I Don't Want to Pick Sides

Dolly Parton is opening a business to compete with Buc-ee's.

I honestly didn't see that coming.

Now, if you've never been to Buc-ee's, you're probably thinking — it's a gas station. A convenience store. 

That's where you are wrong. Oh so wrong.

This majestic retail destination sits up on a hill and beckons you to go out of your way to get there. You are pulled to it like a magnet.

My first Buc-ee's experience was in Sevierville, Tennessee — Dolly's hometown. I'm from Northern California and had never heard of the place. Within five minutes, I understood why people plan road trips around it.

Imagine Disneyland if Disneyland sold beef jerky.

Gas pumps as far as you can see. A giant sign out front telling you exactly what they pay their team — including the general manager. The wages are impressive. It has you second-guessing your career before you've even walked inside.

Then you do walk inside.

First stop: the bathrooms. Spacious. Spotless. Attended. The kind of clean that makes you stop and think what is this place.

Then you follow your nose to the BBQ. Even if you just ate, you're getting a sandwich. Is it messy in the car? Yes ma'am. But you don't even care.

Next to the BBQ are the warm glazed nuts, served in a paper cone. Crunchy outside, sweet and salty all the way through. It is physically impossible not to sneak one before you've checked out.

Then there's the merch. The snacks. The holiday décor. Blow-up pools. Lawn ornaments. Buc-ee's everything, from bathing suits to boxer shorts.

I walked in a rookie and walked out a die-hard fan. Like I'm already planning my next road trip fan.

So when I heard that Dolly — the world's greatest entertainer, the queen of hospitality, and a woman who happens to be from Sevierville — was opening a rival destination, my first thought was: that girl has guts.

But if anyone can stand up to Buc-ee's, it's her.

I've been to Knoxville. I've seen her face everywhere. I was honestly a little disappointed I didn't run into her somewhere — it just felt like I might. Like I'd be sitting at a restaurant and she'd come around the corner and say, "Hi Kris, welcome to Tennessee."

That's the Dolly effect. Warmth. Charm. Genuine affection from people who've never even met her.

This book opened to this page is what you see on the coffee table at the Marriott downtown. Dolly.

Which is exactly what makes this so interesting.

This isn't really Dolly versus Buc-ee's. This is two brands people don't just use — they love. Most companies compete on price. These two compete on affection. That is genuinely hard to build.

I don't want to pick sides.

I want Buc-ee's on one side of the freeway and Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop on the other — so I can stop at both whether I'm coming or going.

As a marketer, I've watched brands spend millions just trying to get people to notice them.

These two already have something worth far more than attention.

Fans.