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Cupcakes that sell like hotcakes because of blogs
(Philippine Daily Inquirer Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) CUPCAKES BY SONJA OWNER SONJA L. Ocampo did not have to invest nor spend at all for a marketing campaign or any promotional gimmicks.
The blogs did it for her. For free.
It was really unintentional. After my first delivery of cupcakes to a friend for her sons birthday party in November 2005, it all went uphill from there. A lot of people were asking where they could get those cupcakes, relates a painfully shy Ocampo.
Ocampo, who used to work for New York Citys Magnolia Bakery and got back only in October 2005, admits that she did not have a marketing plan at all.
Word got around that I have these cupcakes and next thing I knew, the cupcakes were already being featured in blogs and people started calling for orders, says Ocampo.
A blog is a website where entries are made in journal style.
Ocampos cupcakes were first featured at a blog called Ramblings From a Gyspy Soul (http://gypsysoul73.blogspot.com/), the owner of which is a friend of a friend of Ocampo. Her next blog feature was in Our Awesome Planet (http://anton.blogs.com).
It was online marketing and advertising for free, and Im very grateful for these blogs that helped spread the word, adds Ocampo.
Cupcakes by Sonja
Located at Serendra Piazza in Fort Bonifacio, Cupcakes by Sonja is New York Style Bakeshop, serving more than 12 flavors of cupcakes.
Some of its flavors include Pistachio Dacquoise, Sweet Pleasures, German Chocolate Cup, Mocha Motion, Lemon Drop, Strawberry Shortcake, Bunny Huggers Carrot Cake, Goin Bananas, Peppermint Patty, Chocolate Surprise, Mango Madness and Red Velvet Vixen. These are Ocampos own cupcake creations.
Price of the cupcake can range from P48 to P100 a piece.
Cupcakes by Sonja is Manilas first and only bakery dedicated to selling cupcakes.
Although the shop opened only on Sept. 21, Ocampos cupcakes are already selling like hotcakes.
In fact, at one point, Ocampo sold more than 900 cupcakes in one day. And that wasnt even during her opening day. She now sells an average of 400 to 600 cupcakes in a day.
Blogs and word-of-mouth became my most valuable marketing tools. They gave my cupcakes that hype. It was unintentional but it did all the marketing work for me, says Ocampo, who tirelessly mans the store every single day.
Ocampo admits that it was because of the growing number of orders that prompted her to put up a store, 10 months after she delivered her first batch of cupcakes.
Before she opened, she already had a loyal throng and a steady market for her cupcakes, evident in the numerous blog write-ups and the cupcake orders she received. In fact, most of the orders she got were from repeat customers.
I didnt really envision that it would be this big. When I opened, I knew that I can never be confident enough so I man the store every day and tried to look for any area I can improve on, says Ocampo.
Why cupcakes?
Ocampo, who used to work with Magnolia, is one of the owners of the Good Earth Tea Room Restaurant in Greenbelt 3 Mall, Alabang Town Center and Metrowalk Ortigas.
Graduated with a Marketing Management degree from De La Salle University, Ocampo pursued further studies at the Wilton School of Cake Decorating in Illinois, USA where she honed her skills in the art of making wedding cakes. She is also a graduate of both the Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts Program of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York.
She then landed a job together with a working permit as a pastry assistant in New Yorks longest running famed restaurant/bakery, Bouley, where she stayed for two and a half years. In 2005, she had a brief stint in Magnolia Bakery.
It was during her stay on New York that she noticed the growing popularity of cupcakes, which caught New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Texas and even Australia and Canada by storm.
Ocampo felt that Manila should not stand in the way as the rest of the whole world embark on this sugary mini-cake odyssey.
This is the main proponent for Ocampo to create Cupcakes by Sonja, Manilas first and only bakery dedicated to these childhood delicacies.
When Ocampo got back from the US in October 2005, she started baking again, experimenting on flavors and focusing on cupcakes.
When I started taking orders from friends and acquaintances, I initially planned in offering cupcakes only in our village, relates Ocampo. But when word got around, I delivered, sometimes only three or six pieces of cupcakes, to as far as Greenhills and Quezon City.
I didnt want to disappoint any of my customers so I tried my best to deliver what was asked of me, adds Ocampo.
Ocampo relates that she personally delivers cupcakes and keeps in touch with her customers because she wants to get feedback from them.
And it was a good move, too. Because a lot of Ocampos customers were satisfied by her products and her service, Ocampos cupcakes landed on the personal websites of mostly well-trusted and most popular food-aficionado bloggers.
Offerings
This Christmas, Cupcakes by Sonja will be offering bite-sized, Christmas-themed cupcakes, best-suited for gifts.
The bakery will also soon offer other creative selection of old-fashioned dessert delicacies aside from cupcakes.
For now, Ocampo says she is content with her Serendra store and hopes to sustain the cupcake craze in the months and years to come.
Copyright 2006 Philippine Daily Inquirer. Source : Financial Times Information Limited (Trademark)
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