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Think Forward

Out of the several influences mentioned in the article, marketing had the biggest influence over my purchasing decision. The elements of marketing’s influences are: product, price, and service. CarMax, in my opinion, has the best selection of used cars to choose from. Their vehicles are serviced, repaired and stamped for approval before hitting the show floor. The company reveals all records of the car’s history. They ensured I got a quality vehicle and the buying process was executed in a timely, professional manner.
I also consider myself a bargain shopper. It doesn’t matter how small or big of a purchase I’m always looking for huge saving. I felt that I saved time and money with CarMax. I got what I wanted for my trade in, I got the below asking price on my new purchase, and walked away with cash in my pocket. CarMax has an active marketing campaign that promotes an easy and simple solution to buying and selling cars. As a valued customer, I can they stand by every car that is sols off their lot, however, I can only base this off my two experiences and the long line of people I see at the payment counter when I pay my car note. CarMax has set a standard for itself that it upholds to its customers. They fix it right and they have the great prices. Combine that with innovation and superior customer service you have a solid top management company, which does a great job relaying its message to its constituencies. Who in turn prioritize and execute very well. The end result, another car sold. According to “Consumer Buying Behavior (2009),” the number of influences on consumer behavior is limitless (“KnowThis.com”). CarMax does an excellent job of surveying consumer’s needs. By understanding their needs they can develop effective marketing campaigns to influence their purchasing decision.

Reference
Consumer Buying Behavior “2009”
http://www.knowthis.com/principles-of-marketing-tutorials/consumer-buying-behavior/

Guerrilla marketing somtimes = strategic marketing.

The truth is that people like being entertained even when they are at work. If they can choose between reading through a website or watching a 2 minute video when they are researching a subject, they will typically prefer to watch a video. And the statistics prove it.

Recently during one of MVC’s rebranding campaigns for one of our clients we had to take down their old website. While content was being developed for the new website we still needed to have something online that people could get an idea of what the brand was about and that allowed us to start creating a buzz about their new products. We decided on a simple 2 page website that featured a video showcasing the new brand and furniture collection. It paid off big time. Although the average web user typically will not spend more than 5 seconds looking at any given web page, we discovered that users were captivated by the video and would spend on average 2 minutes and 30 seconds watching the video. In fact, that was about the length of the whole video. This means that most people who went to the site after they saw the PR and emails about the new brand actually watched the entire video. Most importantly though is that the results for our client was inspiring. Buyers began to contact them about the new products they saw and were ready to discuss new orders. Here’s a link to that video:

Now, I am not saying that you should immediately take your site down and put up a page with a video. Not by any means. Web video has to be handled on a case by case basis and needs a good strategy and great content to pay off. What I am saying is that it works extremely well in generating results and should be a part of any company’s branding and marketing strategy. In fact, we use it for most of our clients.

Another B2B video created by MVC:

Advertising Age magazine just named BoltBus one of “America’s Hottest Brands.”

Not knowing who this company was or why it was so hot, I had to investigate.

First, some background.  In March 2008, BoltBus was launched in the Northeast United States, and currently operates roundtrip service to New York City or Washington, D.C. via four markets:  New York City, Boston, Philadelphia (including Cherry Hill, NJ) and Washington, D.C. (including Greenbelt, MD).  BoltBus, headquartered in Secaucus, N.J., is a division of Greyhound Lines, Inc., operated in affiliation with Peter Pan Bus Lines.

Apparently, Greyhound’s objective was to target urban professionals, college students and commuters traveling on the popular Northeast corridor, and to penetrate a segment of the market known as “Chinatown buses” (provide curbside service from one city’s Chinatown district to another). 

Here’s what’s interesting about BoltBus from a marketing perspective:

• In order to jettison any Greyhound “baggage” that might prevent the success of the new enterprise, the company created a new brand;
• To reduce operating costs associated with being located in city bus terminals (building and labor overhead), BoltBus adopted a curbside pick-up service model.  In other words, the bus stops at designated street locations similar to intra-city bus service;  
• BoltBus offers free wireless internet access and seat-back electrical outlets, perfect for today’s connected travelers, plus extra leg room;
• BoltBus has a unique pricing scheme, in which seats start as low as $1 and then are priced according to demand;
• You can order your tickets in advance on-line, or buy them right at the bus;
• There’s a frequent traveler, loyalty program.

