Trends

I’m reading a book about philosophy called “Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar …”. In one section while explaining the Principle of Parsimony (essentially the idea that one should always choose the simplest explanation for something, one that requires the fewest leaps of logic) they share a little joke and some insight on Tupperware that got me thinking…

We’re often told to keep it simple, in fact, even recently I’ve blogged about it myself, but here’s where it differs: In our systems, in our strategies, in our business endeavors, with clients, processes and so forth we want to keep it simple, but when presenting something for a sale there’s no harm in embellishing it. The simple existence of your product or service is not enough. People need to be convinced, so our talk needs to be convincing. Tupperware got it…

“One evening after dinner, a five-year-old son noticed that his mother had gone out and asked his father, “Where did mommy go?”
His father told him, “Mommy is at a Tupperware party.”
This explanation satisfied him for only a moment. Puzzled, he asked, “What’s a Tupperware party, Dad?”
The man had always given his son honest answers, so he figured a simple explanation would be the best approach. “Well, son,” he said, “at a Tupperware party, a bunch of ladies sit around and sell plastic bowls to each other.”
He nodded, indicating that he understood this curious pastime. Then he burst into laughter. “Come on, Dad,” he said. “What is it really?”

The simple truth is that a Tupperware party really is a bunch of ladies sitting around selling plastic bowls to each other. But the marketing folks at the Tupperware Corporation, metaphysicians that they are, would have us believe it’s more complex than that.”

So let’s face it, you like chocolate don’t you? Come on as much as you’d like to avoid it, truth is you rely on it to bring you sweet satisfaction don’t you?! It hasn’t been scientifically proven just yet but I’m convinced that a woman’s genome consists of chocolate! All jokes aside I’m pretty sure that whether your consumption of chocolate is high or low you have a pretty clear idea of how much it costs to buy a good candy bar and the different kinds there are out there, right? We can get them with almonds, dark, milk, and even with peanut butter. For what reasons do we eat it? Because we feel like eating something sweet, to celebrate, to have a pity party, to get inspired, to simply enjoy the wonders of life! Here’s a question for you though: when was the last time you had chocolate with the second best thing ever invented… bacon? and when did you eat it to embrace yourself in a different culture?

Bizarre question huh?! Well, If there’s one thing that Katrina Markoff knows how to do well that’s to engage her customers. Her stories are so compelling and her messages so embracing that she gets people like you and me to eat chocolate and wasabi in one bite, and we do it because it’s a delicious experience, all the while enveloping ourselves in a different culture, artist, movement or religion!

Through chocolate Markoff has allowed people all over the world to break through barriers and engage with one another. Quite impressive considering that it’s just chocolate, even more impressive that she has made it a successful and profitable business! In my world chocolate is as common as water nowadays, and selling it can be a constant battle against prices. To eat Markoff’s chocolate however, you pay a premium price, but you do it gladly. That’s because Markoff is selling more than just chocolate, she’s selling a story, a lifestyle, she’s sharing a mission, she’s establishing a connection to people and community.

She does it through exotic flavors, innovative combinations and spices from many nations. Her packaging is impeccable, her message clear and unavoidable in everything she does. From wrappers, to printed materials, to her well laid out website. Her creativity seeps through as she even developed a “game” for you to have a party, a way to literally engage while eating the chocolate among friends.

In your business what are you selling? Go beyond the obvious product or service you’re offering, dig deep and find your compelling story because that will distinguish yourself from the competition. Make sure the message is clear and distinguishable through out your every move. Don’t be afraid to be creative and innovative and keep one thing in mind: it’s not about the product… it never is.

I like Jones Soda. I’ve had a couple flavors and don’t even drink it that often, but I know they’ve never done anything by the book, and that is why I like them!

If you’ve been in a conversation with Shahar I’m sure you’ve heard her spiel about Pepsi competing with Coke and spending a bunch of money but even then never becoming the number one in the cola department, but that smart companies create their own niche and become the un-cola and so forth… well, Peter van Stolk did just that!

He basically built a cult and he did it well, in part by positioning Jones as the anti-Coke. Its offerings have included flavors such as Jelly Donut, Egg Nog, and Bug Juice, sold in bottles labeled with customer-submitted photos. The company does no traditional advertising. Instead, its two RVs ramble from town to town nationwide, stocked with sodas that are distributed free to teens in malls and schoolyards.

I must say that their strategies have changed since the start of the company, obviously (what successful company stuck to their original plan until the end?!) Granted they’ve had a few misses, but they have such an engaging approach that it’s worth pointing out…

1. anti-Coke.
2. Super weird, but original flavors.
3. Customer-submitted photos (phenomenal strategy!)
4. No advertising.

Care to read an interesting article about them? Go here.

