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You’re invited to my party

My four-year
old had a birthday party a while back. Nothing fancy, just a few mates, an
obstacle course, a cake, a piñata, goody bags – the usual stuff. But the build
up to that birthday was something else. He was so excited that anyone and
everyone got an invitation.

“You’re invited
to my party,” he said to his mates, his Kindy teacher, Oma, the neighbours and
the check-out operator at Foodtown. And it got me thinking: what’s the
difference between a four-year old birthday party and a customer loyalty
programme? If the boy is the brand, the product is fun and the party gives you
double points on Tuesdays; here’s why I think there’s stuff we can learn from four
year olds.

Parties
aren’t an extra. They’re hygiene.

It’s a brave
parent who avoids throwing a party. It’s a social necessity, a right of
passage, essentially a hygiene factor when bringing up kids. Some go all out
while others keep things simple, but just about everyone does something in the
party space. You kinda have to.

It’s a very
simple formula.

It’s always the
same: Arrivals, presents, games, food, cake to signal impending close and a
party bag on the way out. Obviously there’s wiggle room to vary on a theme (no
pun intended) but the basics are set in stone and expectation

Parties cost
more than you think.

If you keep
things tight and spend time in the kitchen you can knock out a party for a
couple of hundred bucks. But that’s the baseline: the cost of doing business.
Of course, you can spend what you like from there. And no matter how hard you
hit the plastic, you’ll never beat the people with the pool and the pirate
clown.

Consumers
will rate your party.

“Danny had a
clown”, “Sally had a bouncy castle” – since parties are largely commodified,
it’s easy to compare and contrast… and they do. But the good news is, it’s
horses for courses. Different parties suit different consumers and a little
creative thinking can make all the difference. (FYI: horses are generally a bad
idea unless it’s the miniature pony again.)

Inflating
the party bubble.

“But I don’t
like Simon any more,” he said. But he went to Simon’s party so Simon is on the
list. That’s the economics of party reciprocity. It’s complicated. And it
doesn’t stop at guest lists. If Simon took his mates to Snow Planet, can you
really invite him to a barbie on the deck? Luckily people can and do.

So if
parties pose a problem, what’s the answer?

I reckon, keep
it simple. Go back and respond to the brief rather the market. If it’s Dylan’s
birthday make him feel special, invite some friends, create some fun and maybe
bake a cake. Not everyone can be or should be invited – but pick the ones who
matter and make sure they get something out of it. Better yet, cut back the
party budget and have a bunch of play dates. Because surely it’s better to have
the kid that people want to play with rather than buy a bunch of strangers for
a party.

And if all else
fails, hire a clown, invite the world and advertise double lollipops in your
goody bags.

That’s what I
reckon, what do you think?

Michael
Goldthorpe runs a thinking shop called Hunch. He always shops at Shell to earn
Flybuys and convert them into Airpoints Dollars. He’s almost got enough to get
to Hamilton.

Image: Flickr, Derek John Lee.

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Michael Goldthorpe is Managing Partner at Hunch.

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