Living in the Bay Area, the Girl Scouts have to appeal to a broad audience. Here, cookies and brownies aren’t enough. We need them to be gluten free, fair trade, soy free, vegan, pescatarian friendly and GMO free. Girl Scouts don’t have it so easy here at Berkeley, either. Not only do they have to appeal to our dietary needs, but they also need to create new ways of marketing their products! So how do they appeal to us here at UC Berkeley?

They creep on campus life

They’re literally everywhere, from the front of Caffe Strada to setting up camp right next to the tables on Sproul Plaza. Want to get a Peet’s coffee from GBC? They’re over there too! These Girl Scouts seem to know the spots where you’re the most vulnerable to their vices. Walking up the treacherous hill of Bancroft, they will be right there on the hill side, ready to pounce when you’re at your lowest point.

Girl Scout cookie season during midterms

Coincidence? I think not! They know we are so stressed out, and they profit off of our emotional binge eating. What sounds better when pulling an all-nighter than frozen Thin Mints? These girls (or their mothers) have their marketing tactics on point.

New modes of payment

Leave it to Bay Area Girl Scouts to monopolize the tech field in their pursuits. Many have utilized square card readers on iPads, so you can’t use the go-to cop out of “I don’t have cash.” This way, even when you don’t have money, these sneaky little girls still get you (I wonder what they are going to major in. Haas?). Some Girl Scouts have even started using Venmo to sell their cookies.

Alternate cookies for dietary restrictions

Let’s not forget that these girls are making signs advertising their cookies to people who eat gluten free and are vegan. Seems like they really know their audience here in Berkeley.

Bay Area Girl Scouts, and more specifically Berkeley Girl Scouts, seem to really know the terrain. I guess it makes sense to cater to your audience. After all, the customer is always right.