Get rid of all the bells and whistles. The Birth of the Sony Walkman
It lacked all the things people wanted but gave them one thing they had not thought about. And a star is born.
Zen and the Art of Persuasion. Part 3 of 3
People avoid risk on three levels. The biggest risk is that they’ll purchase the wrong solution – that they’ll have spent the money and still have the problem.
Customers Of The Month gave me something I never expected
After six months, employees were recognizing each other with little compliments. Staff retention was rising. Sales were up 43% at the end of the year.
Retailers Beware!
This is a departure. In this episode, Stephen Semple shares trends that he is seeing that are being embraced by retailers. Trends that are dangerously wrong.
How to Steal Your Competitor’s Customers. Part 2 of 3
Is this a good ad? Does it make you want to buy a can of John’s Tomato Juice? A good ad would.
7 Modern Marketing Myths & Why They’re Dangerous Even When You’re Not Falling for Them
Following the zeitgeist is easy. Good branding is hard.
How Does One Educate a Customer? Part 1 of 3
“Everyone needs our product,” said Bob. “All we need to do is to tell them about it.” He thinks advertising problems in the water supply is an excellent way to attract potential customers to his business.
Occam, Wizards, and something to believe in…
36 people were in the room with 21 laptops. The laptops were all Macs. Apple holds 12% of the world market in laptop computers. Yet 100% of the laptops in that room were Macs. Why?
Higher Profits Through Testing of Every Variable
Let's say we increase the response rate on your offer from 1.5% to 1.85%. That’s enough to get marketers excited. “You’re kidding,” I can almost hear you say. I'll explain why.
Two Marketing Lessons From William Shatner and Blue Origin
Hell, before this event I hadn’t even heard of Blue Origin. I knew Bezos had a private space program, but never knew the name.
SEO-ing the Search Engine in the Customer’s Mind — Association Design for Fun & Profit
You must create and cultivate a rich network of mental associations linked to your brand. It starts with three elements...
Mom was right, your so-called friends are using you.
Just like the friends that go to your neighbor’s party when the freebies are gone, Transactional Customers mooch from you until there’s nothing left to give.
The Most Important Search Engine Isn’t Google — And Why Local Businesses Need to Be Optimizing For It
It’s actually an “omnipresent” rather than online-only search engine.
A Trip to Italy Changes Everything for Starbucks
How a sip of espresso at a piazza in Italy transformed the coffee industry in North America. It seems obvious now. But trust me. This idea was crazy.
Growth, Blindspots and FOAG
When a customer answered with FOAG (Fine, Ok, Alright, Good), our staff challenged them. “Really, it was just ok?”