questions, answers, thoughts, theories, observations, speculations, and assorted bits of information.
Let me tell you a little story about the future of marketing, and why positive word of mouth is increasingly important to running a successful businesses. It was 6:30 pm. Dinner was done. The dishes were washed. The kitchen clean. Bath time for the youngsters was rapidly approaching, which would be followed by stories, bedtime, …read more
I spend far too little time telling people about businesses that I love — too often opting to only complain about those that disappoint me. So let me begin to remedy this by telling you about a business that I love — Dorothy Lane Market. This small grocery retailer specializes in premium food items and exceptional …read more
If early tomorrow morning I drove past your home and threw a bag full of dirty paper in your driveway before you woke up, would that be alright? What if I did it twice next week? What if I did it twice every week… forever? At what point would my “free trial” of the bag …read more
Customer service is marketing. In fact it is one of the most important elements of marketing. You may not initially think of it that way. Many equate marketing to advertising. I would bet that if you asked most people about Cincinnati Bell’s marketing, they would say “who is Cincinnati Bell?” Those who actually know of …read more
How do you generate positive word of mouth? How about if you decided to give away free stuff that people wanted each and every week. That is precisely what the smart people at 800ceoread.com do on their site InBubbleWrap.com — one of my favorite sites on the web. I have mentioned the site on this blog …read more
You would think that if you did something like discover the rings of Saturn, discover Saturn’s largest moon — Titan — and then go on to invent and patent the first pendulum clock, that you would be a household name. Now assume you not only did all those things, AND also collaborated with Robert Hooke, …read more
This week’s Physics of Marketing post is about energy. It is clear when someone has energy and more clear when they lack it. Starbuck’s has made a fortune on regularly selling me cups full of energy in the form of caffeine laden black coffee. Energy takes many forms, and is probably best thought of in …read more