Greyhound used California ad agency Butler Shine Stern & Partners to help create the new BoltBus brand.  For the marketing launch, BoltBus worked with key, urban bloggers and utilized media relations outreach to create awareness and demand.

Headline For Marketers:  Brand extension is over-used.  Don’t be afraid to create a new brand if your new product or service has a different target and positioning. Yes, it’s more expensive to launch a new brand than to piggy-back on the current brand, but the idea is to be successful and win in the market, not to save money.  Remember to make sure you fully evaluate branding options when you start your next new product development project.

Blogger Harvey Chimoff, a cross-functional marketing leader, relies on a special blend of pragmatic strategy, vision, organization, and action to achieve marketing and business results.  Click here for more information or contact Harvey at hchimoff@att.net.   

Entrepreneurship is the number one catalyst for turning around Michigan’s economy. It’s the perfect time for our budding entrepreneurs to start pumping new life into this country’s most sluggish state.

Michigan communities are rich with the entrepreneurial infrastructure to support your business. You can create job security that stays with you, despite the challenging and unpredictable economy.  If you continue to read these posts, you will find viable business ideas, resources to get going and stay on top, practical tips to help you find your entrepreneurial core, and how to reignite your creativity and boost your bottom line.

Getting back to the fundamentals of the game

With the onslaught of technology and assault of information, it seems many business leaders have lost sight of the simple rules of smart business practices. In essence, business owners are over-engineering and under-delivering the basic fundamentals of good, solid business values. These fundamentals are critical to your success as an entrepreneur, and more importantly, they are essential to turning around Michigan’s economy. If they seem like basic common sense rules, it is because they are. It seems far too many businesses have lost sight of these basic fundamentals.

1.  Cherish your customers

Ultimately, you are in the business of satisfying your customer. They indirectly sign your paycheck. If you don’t know what satisfies your customer, you cannot possibly deliver it; therefore, you will not succeed. Do whatever it takes to know exactly what your customers want and need. Survey them. Ask them. Ask your staff. Find out what you need to turn them into a loyal support system, and then do it! If you don’t, someone else will.

Countless stories demonstrate how local area companies have lost business because they were set on doing things the old way instead of providing what the customer needed. You don’t want to be that entrepreneur.

2. Follow up and follow through

Respond to each and every correspondence. This may seem daunting, but with a little help and prioritizing, it can be done. One summer, I contacted a dozen different contractors to perform various upgrades and renovations to my home. My realtor introduced me to their ‘preferred vendors’ list and only two actually followed through on providing me with a proposal. If you don’t follow up and follow through, someone else will and they’ll win.

3. Hire people better than you

It is difficult to comprehend the logic of the ego-driven method of 10s hiring 9s and 9s hiring 8s. Some of the smartest and most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders hire people they know will out-perform them. There is no room for growth and succession in business if the person at the top is taking up all the space with an overinflated sense of self-worth and a self-sabotaging agenda.  

If you are sick, want to take a vacation, or choose to retire, you need to confidently turn your business (and your cherished customer base) over to someone who’s as good as, if not better than, you.

4.  Treat everyone with respect

Your employees, vendors, colleagues, even your landlord directly or indirectly keep your customers satisfied. If your team doesn’t feel respected by you, they won’t perform well. They won’t take care of your customers, and your customers will find someone else who will. Remember your customers add the zeros to your profit; they keep you in business and help your business grow. This basic concept needs to be at the forefront of every one of your team members’ minds and executed at every turn. 

5. Deliver consistency to your customers

Have you ever gone into your favorite restaurant and ordered your favorite dish only to have it different from the way you remember it? Of course you have and it’s disappointing. Don’t be that entrepreneur. Deliver consistency every time – no matter what your product or service. Offer your customers change but don’t surprise them with it.

