Specific ad executions for local media from newspapers to outdoor sites are underused by national advertisers. Local copy can be extremely effective and the barriers to delivering it are worth overcoming.
 
Noodles show that this local customisation can be pushed even further.
 
In this month’s Fast Company Magazine Martin Lindstrom (author of Buyology) writes about the multiple customisation of noodles in Japenese Grocery outlets (www.fastcompany.com.) Apparently if you walk in to any 7-11 you will see lots of different packs of noodles featuring the portraits of well known local chefs. This is not like the pasta sauce shelf in your local Tesco where you’ll see celebrity chefs like Jamie or Lloyd featured. This is thousands of different chefs and small restaurants who are only recognised in the specific local area. The noodle pack has a portrait of the chef you’ll see down the road, the brand name is that of his restaurant and so are the colours.
 
Apart from being an amazing feat logistically this also sounds impossible to achieve without messing up. Let’s imagine it in practice across London. You wouldn’t want to be the man responsible if Millwall’s local fried chicken was for sale in a local shop  near Upton Park.  (Not because of the football rivalry but because the brand might not get the expected sales uplift.)
 
However one large food manufacturer in Japan took on this challenge to revive the fortunes of their ailing brand. They were not deterred by either production costs or delivery logistics.
Interesting isn’t it.
 
Imagine being the first in a sector with tailored local product to go with the local advertising. It’s a powerful, and potentially Market beating proposition.