All You Need Is A Good Idea!

Refresh Yourself

Went looking for a new watch. Wanted to buy a chronograph, but wanted one without a tachymeter. Problem is, you can't easily find one minus a tachymeter. (A tachymeter, according to Wikepedia, is "a kind of theodolite used for rapid measurements and determines, electronically or electro-optically, the distance to target.")

 You'd think most people could live without one, wouldn't you? Well, a " tachymeter is also used as the name of the scale sometimes inscribed around the rim of an analog watch, useful in converting time intervals to speed or other rates of events."  Sound more tempting? I thought not. But there it is, around the rim of most every chronometer I looked at.

I have no idea why manufacturers think they must put a tachymeter on their watches. Perhaps it is because everyone else does. Perhaps because it is a feature that helps to justify the price of expensive watches. Or perhaps it is there because at one time it did serve a purpose, for timing race cars or sailing races. Or most likely it is there because watch manufacturers have always done it that way.

Have you looked at your marketing lately to see that everything is there for a purpose? Or are you saying the same old thing in the same old way because you always have? Are you continuing to point attention to your 16 round screws, when your competition now has 32 of them?  It is not enough to simply refresh your marketing if your content basically stays the same. Update your communications or run the risk of appearing dated.

Positioning

Sunday in New York means bagels, lox, onions, cream cheese. At least to me. So yesterday I walked to the nearest supermarket to get some cream cheese and smoked salmon. (The subject of why I went instead of sending my daughters is the subject of a different type of blog.)

Walked in, and down the aisle near the door was the salmon. Two different brands, four different sizes. That part was easy and fine. Next on my very short  list was the cream cheese. Now, surrounding the salmon was a huge variety of cheeses. Imported, chunks, spreadable, creme fraiche, miles and miles of cheese. But no cream cheese!

I assume, given the semi-gourmet nature of their cheese selection, plain cream cheese was considered too ordinary and plebeian. But at the local level, forget about corporate, they must know the neighborhood eating habits. Cream cheese and smoked salmon often go together. Why not on the shelf?

Certainly, this may not be a good place to position the cheese in Oskosh, But in the middle of Manhattan? To accommodate the curious eating habits of the natives?  Yes, the store got me to walk to the rear to purchase the cream cheese, where I was indeed forced to walk past many opportunities for impulse purchases. But I was too upset to consider anything else but getting out of there.

It is not only the product positioning that matters; it is also the physical positioning at the point of purchase. If you are marketing something that goes together like peanut butter and jelly, a good idea is to take advantage of the relationship and see if you can get some synergy going. Maybe a coupon for one item if you buy its complement. Or a co-branding effort. Or figure out some relationship that is real, but not obvious. Like suntan lotion next to the travel guides. Or...

Pins And Plastic

Men's shirts are a wonderful marketing opportunity waiting to happen. Forget about the magic of the phrase "single-needle tailoring," that everyone feels reassured to see and few have any idea what it means, which is a great marketing tool all by itself.

I am talking about the packaging. (Click on photo at left.)

Each shirt comes in a plastic bag, inside of which is white cardboard, tissue paper, various plastic inserts and six or seven pins. There is always one pin more than you think there will be, which you discover either when you put on the shirt, [ouch], or when you think it is safe to fold it [ouch, ouch]. And eventually you have a pile of pins and packaging to get rid of.

There must be a better, less expensive method for the manufacturer, and an easier process for the consumer  with which to package the shirts. And the first one who does—and markets the improvement to their customers—will have a good story to tell. Is it a convenience idea? Ecology? Hey, I just was opening the door for you.

Do you do things because you always have? Inertia can be wonderful, as when it makes your clients slow to leave. But it can be a drag when it stops you from seeing new ways to think about your company. Think about doing things with your customer in mind, not your assembly line. And then tell the world.