6. Mentor – network – embrace every chance you get

Mentoring is not just about helping others realize their dreams or coaching them through a winning game. It is about embracing others without expectation of reward or return on your investment. Helping others, promoting other people and other businesses just for the sake of promoting them, is what mentoring is all about. Mentoring and networking mean staying in touch and helping others, free of an agenda to get business or further your personal, financial or professional gain.

7. Conduct yourself with unwavering personal integrity

Don’t just say it, do it. J.C. Watts said, “Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.”

8. Focus on the goal

Obviously human nature is to be recognized and appreciated, but when that agenda gets in the way of the goal, the goal will never be reached. It’s been observed that more and more people are vying for recognition, awards or accolades, rather than focusing on the collective goal of the team. Here’s an archaic, yet highly effective, approach: rather than trying to be the star, play your part on the team and the goal will be realized.

9. Love what you do for a living

If you don’t love what you’re doing now, then change it. You have all the tools and resources you need to change your life and your career. The real question is: Do you have the courage to change? If you love what you do, you will have a hard time separating work and play because your work will become play.

10. Commit

Commit yourself to your business, your family, your employees, your vendors, your plan and most of all your customers. Stay aware and flexible enough to know when and how to alter your plan and your business, and make a commitment that is as deep as the commitment you would make (or have made) to a child. It’s the same for the University of Michigan Wolverines or the Michigan State University Spartans. Those players make a commitment to the season, the team, each game, and every play. Your business, your livelihood is not any different.

Hit the field

Michigan is fertile ground for entrepreneurs. We already have the customers. We already have the support, the resources and the entrepreneurial infrastructure. We need people who believe in their abilities and are committed to their passion, their business, their customers, and this state.

We need our budding entrepreneurs to get off the bleachers and onto the playing field – as a team!

Tamera Nielsen is a writer and business development consultant (marketing strategist) specializing writing SEO and SEM blogs, web content, articles, press releases, and case studies. As a project partner, she helps you increase revenue, gain recognition, and ultimately achieve ongoing success through intuitive business development and professional writing services.

Author: Jason Pires
Source: MVC Agency

Situation:

After reviewing several agencies, Armen Art, a furniture design and manufacturing company, chose MVC as its marketing partner. Armen Art realized that MVC understood the severity of its situation and is passionate about helping its partner clients create powerful results in the face of adversity and change. MVC presented Armen Art with a powerful creative vision and an unprecedented strategic approach that would be essential to the company’s future. MVC’s strength in lifestyle marketing, modern visual style and strategic thinking served as the right foundation for the leading brand that Armen Art needed to become.

When Armen Art partnered with MVC it was facing an internal renovation that included a change in leadership at a time when the industry itself was experiencing a generational transition and a waning economy. In its 30 year history the company had not made any changes to its brand and marketing. From a sales perspective the word “Art” in the name Armen Art Furniture had become a misleading roadblock as the art and accessories market had grown into its own distinct and thriving segment of the industry. The old logo, two ribbon style and interlaced “A” letters, didn’t do much more to communicate the company’s values or even offer an idea of the type of products the company sold. To worsen the scenario, the company’s marketing strategy had ignored the web. In essence, the company was in danger of failing if it did not make immediate and drastic changes.

Solution:

MVC realized that Armen Art was in need of a complete reinvention of its brand, which would include a fresh new market position and a marketing strategy that leverages the power of the web.

MVC knew that to reinvigorate the company’s appeal it would need to connect with the lifestyles of modern day consumers even though it does not sell directly to consumers. It would also need to demonstrate to its clients within the industry that Armen Art Furniture understands what consumers want in terms of design, quality and price. With this mentality, MVC would go on to help Armen Living bridge the disconnect between its products and the end consumer as it was perceived in the minds of the buyers. Ultimately this would set the platform for consumer brand awareness that will drive the behavior of industry buyers and create further interest in the Armen Art brand and products.