Does it feel like your business is a battle sometimes? Like things are so complicated? Like you have to go through so much to accomplish so little? Take a step back and re-think your strategies.

For some odd reason I’m fascinated by the way people are. How they do things, why they do what they do, how they react, how they behave and so on. What also intrigues me are the many different ways people find to do the same things, through out the different generations.

That sounds a little confusing but essentially what I’m trying to get to is this: I read an article on ars technica about a study between Gen X moms and Gen Y moms. They were studying how both types of moms used the Internet and found out that while they both go online to accomplish tasks related to parenting, the way they interact with others differs depending on when they first logged on to the Internet. Put simply, Gen Y moms tend to be more “Web 2.0″ than their Gen X counterparts.

They’re both using the Internet as a tool, and they’re both looking to be better parents, but they do it so differently from one another.

Bonnier’s Parenting Group surveyed 847 mothers who visited Parenting.com to collect data. The company found that Gen X-ers, those who were born in the late 60s and during the 70s, tend to use the Internet to accomplish certain tasks rather than interact with others. This includes looking at photos, reading product ratings, and buying products online. On the flip side, Gen Y-ers, those who were (generally) born in the 80s and 90s, tend to be more social online. They are more likely to interact with other people through the use of blogs, social networks, and video-/photo-sharing sites.

See the importance of understanding who you’re really targeting? Your message needs to hit them at the core, and not having your audience well defined, not knowing what they do and how they do it, might just be the difference between your success and your failure.

I’m a movie fan, and I especially get a kick out of animations. You also know that I like to study Disney, therefore anything that Pixar releases I’m all over it! Disney and Pixar have found a way to make it work, so yes, I study them intensely!

Bill Taylor wrote a very interesting article about Pixar’s Blockbuster Secrets, here’s a snippet:

Pixar doesn’t just make films that perform better than standard fare. It also makes its films differently — and, in the process, defies many familiar, and dysfunctional, industry conventions. Pixar has become the envy of Hollywood because it never went Hollywood.

More than a few business pundits have drawn parallels between the flat, decentralized “corporation of the future” and the ad-hoc collection of actors, producers and technicians that come together around a film and disband once it is finished. In the Hollywood model, highly talented people agree to terms, do their jobs, and move on to the next project. The model allows for maximum flexibility, to be sure, but it inspires minimum loyalty and endless jockeying for advantage.

Turn that model on its head and you get the Pixar version: a tightknit company of long-term collaborators who stick together, learn from one another, and strive to improve with every production. Andrew Stanton, who directed Wall-E, was a key figure behind Finding Nemo, which won two Oscars, generated worldwide box-office of $840 million, and became the best-selling DVD of all time. But Stanton didn’t follow the success of Nemo by offering himself to the highest bidder or demanding perks and special treatment. He went back to his job as an employee of the studio, to pitch in on other films and eventually begin work on his next major project.

And Stanton is merely one of many superbly talented writers and directors who have staked their reputations on their work at Pixar. Again, in contrast to convention, these professionals have traded one-time contracts for long-term affiliation and contribute across the studio, rather than to just their pet projects.

Like Bill Taylor asked, how are you changing the game in your field? What is your distinctive take on how your industry operates? Do you work as distinctively as you compete?

Mark Cuban wrote an interesting blog post the other day called “Free is only good if someone else is paying for it.” He has a very interesting approach and basically talks against the conventional wisdom that free is the way to go.

“When people actually pay for your product, you define a value to everyone. First you have to keep your paying customers happy. They want their money’s worth. Which in turn, keeps you improving the product and the service surrounding it. Just as importantly, it creates a revenue stream for your company. Always remember this. Without a revenue stream, you have no company.“

This got me thinking and observing those around me for a second… with all this recession and crisis talk a lot of businesses react in an inadvertent manner, they lower their prices and devalue their offerings in the hopes that they might make a sale or two and survive. That’s a sad approach. If you’re having difficulty growing, you’re most likely going after the wrong audience and with the wrong price.

Target people with expandable cash, people who don’t even notice the recession.

The other day I read an interesting blog post about the evolution of 37signals – a company committed to building the best web-based software products possible with the least number of features necessary. Their products do less than the competition — intentionally.

In the beginning they had the same approach we often tell our clients who are in their early stages to follow: no advertisement. They relied solely on word of mouth, and as such they had to create a buzz and build an audience fast. That’s not exactly an easy task, but having an audience, having your followers makes for an invaluable asset. How do you build an audience? Well, put on your thinking caps and get creative! 37signals had an interesting approach, they built satellite projects that helped them build an audience before they even launched their biggest/intentional project, so that when they did launch it it would have a huge following.

How are you building your flock? What are you doing to have followers? Are you doing something? Just being one more service provider out there in the crowd with no recognition is dull. Think about it… it’ll make getting the word out for your business a lot easier!