Deal-mania. It’s everywhere – from the freakish examples of Extreme Couponers on TV – to the daily email sites like Groupon and Living Social– all the way down to the old standard – the Sunday paper inserts.
We, the consumers, just can’t seem to get enough discounts… Continue reading Retail Marketing: Too Many Tags Numbs Customers »
This past weekend in Long Beach a group of merchants got together with a fun promotion involving Barbie. They hosted an event that was unique, each business did something to tie-into the gimmick: Barbie. (You can see all the ways each business contributed on the back of the postcard below.)
So many times business, particularly downtown areas know they want to do “something” but do the tired, the tried, the boring. You can hear the customers as they open the paper, or grab the mailer or click the link, “Yippee – another junk sale where everyone puts their last year’s castoffs on racks, drags them out to the front of their beautiful stores and cheap people paw through them looking for “bargains.’ Pass.”
The thing I hate about retailers doing that is that you are not attracting potential profitable customers, you are attracting the dirt scratchers. This is one step up from the “everything 20% off with coupon” or BOGOs (buy one get one free) being sold to businesses large and small as the way to market your business and drive sales.
The Barbie promotion stood out to me because it was so different, so visually eye-catching and so fun. Plus they involved EVERYONE on the street, not just retailers but even the architects.
Let’s be honest, don’t you wonder what “Barbie inspired drinks” would include? They did a great job promoting on their Facebook pages, direct mail and Twitter. The local paper also picked up the story.
Back in the 50′s, Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara at play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children’s toy dolls were representations of babies. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company. He was enthusiastic about the idea, as were Mattel’s directors. They saw the opportunity to standout from all the others and an empire was born.
You want to stand out in a crowded market place? You want your downtown to be memorable instead of morose? You want to gain fans and profitable customers? Put your heads together to do something other than another junk sale and you’ll find you’ll make memories and sales.
An article in today’s New York Times by Peter Khoury titled, Welcome to Hard Times, the Sales Pitch detailed how local merchants are riding the recession alluding to it in their street signs. One touted, “Wine Bailout Sale 100 Wines Under $10.’’ Another, my personal favorite on a sandwich board advertising a burger special that includes chips and a drink said “‘Stimulus Plan Special, You’ve spent over $1 trillion on pork! What’s $10 more for an Island Burger?’’
Were these big discounts? No, they just put things in perspective with a wink. What I think is so smart about these merchants is they made you look. Isn’t that all signs should do?
The words “recession” and “bailout” are just vehicles to hang your message on because they are topics in the news. Yes there has to be value there but these merchants are creatively looking at engaging their customers who might pass them by – and results have been very good; some in the double digits.
When I was in New York one time a guy was shouting at passersby to come into his electronics shop. As I walked by him he said, “Hey mister, you dropped your wallet!” I turned around to stare at the dirty concrete sidewalk while grabbing my back right pocket as he said, “made you look!”
I said to him, “Smart man,” with a wry smile. He said quickly as I continued walking, “No man you’re the smart one – you still have your wallet.” Which of course made me laugh.
Made ya look.
In a world crowded with signs hawking everything from unlocked iPhones to 70% off retail to 2-4-1, you should use every means possible to shake customers from their numb existence when walking past your business. If a “‘Recessionista Sunday – all dresses come with a free mimosa,’” gets people to consider your business – why not join them with “recession” or “bailout” in your signage?
The holiday retail outlook isn’t jolly, with consumer spending down and unemployment up. But small business owners can not only make it through the downturn, but capitalize on it. Join Karen E. Klein with BusinessWeek as she questions Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor.
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Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor, has helped hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses in every major industry, including hospitality, manufacturing, service, restaurant and retail.
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His book, You Can Compete: Double Sales Without Discounting, is the culmination of three decades of retail work highlighting a proven method every business in any market can improve the bottom line an compete successfully.
Last week’s defeat of California’s Prop 8 is a classic case of not knowing your market. Yes the ads were heartgrabbing where the woman is unable to get to the alter of her wedding. But in the end, the proposition lost. The campaign seems to have focused their hindsight to the black vote having been particularly skewed against them. Now we are seeing endless peaceful protests. I am writing this to look at the marketing that needed to be done, not to state a case.
A good marketer knows the competition, they understand their own flaws and works to change perceptions. In Prop 8′s case, to just call people bigots, focus on one ethnic or racial group or write expletives on your house about certain religions misses the point. You are not helping change the situation, but instead fomenting the idea of “them vs. us.”
From a marketing standpoint, my suggestion is that the leaders of Prop. 8 meet with the various groups who opposed them to try and understand why. The ones who voted for it were white, Jewish, Latino, LDS, Presbyterian, black – you name it. To focus on that is to miss the opportunity.
Unless it says “marriage” do lesbians and gays feel they won’t have equal rights? I doubt it. What is wanted is equal rights for people who choose to partner in front of the state.
If the Bible is the hangup with the word, then come up with a new word that both can agree to. Once you get into the Bible, you can’t justify your case versus someone else’s beliefs – that’s too deep ingrained into everyone’s psyche. But you also can’t write them off out of hand – they are people too.
I doubt anyone in America really wants to take rights away. But we have to find common ground here.
As a retailer, once you market to the people who know you, do you try to understand why others don’t shop with you? Perhaps you should. Maybe it is the way your store is arranged – it doesn’t seem welcoming. Maybe your employees give an off-putting air to shoppers. Maybe your product offerings are seen as lacking or inferior. You won’t know until you try to engage them. And once you do, you might find some easy ways to address their needs that results in higher sales.
Otherwise, you may be making assumptions about what you “think” others are thinking.
Just today, to return to Prop 8 for a moment, Bill Marriott, CEO posted his facts about Marriott corporate and him personally not supporting Prop. 8. “I am personally motivated to speak now because Marriott was built on the basic principles of respect and inclusion. My father, who founded this company along with my mother, told everyone who would listen: “Take care of your employees, and they’ll take care of your customers, who will come back again and again.”
A great message and one that should be all of our mantras during these tough economic times. I’ve said it in practically every speech I’ve given since 1994 – we’re more alike than different. I don’t care if your customers are men, women, gay, straight, black, white, young, old, with kids, without – they’re all purple and their money’s green. Unless we look past how different everyone is and find common ground, we will only continue to feel isolated from each other and lose.
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