To start the process of rebranding, the Arment Art company name and identity needed to offer a completely new and fresh impression of the company. Through extensively studying the market, Armen Art’s history and the vibrant new product line introduced by the company’s new leaders, MVC decided that to reposition Armen Art it needed project the company’s values beyond those of just a company that sold furniture.

With the understanding that consumers now look for furniture that can help them enhance their lives and express their unique personalities, MVC substituted the word “Art” for the word “Living” in the company’s name, and kept the “Armen” so as not to lose the company’s core personality, culture and existing brand equity. To compliment the new name “Armen Living (Furniture)”, MVC created the tagline “Furniture for Contemporary Lifestyles” to encompass what the company offers and that can be further qualified by the remaining facets of the company’s branding and advertising.

Having set the initial feel for the company’s brand, MVC would then create a modern logo that directly reflects the form and idea of furniture, and a color palette that exudes the warmth of a joyful life while balanced by an air of self-assured sophistication.

MVC would then bring the marketing to life with the campaign titled “This is Living” which gave context to the company’s new name and that is supported by custom lifestyle photography and images depicting the alluring aspects of a sophisticated contemporary lifestyle.

Through the use of a dynamic web video presentation that introduced the direction of the new brand and the vibrant new collection MVC succeeded in generating immediate buzz as well as new business for Armen Living. The video proved to not only keep viewers tuned in to its entire message, but it was also distributed virally through the internet by furniture enthusiasts and followers of the new brand.

Building on the “This Is Living” campaign, MVC created an elegant catalog designed to compliment and unify the eclectic and diverse nature of Armen Living’s new products. MVC also designed and developed a fresh new company website for Armen Living. The website not only features an optimized SEO framework but also social networking aspects that allow users to share the products and content on Facebook, Twitter and other networking websites.

MVC continues to expand the reach of the new brand through a carefully planned and executed marketing strategy which includes PR and advertising campaigns, email marketing.

After only five months of partnering with MVC, Armen Living experienced the best month in sales that it had in over 2 years. The company is not only steadily growing again, it is also poised to be an industry leader in the coming years. The partnership between Armen Living and MVC Agency has been a true success in terms of brand positioning, marketing strategy and most importantly in terms of financial growth for Armen Living.

To learn more about specific aspects of the new brand:

Logo/Brand Identity:
http://www.mvcagency.com/#/works/?cat=55&id=102

Video Presentation:
http://www.mvcagency.com/#/works/?cat=51&id=106

Website:
http://www.mvcagency.com/#/works/?cat=50&id=105

Catalog:
http://www.mvcagency.com/#/works/?cat=52&id=101

Welcome to my blog.  After several months, I’m back online blogging, but this time from a slightly different perspective.  This blog is going to be some of my thoughts and insights about Marketing, specifically from my perspective here in the corner cube.  The corner cube is a place where I’ve been marketing products in both B2B and B2C segments within the technology sector.  My background includes over 14 years in sales and marketing for large multi-billion dollar tech giants and in this blog I’m going to provide my opinion and insights to many marketing subjects.  My view from this corner cube also includes my experience on the OTHER side of the marketing fence, yes, I’ve also worked at a marketing agency that provides integrated marketing and branding services to large technology companies.

Today’s post is going to touch on Strategic Marketing.  The word strategic implies that marketer is thinking about the challenges that they face in a larger, comprehensive fashion and that they are trying to solve problems by using more than a simple tactical approach.  “Strategic Marketing” seems to be thrown around everywhere these days as a capability, after all, who wants to say that they are “tactical”?  When you think of tactical, you think of factories cranking out 1000’s of things, created by low cost employees.

Marketing agencies don't want to become factories, they want to be Strategic Partners to their clients.

 The difference of course is that Strategy assumes that the marketer knows the landscape of the product and its market, both internally and externally.  That they know the customers, the competition and the essence of what is causing their products or services to need more marketing help.  All this knowledge is not easy to come by, it is normally only known by experts within a segment or people that have studied or worked within the product’s segment for a long time. 

