The DiGoddi Method : What Goes Around.........

Nico DiGoddi ran a small grocery store in the neighborhood I grew up in. Everyone in the neighborhood shopped at DiGoddi's and everyone called him by his surname.

DiGoddi styled Italian store

DiGoddi lived in a small apartment behind his store with his aging mother - there was no Mrs. D.  The store was small, about 30ft. wide x 60ft. long but was a mecca of  Italian food which was piled high and filled the store -  barrels of olives to umpteen varietals of pasta and olive oils, along with produce, can goods, cheeses, meats, and baked goods. DiGoddi's was always busy. 

I was about 10 and had been going to DiGoddi's almost on a daily basis for several years, making purchases for my mother, aunt, and grandmother. It was at this time that I was introduced to the 'DiGoddi Method', which marketing gurus now term mystery or suspense marketing. 

The Scenario

One day there was buzz in the neighborhood. DiGoddi had just returned from his annual August visit to "the old country" and brought back a giant Provolone cheese. Without hesitation, I ran down the block turned left and went another half-block - I was in awe. Right in the front window was a Provolone 6ft.high x 3ft. in diameter with a thick white cord wrapped around it. WOW!

Normal sized Provolones

For weeks 'the cheese' (as it was now referred to) just stood there. Customers continually requested  a piece of the cheese but DiGoddi stood firm and non-committal as to the fate of 'the cheese' - it was now mid-October.  Then suddenly, it was announced that 'the cheese' was going to be pre-sold in 5 lb. increments only.

Marketing At Its Best

DiGoddi was a master at marketing. He knew that if he had cut 'the cheese' right-off and sold it in one pound pieces it would have taken weeks and weeks to sell and perhaps much would have gone to waste. Instead he played on the mystery and suspense, the exclusivity - he created the desire! The whole cheese was sold before it was cut.

I was there the day DiGoddi cut 'the cheese'. It was a Saturday morning in early December and he was in great form, weighing out 5, 10, 15 pound parcels at a time. Customers filled the store and went down the block and were not only picking up 'their' cheese but purchasing lots of other items needed for the upcoming Holidays. DiGoddi had planned it that way.

Suspense Marketing Today

The hint, the rumor, the exclusive, the first-to-have, the bespoke - these are the buzz words used in marketing circles today when a product or service is introduced, a sales event is planned, or a new company or product is launched.

Sneak previews and lures via email, blog posts, Instagram, social media marketing, and influencers.These are the new 'cheese' that DiGoddi used years ago - and it works.

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Jim Lavorato, Principal
Fund-House Ventures, LLC
www.fundhouse.us
jlavorato@fundhouse.us