Category: Marketing

Ideas, Innovation, Marketing

Lessons from Apple and the Swiss Watch makers

Premise: I read this post that shared the fact that in the previous quarter, Apple sold more watches than all Swiss watch makers put together. I personally think that this is a pivot point in the watch industry and there is a lot that other entrenched players can learn from how the Swiss watch makers missed the plot.  Why is this important: Typically, the Swiss watch makers are considered to be the best watch makers with brands like TagHeuer, Rolex, Breitling, etc coming out from there. It took decades of innovations and millions of dollars in advertising for the Swiss […]

Entrepreneurship, Marketing

Entrepreneurship – Creating Opportunities Where None Exists

It was April of 1976. It was one of those evenings when Gary Dahl, an advertising professional was having beer with his friends. His friends were going on and on complaining about their pets. In jest, he remarked that he had no complains about his pet. When probed about which pet, he said, that he had a pet rock. This got a good laugh among his friends and that was that. Just like at time there is a tune or some thought that is stuck in our heads, this entire idea of having a pet rock was stuck in his […]

Marketing

The Role of Marketing in Scaling a Small Business using Customer Centricity

One way that small businesses can continue to be not only relevant but in some ways even compete (or out-compete the large competitors) is through obsessing about their customers and creating meaningful experiences for them. Marketing can play a very important role in this journey by not only knowing who the customer is for their product or service but also ensuring that the entire organisation knows about it as well. This shared understanding enables everyone in the organisation to align and find ways to make a difference in the lives of the customers. – The product development team now knows […]

Marketing

Standing Out

  We stand out When everyone is self-obsessed, by being selfless When everyone is shouting on roof-tops to be heard, by being silent When everyone is trying to go fast, by slowing down When everyone seeks scale, by focusing on that which can’t be scaled When no one can be trusted, by being trust-worthy When self-promotion is the norm, by shining the light on someone else When everyone is trying to be interesting, by being interested When everyone is running after the next big thing, by cherishing that which we  already have When everyone is trying to fit in, by […]

Marketing

What could Tiffany’s Do?

Premise: Last week the Wall St. Journal featured a story on Tiffany & Co’s “midlife crisis.” The piece highlighted the jewellery brand’s struggle to regain its “cool” and improve recently tepid sales and profits. A few days later they announced the hiring of a new CEO. Tiffany is hardly the only brand that is going through such a crisis. There is a lesson that all of us can learn from the experience of Tiffany and to a certain extent, even JC Penny. Steve Dennis on his blog talks about the customer trapeze. The customer trapeze is the idea of a brand hoping to […]