The million pound jacket potato

Every Thursday, one of the Behaviour Change team gets to choose where we go for lunch. We have a few firm favourites that we’re biased toward; trying to tear away from these and pick somewhere new can be difficult. So, when a viral sensation pop-up jacket potato shop called Spud Bros opened two doors away, our curiosity was piqued. 

For weeks, queues had been snaking past our office, sometimes starting as early as 6:00am despite them not opening until 11! This was classic scarcity bias in action. With the business running each day until sellout, an urgency is created and people fear missing out on the chance to say that they had tried a Spud Bros jacket potato, or to do a key insta post. The commotion persisted, sparking conversations in the office questioning: “It’s just a jacket potato, why are people paying upwards of £10 for it?!”  

Eventually similar to so many others, social norms got the better of us and we caved in to try the new lunch spot. Spud Bros have kept things simple with 4 options: tuna, chilli, bolognese and the classic beans and cheese. This avoids the all-too-common feeling of choice overload when overwhelmed by complicated menus. Removing the option of having too many choices makes it more likely that customers will spend their money and order a jacket potato as they’re not panicked by the number of options, eventually giving up on making a decision all together. 

Salience bias can have an effective impact on drawing customers in. The outside of the building has been decorated with bright red awnings, gold brand writing, a striking red archway, and there is often an employee in a bright silver jacket chatting to customers in the queue adding a personal touch. This distinctive style of customer interaction creates a memorable dining experience incomparable to the less satisfying experience of grabbing a quick meal deal. This is arguably one of the standout elements of their marketing strategy that brings customers in droves.

How far would you go for a free potato? Spud Bros have put this to the test by leveraging platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to drive customer engagement, whilst also proving the undeniable power of FREE. From racing employees down the street to taking on quirky challenges, customers compete for the chance to win a spud and are filmed for the business’ social media accounts. By featuring customers taking on fun challenges - alongside celebrity cameos and exciting games - the brand taps into the bandwagon effect, making others want to join in. Not to mention it’s a great strategy for encouraging repeat business. Using personalisation to create an experience means the brand will stick in the customer’s mind making them want to go back. 

Despite my appreciation for the marketing success of a staple household dinner, the commotion caused by the famous jacket potato has created annoyance for the surrounding businesses. It has become a norm for Spud Bro customers to eat at competing businesses’ tables and to block office doorways whilst queueing. The impact on other local businesses could be reduced by small changes such as signage showing where the nearest public seating is. For any future Spud Bros customers reading this, St Anne’s Churchyard is a lovely spot to eat your lunch!

Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed my spud, the successful marketing of the brand left a greater imprint on me. It seemed mind-boggling that somewhere selling something so simple could attract such a crowd. Whilst Spud Bros may not have knowingly used behavioural science, tapping into social norms, salience bias, the bandwagon effect and avoiding choice overload has transformed a simple product into an engaging, shareable experience which people are keen to be a part of.