Spotted this on my travels earlier this week in Faversham:

I think the banner proclaiming “we’re not as cheap as Wetherspoons” is great.

All too often marketers can get stuck in the discounting trap, seeing price as the most effective part of the marketing mix to attract customers.

The Railway Hotel is turning price competition from the nearby Wetherspoons pub on its head by shouting that they’re not as cheap.

The implication, of course, is that by not being as cheap the Railway Hotel is in fact better.

Even in a market driven by price, there’s always a different angle for differentiation that will attract new customer. It’s the marketers job to find it.

I didn’t actually make it into either hostelry, so can’t comment on the accuracy of either claim, although the menu outside the Railway Hotel did look pretty good!