There is a saying “If it looks right, it is right”. I don’t know who that quote is attributed to but I have a vague recollection that it is has an aeronautical source. Fortunately it matters not where the source of the statement resides, but more the meaning of it. Keeping with the aeronautical theme…
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There’s a reason why they refer to all the home improvement programs as “house porn” I suppose.
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The insidious creep of “de-servicing” service is something that torments me almost as much as the pervasive creep of insincere “faux-service” which I’ve already blogged about in my coffee shop experiences. I know that there is no such term as “de-service”, but I quite like it and anyway it’s that kind of thing that gets you noticed…
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I am going to risk the admonishment of a number of friends with this post, but these are the risks you must take if you are to write about things on the internet, so I shall venture forth regardless. Bristol has recently announced that it is the UK’s first Biking City, which is nice, but…
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Who’s bright idea was it to personalise marketing communications? This strategy emerged alongside the introduction of computers as business tools in the eighties. To begin with I imagine it was a novel experience, getting mail with your name on it, but back then it was novel to actually own a television – things have…
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I do remember that the TV repairman was a common site in our living room (and its paisley patterned carpet) – the smell of solder brings back memories to this day… I must drop the habit of sniffing the stuff. Which leads me to another claim to fame almost as boastful as “meeting” Tiger Woods – our TV repairman was Lorraine Kelly’s dad!
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To get an even better idea of the scene think Braveheart or Gladiator and pumping up the soldiers ahead of battle. The head marshall, a man with a had adorned by more badges than a Boy Scout could ever dream about walked the line of Marshalls and announced, “No Marshall shall ask any players for an autograph. Anyone with that thought can get on the other side of the line as you are not a marshall.” I couldn’t stop myself, I interjected, “…but you can ask them for a badge for your hat!”
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The point is that “Me too” marketing deserves to fail. It’s unimaginative and fails to recognise the inner strengths of a product – in this case Bristol. This kind of copy-cat marketing is like saying “Kylie Minogue looks good in those hot pants, I think I’ll get myself a pair” when you are a middle-aged man.
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First and foremost – this isn’t a re-brand. Okay, I’ll admit that it looks an awful lot like a re-brand, but let me explain. I’ve previously bemoaned the marketer’s desire to re-brand at every opportunity, so you could forgive me for doing just that. But, what happened was this…
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In theory, the more loyal your customers the more they’ll pay for your product. So, put the price up for the most loyal customers and tell them that if they are truly loyal to your cause then they’ll happily pay for the pleasure. Also, if your customers are loyal then they ought to protect your interests from others. So, rather than asking customers to save and send in coupons, ask them to send in competing brand’s promotional advertising which they’ve removed from the supermarket aisle.
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