This in depth knowledge is NOT a commodity and if bottled and sold, should command a premium, right? That is why Strategic Marketing is something that many agencies offer to their clients.  This of course is the right thing to do if a marketing or ad agency does in fact have segment expertise and knows enough to create well thought out strategies that will solve the problems of the brand that they are working for/with.  It is one thing for an agency to think strategically, but it is another to take the time to acquire the expertise needed to solve complex problems.  I’ve worked with many marketing agencies and some are definetely both strategic thinking and experts at creating a solution.  Others agencies are just really creative and others are are not strategic at all, but they claim to be on their website. 

Well, if so many agencies are offering “Strategic Marketing” solutions, why aren’t brand or product managers handing over thier keys and allowing them to come in and solve their problems?  Every marketing agency will tell you that they wish they had more strategic business and less executable/tactical business.  For those that are unfamilar, the agency market is extremely competitive and filled with all kinds of shops that each tries to differentiate itself by claiming that it is “different” than the other guys.  Normally the difference is through its people or its culture or through its work.  No agency describes itself as a place that will execute work for cheap, although in today’s economy, many agencies are doing whatever it takes to keep the cash flowing and if a client calls and gives them the opportuntity to bid on a small, non-strategic job, then they do it.  I know that I would if I had resources available. 

The disconnect between agencies and clients right now, during this recession is that clients have less marketing budgets than in the past and they have more choices between agencies than ever.  This is great if you are a brand or product marketing manager because you can probably get more for your budget than ever by getting bids from so many of the hungry agencies.  If you are an agency that is trying to rise above and get more for your work, you normally describe your services as strategic, which implies that you’ll spend the time to bring in the experts to solve the complex problem at hand.  But, like I said, in today’s economy, brand managers are not ready to outsource the strategy as much as the agencies would like. 

Why are they protective of the strategy and not outsourcing it to a partner? 

1) Well, they have their own jobs to protect.  If you are an experienced or senior product manager, your pay is based on your expertise and the expectation is that you can create your own strategy. 

2) Also, many large tech companies are letting thier Supplier Relations and Procurement departments manage the fees and contracts of the marketing agencies that they work with, which drives down the prices.  This means if you are an agency wanting to uplevel yourself and get the big bucks for providing strategy, you might not get paid for it, because your contract and fees might be based on executing jobs only. 

3) Trust.  Brands seem to trust agencies to help them creatively as well as with copy and creation of things like sales tools, events, retail environments, interactive campaigns.  But when it comes to working with agencies on a strategic level, many times the brand or product manager just doesn’t feel comfortable enough handing over the their keys on a regular basis.  Strategy is the one place where you must really earn the trust of the client before an agency will be allowed to go in and work at that level.  If you are an agency and you want to be more strategic with your clients, you must earn their trust by continually demonstrated your expertise of their products/services, their market, their competition, their history, their roadmap, their style, their customers, etc. 

Don’t get me wrong, many agencies are very strategic with their clients.  They possess an expertise and knowledge level that is beyond what the client has and provide it to them, hopefully at a fair price.  And the price for expertise is not cheap. If you are an agency wanting to be more strategic, put yourself in the client’s shoes and ask why they should give you bigger projects that require more expertise.  What is it that you have that you can use to help your client in a more strategic way?  Is it a category expertise like retail or product launches or PR or events?  Or is it a vertical expertise?  Find out what you are the expert at by getting to know your own employees and use that to your advantage. 

If you are a product marketer at a tech company and you’ve got some BIG challenges ahead that require some expertise and strategy, please don’t be afraid to go outside to an agency to get it. 

I think that as time goes on and the economy picks up again, brands will crank up their budgets again and will need more programs and strategies and will be more willing to work with agencies on a strategic level.  From my corner cube here in the middle of the tech industry, it feels like things are turning around for the better.  At the end of the day though, if you are an agency and want to sell more “solution” work or do more strategic work, you must understand the state of the landscape  and be weary of procurement while building trust with your clients by demonstrating your expertise.

