Persuasion and Consumption

I decided to look at how bars promote their products and services so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at Moe Bar's marketing strategy. I chose Moe Bar because it is attached/ part of Neumo's which is a music venue, so rather than just advertising for the bar, Moe also advertises for Neumo's and their upcoming performers.

Even before walking into Moe Bar, we could see posters and flyers for the bands that were set to perform posted all over the walls leading up to the entrance. Since the flyers were so cluttered it was a little difficult to distinguish between upcoming acts and bands that have already performed. After we actually got into the bar though, the ads were much easier to keep track of. On either side of the bar were flat screen tvs that showed pictures of the bands and the dates they are supposed to perform. It was constantly changing every about every 30 seconds so we are able to clearly see the information being shown and actually take note of it. In addition to just showing pictures of the bands and their tour dates, the bar also plays their music in the background so people are able to listen to it and get a sense of what they would hear if they were to purchase tickets to see the live show.

Another thing I've noticed that Moe Bar does is put up album covers of very popular bands that have performed at their venue--bands such as The Flaming Lips, Blur, Pavement and Radiohead. Most of the bands are supposedly very popular. I've never really heard of most of them, but at the same time, someone like me might not be their target audience since I don't have much of an interest in that type of music. I thought it was a good marketing strategy to showcase the most well-known names they've had on their walls. In a way, this builds credibility as a legitimate and popular venue for the bands to perform at.

In addition to advertising for their performers, I noticed quite a few political campaign signs in various places around the bar. Most of which were supporting Pete Holmes for City Attorney. I was sort of questioning why a bar would have any affiliation with political candidates, but I did some research on Pete Holmes and realized that one of his main platforms is that a vote for him is a vote for Seattle arts and nightlife, which is definitely something Moe Bar and Neumos can both relate to. I'm not really sure as to what exactly Pete Holmes plans on doing for Seattle Nightlife and the arts, but I'm sure people at the bar will see his name and associate it with a good time if they see it at Moe Bar.

I found it surprising that the bands got more advertising than the actual bar promotions. They definitely leave out a lot of information that has to do with the bar itself. For example, Moe Bar has happy hour everyday from 3-7 with really good drinks specials such as $2 wells, but many people may not be aware of that because the advertisement for the bands overpower the bar advertisements. Not until you actually sit at the table do you realize that these specials are available. Since this is an established bar, consumption isn't much of a problem here. They have great business and word of mouth advertisement always helps. However if they choose to put up a few signs around Capitol Hill telling people about their cheap happy hour, I'm sure they would get more business.