I will be commenting on news of the day, cultural curiosities, and the wonders of media. Your input is welcome. Finally, please remember the immortal words of Saint John Coltrane “many are called, but few are chosen,” thank you for choosing to spend time reading, watching, and listening.
There it is in the New York Times, Cond’e Nast’s CEO Charles Thompson talking about how he’s going to wean his company off of advertising revenue and charge by the click. I’m paraphrasing and the emphasis is mine too. Mr Thompson goes on to discuss the radical changes his organization is about to go through and how this is all part of the new day of new media at Cond’e Nast. With all due respect Mr. Thompson, you need to relax and make the most of what you have while continuing to keep an eye on what is the inevitable withering of print. The quality of the writing and photojournalism is what made the company and it is what Mr. Thompson should focus his energies on. People will always “pay,” or sit through advertising, for the good stuff.
Facebook and Twitter friends.
Time management, but since you’re calling me out I will make every effort to spruce it up. Thank you for the encouraging words.
Nothing, it’s my head that’s crooked.
Costco’s product selection is as much art as science. Over the holidays I purchased a New York State cheddar cheese flavored with champagne grapes. This delightful cheese had a competitive price, for a premium product, and was a hit with all who tried it around the house. My local cheese shop did not carry it. Unique product offering combined with an attractive price makes Costco the number one marketer of goods and services to me.
The number one marketer of good and services to me is Costco. This company has successfully completed greater than 864 transactions with me over the last 18 years. Additionally, I have spread the word about specific products and services at least 500 times to friends, family, and strangers. A friend of mine dismissed Costco taking the number one position as a triumph of pricing. I agreed that price is a factor, but the key to Costco’s win was the value that was realized before, during, and after the transactions. Specifically, the products (tires, groceries, electronics, etc.) marketed to me by Costco had unique selling propositions, attractive prices, and tangible enjoyment was experienced throughout the product/service lifetime.
A great strategic thinker, talented designer, and artist, Paula Bee, commented, “what are the criteria for success” for those seeking to market their product/service to my wants and needs? The criteria for successfully marketing one’s product/service to Mark Heyert are: 1) Completion of a transaction, 2) two or more mentions of the product/service to friends and/or family. Stay tuned as the winners and losers will be announced shortly.
Should I be surprised that most companies take their customers for granted? Yes, because today’s customers are more knowledgeable, better informed, and deeply self-aware than any other time in the modern era; leading to a hunger for authenticity in the products and services they consume. I make it easy for marketers to find me by spreading the appropriate keywords on my Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace profiles. I leave all sorts of clues for the behavior targeting bloodhounds; they have been following my scent across the web and still they can’t figure out how to showcase the authenticity of their product to me. The more I hope for my wants and needs to be satisfied magically by technology empowered marketers, the more disappointment encroaches on my wonderful world. I am the same consumer I was twenty years ago: curious, knowledgeable, and anxious to be sold on the merits, or sexiness, of a product or service. Stay tuned over the next few weeks as I share the winners and losers in the market to Mark challenge, hey hair removal products, you listening?