Loyalty marketing implementation of a loyalty program for customers who eat at one of the 3 sister restaurants six times or more. Customers qualify to get their seventh dinner free or perhaps a complimentary bottle of wine with their meal. This is the best and most concrete loyalty marketing for ones returning customers, as it shows respect and gratitude to them for their continued loyalty.
Takeaway Packaging Design; Avidity want to take advantage of the takeaway food packaging design. Modern and innovative packaging is an important sales tool in addition to the products being sold. High-quality, original and innovative packaging highlights the quality of business and cause Wok Box to sore above the crowd.
Thank you for journeying along this road of innovation with Avidity. We look forward to being of immense value to you and your Brand.
Cheryl Ramkumar & Kayla Graham – Lead with Energy
Easy, WordStream:. "Wordstream: Online Advertising Made Easy". Wordstream.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 May 2017.
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