My response to Syrup & Tang's article about the macaron competition

My response to Syrup & Tang’s article about the macaron competition

Gentle reader,

I posted a rather lengthy comment to a food blog. I know, I know, I said I wouldn’t do that anymore, but here I am… Anyway, I’m not sure if it’ll make it to that particular blog, so I’m posting it here.

You may want to read the original article at Syrup and Tang first.

Duncan,This is marketing. You pay $220, you get on a list and get promoted alongside everyone else. If you don’t think it’s worth it, don’t pay the money and don’t get promoted. Every competition works this way: agricultural shows (Melbourne Show, Sydney Show, etc), sponsored competitions like the Callebaut Easter Egg, nearly every competition out there is paid entry. Trade shows are paid entry. How do you think they’re able to cover their costs and ensure a sustainable business?

Here’s the thing though: it’s not about winning or losing. It’s about getting your name on the list next to all those other names. It’s about recognition - for yourself, as well as for the industry as a whole. Competitions legitimise the industry, educate the public, and (in this case) promote good eating.At a very basic level, competitions are a pooling of marketing resources. The $220 entry fee - a very small amount of money, really - gets entrants lots of publicity. The amount of ink/screen-time one can buy for $220 is fairly small - but $4400 (20 x $220) can buy a lot more for everyone together. And the fact that it’s a competition means it’s “news”: they’ll probably get mention in Epicure and other media outlets for free (or, a bit of money to a PR person).

And really - these people will gross $4400 maximum for their troubles. Once their costs are taken care of, I’d be surprised if they’ve actually made any money. It’s not like they’re getting rich here. I can think of a lot of easier ways to make $4400. Granted, they may have other motives as well, but money - at least directly - sure isn’t one of them.Your example of Café Vue. They feel that, for whatever reason, they don’t need it, probably because they have enough customers as it is - or they might want to appear aloof, distancing themselves from this whole, completely overblown, macaron mania. I don’t know your motivations, but for whatever reason, you seem to believe that $220 is too much money for what they’re offering. That’s your call. Me? I think it’s cheap.

Modifying the Twitter stream, removing items from the website? Of course. These people didn’t pay, therefore they will not be shown alongside everyone else. It’s not quite kosher with Twitter’s culture, but this is basic marketing 101.If they don’t seem very well organised, it’s probably because this is their first year doing it. I suspect they’re not being paid (how could they possibly, with only $4400 coming in?) They’re amateurs, learning as they go, much like you.

Disclosure: I’m not involved in this competition, either as an organiser or an entrant, but I am involved peripherally in the food industry.