To book a slot or for any queries email caroline@ohh-la-la.co.uk or tweet @ohh_la_la

This is my 100th post, hurrah!!! Please feel free to rate the post and leave comments, if the posts interest you .

Looking back at the 21/2 years that I spent in the strategic marketing role, I tried to think of what I took away from the experience and here are some thoughts…

1. Joining a “startup” group within a large company is not same as joining a “startup” – Remember, it is still a large company. (Note: Subsidiaries and some “startup” groups might be exceptions, but, hardly!). A startup within or outside a large organization is always hard work, there is always reputation to prove and establish with customers inside or outside. The thing to know is, in return for the security of the large group and the subsequent de-risking, the upside is never yours to share (which is fair, by the way). Having said that, the chaos, the adrenaline rush of making things work is definitely there for those who love that.

2. Always evaluate what you are learning vs where you want to go – Map your short and mid-term career path. These should be available in your organization and there should be a reasonable process in place to get there. If not, you are at the wrong place, to begin with. This was such a glaring fact in my case, with the market not being in India. For more details read my previous post here.

3. Look at the size and location of the market that the group will address as an opportunity – the favorable order should be starting with a local, large market going down to a remote, small market. Unless you want to eventually convert the remote location into your local residence. In which case, it might be ok to make that sacrifice of night-outs and family time.

4. Stay focussed, learn a “few” things well - Focussing and learning to do a “few” things very well can be much more fruitful than attempting to learn many things at the same time. You can experiment a bit and figure out a couple of things that interest you, but after a few of months it is always better to focus. More so in our group’s case, where the temptation to get into too many things was always there. Truth being told, it is always easier to sell depth vs diversity whether you are looking for a new job or talking to the VC about a startup. (Aside: If you have both to some extent, great! But, I’m referring to a choice, if you have to make one. Also, some will not know what they like most upfront, which is ok. Knowing that you are diversifying for the sake of finding what to focus is a “good” focus in itself. But, most importantly, be honest to yourself.)

These are just a few generic ones that I can think of, right now. I shall keep posting more thoughts as they come along. As they say, sometimes a contrast serves the purpose of a “light” better than the visibility the most powerful light can render.

At a time where most businesses across Yorkshire and the United Kingdom have slashed their marketing budgets, we are keen to ensure that local organisations have a sound marketing strategy to keep engaging with their audience.

With that in mind we thought it would help if we offered local businesses a little something. We feel so passionate about how indispensable strategic marketing is to your business growth that we are offering free marketing clinics to help you get the ball rolling.

This does not only help boost businesses’ brand awareness but also helps them pick market shares from companies who have cut back their marketing efforts. Using  cost effective marketing communications solutions means that businesses can still communicate with their audience without having to commit a huge marketing budget. It is all about having a clear strategic marketing plan and a creative approach.

Global Entrepreneurship Week takes place from 16th to 22nd November. It’s a worldwide movement of entrepreneurial people to encourage more people around the world to unleash their enterprising talents. It is also about gaining the support from governments so that resources can be made available to help local people turn their ideas into reality. Marketing forms an integral part of successful entrepreneurship wherever in the world businesses are based.

Doncaster Business Showcase is no exception. Hosted by Success Doncaster at the Dome on 19th November, the event will bring together an exhibition as well as some workshops to give local people the business support that they need. Ohh la la will be running free marketing clinics from 12 o’clock till 19 on their stand.

To enjoy some free marketing support, simply visit Ohh la la’s stand; entry to the show is free. Or to book a slot, please email us: info@ohh-la-la.co.uk

I recently made a career shift from Semiconductors to Education and I’ve been asked why I made such a radical shift in Industry. For those who want a quick answer – I wanted to do something related to India and something that would be meaningful to me in some way. (Now, I’m not saying that semiconductors do not make an impact, they are at the heart of the digital revolution we are seeing today and will continue to remain so, for some time to come). For those with a patient ear, please read on, I promise not to dissapoint you.

