A conversation with the dream salesman

From a recent interview with Robert Polet of Gucci, published in INSEAD Knowledge.

“People buy our brands because they want to be a part of a particular dream… So people before going into the store, they decide ‘I would like to be part of that dream.’ And that is an emotional decision. It’s an aspirational decision for many. And they’re seduced when in the store; they’re seduced by the product, by a really desirable product that you cannot resist … This is not about selling bags or shoes or ties or suits. This is about ‘Would you like to be a Gucci man or a Gucci woman?’”

“Let me just reaffirm the importance of actually sticking to your strategy because the strategy that you build around brands is the strategy for the longer term. You manage brands for a long life or longevity, so you don't sort of whisk them around every quarter or every year or every two years,”

this seems a little anachronistic but very poignant (from the AMA newsletter)

"The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time."

- Thomas Jefferson

No marketing can fix a failure in the product!!

The fundamental of the second moment of truth for consumer marketing is that you have to delight the consumer at usage!

This is a consumer world, trick me once shame on you, trick me twice shame on me! No marketing can fix a failure in the product!!

The new ad from Apple MAC does a fabulous job with the concept - Bean Counter.

Hi-Tech & Hi-Touch

In an economy where organizations want a touch less execution to drive out costs brands need a new point of view. As organization move into the Hi-Tech, they automatically transition into the Low-Touch a classic example of this experience are financial services companies and particularly credit card companies. Each time I call my credit card company, I have to sit through the frustrating automated system before I can get to a real person and sometimes that wait can be as long as 20 minutes or more. From a consumer’s perspective life is getting more and more fragmented, work, travel, home, family and friends and our patience is ever shrinking. We all want everything “NOW”, “My issues are more urgent than the next guy”, “I always have to deal with the big issues”, etc.

The fundamental question for a service brand today is – How can I be Hi-Tech and Hi-Touch at the same time while I keep my costs down?

Is Hi-Tech and Hi-Touch a paradox or the holly grail?

5 Lessons from Jim Stengle

From the ANA conference... Jim Stengle speaks at the ANA Conf.

Lesson One: Put people at the center of all you do.
Lesson Two: Engage your heart and mind in everything you do.
Lesson Three: Focus on the short & long term results (Sales is no more important than Brand health).
Lesson Four: Creativity is about solving problems.
The last lesson: Have a purpose.

The summary posted on MediaPost is very interesting.

Walking the unpaved path

Years ago I read a book by Dixit and Nalebuff, Thinking Strategically a text book on Game theory. The book covered several examples from business and academia on the topic but the one that caught my fancy was the example from the robot competition. The likes of the one held at MIT every year. The game theory insights gained from watching the robots compete were interesting and yet common sense.

The best way to stay in the game with the strongest and swiftest robot was the strategy “tit for tat” or “Monkey see monkey do”. Clearly those robots that were sub par failed, those that were at par but have a unique tactic had a chance to succeed and obviously risked failure as well. The only chance of survival for two robots at par with each others abilities was the copycat strategy.

Brands are much the same way, copying the leader can guarantee survival but true relevance and differentiation is the only way to success. For those who have ever read Jim Collins’ Good to Great know the difference between Survival and Success.

Let the brand chart its own unpaved path with the lights of consumer metrics.

Branding nothingness

As we get more and more aware of long term effects of chemicals on our bodies, our environment and our systems, we have gradually shunned them for healthier and sustainable alternatives. Organic foods (produce devoid of any fertilizers and pesticides to protect plants, fruits and crops from insects, bugs and infections), GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms-have improved our crop yield and farm productivity) free products, CFC (Chloro Floro Carbon-the stuff that causes holes in the Ozone layer) free refrigerants, Free range meats (Animals that are treated humanely and not captive in a cage/pen), etc. I have taken up on the fad, although not yet growing hair, avoiding deodorant, wearing tie-dye T-shirts, Birkenstocks, etc. but every once in a while I will buy a product that promises “nothingness”. It serious is “nothingness” one of the consultants I was working on a brand strategy with said to me – “it is so pure we promise NOTHING”.

This morning after my shower I feel that nothingness. I performed my typical morning ritual used just enough body wash, scrubbed myself with a mesh and yet I just did not feel fresh. I realized it was my new body wash, a NEW ALL NATURAL, NOTHING ADDED PURE BODY WASH. Supposedly the product has honey, shea-butter, no fragrance, natural alkali, and NOTHING ELSE. Of course the product did not create suds and obviously the honey & shea-butter did not leave a fresh fragrance. I guess “Nothingness” is not for me? Like my muse suggested if I want “nothing” why not simply rubbed the rind of an orange all over my body than paying for an expensive body wash.

Here is a recent and very creative execution of the concept from PUR.