This article was taken from the June 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
As the hubris and vanity of big product launches often show, it can be better to bring your creation into the world quietly. Soft launches, whereby a service is previewed, have become a major trend. Will Beckett explains why he soft launches all his London-based Hawksmoor restaurants, including the latest on Air Street.
Avoid parties
Show off what you're good at, rather than getting in an ice sculpture and a pop star. "I don't like flash launch parties," says Beckett. "'We had some B-list celebrities, it was cool, here's some pictures on our website.' That feels weird, because you finish that party and go and run a restaurant, which is not the same as running parties."
Start cheap
"If you're charging full price, you're ready to be reviewed," Beckett says. He charges half price to show it's not up and running, and says the hit is worth it. "You've got time to get things wrong. You have to get to know the building. You'll have staff who are learning exactly how you do things - some of that takes a bit of bedding in."
Do your marketing
Hawksmoor got 10,000 email applications in one day for its latest soft launch. "We have loads and loads of people on the streets, telling people we're open, inviting them in for a drink.
We do the digital thing, we do the PR," says Beckett. "Don't think of it as a marketing exercise -- think of it primarily as getting up to speed."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
