Fuel your business.

In recent months I’ve run across a couple of companies — one of them a good-sized regional bank, the other an unnamed Blue Cross company — who are still referring to and using consumer and customer research done as far back as early 2009. What is worse is that they’re using this consumer and customer research in building their 2011 marketing plans.

Never in the modern history of commerce has the tectonic plate under our business world shifted so suddenly and precipitously as in the past 2 years. And what do you suppose has been the sector most affected?

Why consumer and customer behavior, of all things.

The bank’s answer to my question was, “Well you do have a point but our system-wide mission and focus is to stay close to our customers on a daily basis.”

I responded  that staying close to your customers in these times is pretty hard when you have over 4 million of them.

I wonder if they ever look at the expiration date on the eggs in the refrigerator.

Couple of years ago I was watching a video on YouTube showing footage shot from an attack helicopter. The voiceover explained how the rocket was fired at the same time the target was framed, and the on board computer guided the round to the target.

About the same time I saw a small news item in the Industry Monitor column by Otis Port from a couple of years ago, titled “A Drill That Can Think As It Makes A Hole.” Continue reading →

For a long time now I’ve been puzzled about why companies will say, in their ads, websites or mission statements that they “Exceed customer expectations.”

Why do they settle for this weak claim that’s impossible to quantify, and is so commonly used by companies in every industry that it’s evolved into a cliche? Continue reading →

While creativity is a powerful advantage in a new world where the lack of it can be punished dreadfully, our business environment is swarming with those who think they have it, when they don’t.

If creativity isn’t there early it very likely won’t be there late. Trying to put it there is much like trying to teach elephants to create paintings. They’re alert enough to learn eventually to pick up a brush, dip it in the bucket and swirl it onto the paper. Continue reading →

I joined a client at one of these brainstorm exercises in a Harvard Square facility run by “Ideation Facilitation Specialists”, and here’s how it worked.

Following the free wheeling brainstorming, everyone swarmed the original sheets, picked the 3 they judged to be the best out of 1100-some, went back to their places and filled out 3 new slips with the ones they selected. They all went up to the front again, and filled up a new paper sheet with well over 100 of the ideas hijacked from the original sheets. Continue reading →

Typical corporate brainstorms usually start off with at least one hand tied behind them. Most of them I’m aware of start with an open forum of free interchange stimulated by a moderator who knows a lot abut stimulating un-rooted ideas, and little or nothing about the client sponsor’s business. Continue reading →

A lot of real smart companies do some very dumb things with a whole lot of money.

Because they’re not making their sports sponsorship dollars deliver the same way they make the dollars they invest in other things deliver. Continue reading →

Last week the supermarket cart and I were swooping after my wife in Harris Teeter when I saw a big banner over the produce bins. Didn’t think much about it at first.  The sign said  ”FRESHNESS VERIFIED!” Sounded smart, perfectly reasonable, a value-driven differentiator, implies you can take the freshness of Harris Teeter produce to the bank. Good idea.  Continue reading →