I’ve been working in a strategic marketing role in the semiconductor Industry, located out of India. My short bio – I’ve a bachelors in Electronics Engineering and worked as a Systems Engineer for a couple of years before pursuing an MBA from ISB, Hyderabad. The strategic marketing role was my first job out of MBA school (You can read more about me here). Now, come to think of it, it is a weird place to locate a strategic marketing group for the semiconductor industry. For those who are new to this party – semiconductor market in India is very small in comparison to many other sunshine sectors like healthcare, media, education, financial services and so on…as well as, in comparison to other larger semiconductor markets worldwide – China, US, Europe, Taiwan, Japan and Korea (and the order has a reason to it…go figure!)

There are some parts of the semiconductor ecosystem that are very robust in India, thanks to the outsourcing wave. Those include design (both captive units and services organizations), applications and even R&D (to some extent) but there are large chunks missing – which include the customers, manufacturers and in turn, strong distribution networks and sales and marketing organizations. Those working in the design, R&D and applications in the semiconductor industry aspiring to move on to marketing roles in the same industry post an MBA in India, I have dissapointing news for you. Those roles are very few and lack the growth opportunities that you would dream of, when you go to an MBA school. I get quite a few calls every month from people working in this industry wanting to make the vertical shift and I never cease to get amazed by the sheer kind of talent that this industry attracts in India. So, if you are in one of these categories or an aspirant, consider yourself warned and feel free to reach out to me for more industry dope & specific options…

So, is there a chance we might be catching a market at its nascent stage of development? After all, you can look at the glass as half-empty or half-full, right? This is a question one of the aspirants asked me, while I was explaining my above analysis to him. Here’s my answer. Well, semiconductors is a mature B2B market. For it to grow in India, the customers – the electronic design and manufacturers – should be a large industry, which has not happened so far. And, with the overcapacity in electronics and semiconductor manufacturing in other APAC regions, the likelihood of a large electronics design & manufacturing base out of India seems bleak. (This is not to say that Indians are not innovative or brilliant at electronics design. In my own previous job as well as in the startup circule, I’ve seen quite a few brilliant designers and I also come across brilliant product ideas on a regular basis from students and professionals alike). But, there is a vicious cycle in action here, unless someone manufactures their creativity and makes a big success of it, the ecosystem will not kick in and unless the ecosystem kicks in, the “big success” will always be yet to come (and I’m not even talking about Govt. sops here). Of course, there are always cheap manufacturing houses available in China, but how many people have access to it at their tinkering and bootstrap stages? That brings me back to my point about the need for “tinkering shops” and more so, in electronics business for innovation and ecosystem growth in India.

Over the past few months, I had to make up my mind to continue in my cushy job (knowing that it had nothing to do with India and was not meaningful enough for me)  or take some risk and do something directly relevant to the Indian market. I’ve been interested in the education sector for sometime and finally, I’ve decided to take the plunge . I’m joining a startup, Ariem Technologies, based in Bangalore as their Director for Marketing and Business Development. It is a new journey for me and I’m really excited about this role. You can expect to hear more about my interest in the education sector (some of it you can read here), my learnings on my previous job (thanks KK for asking this question) the company, role and their solution in the next few weeks…

…need to be viewed separately for many reasons. Yes, the sales force should be the pre-eminent source for sales intelligence, but the question of how business intelligence is developed is much more complicated. It’s the basis for a broader, strategic set of issues regarding a company’s future.

To shed more light, let’s examine a summary from a 2009 Gartner report:

“Because of lack of information, processes, and tools, through 2012, more than 35 percent of the top 5,000 global companies will regularly fail to make insightful decisions about significant changes in their business and markets.”

This blog is prompted by a recent talk by a marketing executive in an industrial firm who praised the market data compiled by his sales staff. Of course, we’re not cognizant of what type of data he was referring to.

But the broader idea of business intelligence suggests that discussions based mainly on sales results obviously lack the foundational data that is necessary to guide a company’s future: its decisions about markets, products and services necessary to maintain healthy growth.

Let’s suppose that your sales force says that they are having difficulty selling one of your basic products and that the reason is that it’s “too high priced.” In these recessionary times, that may be a logical conclusion, so a price cut is the answer.

However, another reason for declining sales is that a competitor has introduced a competitive product and is selling it on the basis of providing useful consulting services as to its usefulness for your application. “Too high-priced” may be the customers’ quick and ready comment to your sales force but it’s hardly the full story.

That’s where business intelligence, sometimes called competitive intelligence, should be an integral part of your market surveillance. And there are many other examples of the necessity of a completely objective reading of what’s happening with your customers and prospects.

For more information, visit www.gelbconsulting.com or contact Gabriel  Gelb at ggelb@gelbconsulting.com, 281.759.3600 x1014.

Business Week notes that “trust” is evermore important in the current global financial crisis.  We couldn’t agree more and have been measuring brand trust for the global oilfield for several years. 

Gelb’s model is based on a combination of value, difference, and experience, which are all drivers of trust.  We are excited at the energy around this idea and continue our work this year to help leading oilfield service companies monitor the trust their customers place in their brands. 

For more information about our brand trust methodology, please visit: www.gelbconsulting.com/brand-research. 

Information about the 2009 Gulf Research studies can be viewed at www.gulfresearch.com.

The 2009 Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Energy and Technology started in full force this morning.  With well over 650 executives in attendance, John Royall, President and CEO of Gulf Publishing, kicked-off the event with great excitement.

John was followed by a powerful keynote from Karen Harbert, President & CEO of the Institute for 21st Century Energy, US Chamber of Commerce.  Ms. Harbert presented a compelling case for the United States to more clearly articulate an energy strategy to educate and motivate the business and consumer community. She introduced some “new to me” acronyms that were well received by attendees.  For example, BANANA (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone) and NOPE (not on planet earth).  Those terms were representative of  the tone of the presentation calling the question of the unpredictable investment environment.

Additionally, I was pleased to moderate a panel discussion on ethnic diversity.  Panelists Christina Ionnidis, Dr. Lorena Mascardelli, Jo Ellen Helmer, and Dr. Tausef Salma provided substantive insights regarding several scenarios. Bringing their unique perspectives, the common theme was that to leverage diversity of culture, gender, or opinion – individuals must be respectful and have a deeper sense of empathy.

I also presented some of the findings from our recent benchmarking study, the full report is available for download at www.wglnetwork.com.

Lastly, panelists on technology innovation identified the following emerging trends:

-Low cell (EOR/IOR) can result in a 40% increase in recovery

-”Green” chemistry that allow for better production without environmental harm

-Nanotechnology from companies like Oxane

-Digital rock physics from companies like Ingrain (a Gelb client, www.ingrainrocks.com)
(Jim Sledzik, Partner and President of Energy Ventures commented that “10 years from now, digital rock physics will be the standard.”)

-Susan Rosenbaum, Director of Knowledge Management at Schlumberger, commented that the two key drivers of innovations will be data (now more of it) and automation.

Do you really want this spreading your brand's message?

Here’s a new idea for all of you marketers charged with getting the attention of attendees at trade shows:  Why not attach little signs to flying insects so when you release them into the trade show hall and they land on people, people will see your message!  What a great way to catch people’s attention, right?  That’s exactly what a European company did at a recent German trade show:

Great way to capture attention, right?  But so is releasing a pack of hungry wolves with signs attached to their tails!  Or dropping a logo-wrapped car from the ceiling onto the floor in front of unsuspecting show attendees.  But the question is, do you really want your brand associated with the germ-infested annoyance of flying insects?  Do you really want people to think of you as the people who released bugs into the  trade show?  Maybe … just maybe … this could be a good stunt for a pest control company.  But beyond that, I think not.

There’s a subtle difference between capturing attention and advertising … something we loosely refer to as “strategery.”  And that “strategery” needs to come somewhere between “should we plan to attend this trade show” and “why don’t we release a bunch of flies in the show hall?”

Finally, what would our friends at PETA and the Humane Society of the U.S. say about this?  Shouldn’t these insects be paid for their hard work?

Author: Tom Flynn III
www.lessingflynn.com

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