Tidbits from The Marketing Nerd

Why Must Everything Be Measured?

2009-07-10T01:21:00.007-04:00

Wednesday I emailed Tony Hsieh at Zappos.com and asked him:

"... At Zappos do you use any metrics to justify or measure customer service and word-of-mouth success. We’ve been having a debate that this is the reason many companies don’t adopt a true “customer service” model for their business. It’s just not easy to measure, but so many companies have proven that the model is superior (ie – Disney, Ritz Carlton, Zappos, Nordstrom, Chick-fil-a, etc.). What are your thoughts? ..."

Here's the response I received Thursday:

"... We do not measure the amount of returning and new customers from our word-of-mouth model of business. You are correct that it is not easy to measure. We are more focused on creating a relationship between us and the customer. Once we do this, everything else naturally follows. I hope you didn't lose the debate with this news! ..."

Why does it work for them? How can they justify what they do without measuring it?

My answer, because it's more fun. It's more fun to give away free shipping there or back, it's more fun to "do whatever it takes" to satisfy a customer, it's more fun to actually be well trained for the job that you do, it's more fun to have a free lunch everyday, etc., etc., etc.

Create relationships, have fun, enjoy the experience. Sounds easy enough doesn't it?

If you want more, here's what Tony had to say about company culture back in January on his blog. Enjoy.

Tidbits from The Apartment Nerd

2009-06-18T22:40:00.004-04:00

Hello friends. For those of you that follow this blog I apologize for the lack of content. The past couple of months I have been focusing my efforts on a new blog that is dedicated specifically to my industry and marketing apartments. If you'd like to get some weekly tidbits please feel free to subscribe over at www.theapartmentnerd.com. I'm temporarily putting a hold on the content here, but in the future plan to reengage. Thanks and enjoy your day!

Are You Selling iPods or MP3 Players

2009-04-27T00:32:00.007-04:00

Apparently our country is in, what experts call, "a recession." "Times are tough out there," is the message I continue to hear over and over. Whether it's a $5 footlong, a coupon frenzy, a "sale," or, God forbid, a going out a business closeout, we're constantly reminded, as consumers, that people are hurting. The conversation seems very price heavy out there. My question is, is that the message companies should be communicating?

I recently had a conversation with an associate I work with about our prices. This person brought up the recession, people losing jobs, the competition offering discounts, etc., etc. as reasons we were unable to achieve more sales. As I reflected on the comments, I admitted that our product needed to have a "competitive" price. That was the only thing I conceded when it came to discussing price. However, what does competitive really mean anyway? Is the price of a Toyota Camry competitive to a Ford Taurus? Is the price of an Apple iPod competitive to a Sansa? I believe we could make an argument that the prices are relatively competitive. Many understand why a premium is associated with Toyota or Apple, but they still may compare their products to other brands. When I was in the car business people would compare all sorts of brands to Lexus. One time a guy compared a Hyundai Santa Fe to a Lexus RX 300. Seriously.

My point is, your price is competitive or relevant to the individual customer. They will buy at a price they can justify a value for. If your product or service is not achieving the price you or your sales team believes it should, then is it a price issue or a product and experience value issue in the customer's eyes? That's where I'm going with this. I don't see Apple reducing the prices of iPods, and I still see Toyota getting a premium over Ford. Why is this, and why don't more businesses choose to differentiate themselves enough from their competition to achieve this? Even small businesses like dry cleaners and restaurants have opportunities to differentiate and really stand out from their competition. And having a better coupon or price is rarely that differentiator.

The next time your marketing team sits down to discuss the next big coupon or discount program, I encourage you to ask yourself why. Why must you feel compelled to offer a coupon or discount? Are you selling iPods or MP3 Players? Are you just a box with a price, or do you offer something more? Coupons and discounts are knee jerk reactions in an attempt to increase sales, do it enough and those knees might just give out.

Just another one of my opinion rants. Enjoy your day.

Twitter is for Nerds & Some Other Stuff

2009-04-20T01:16:00.006-04:00

I've been harping lately about how lame it is for people to syndicate their tweets to their facebook status. Doesn't everyone realize that facebook is for your friends, and Twitter is for all the people that are as nerdy as you are about whatever it is you're nerdy about. This post will be my last word on the matter as I think I have now done my best to explain why everyone should just cease with this malarkey. Please enjoy this Powerpoint presentation explaining why you shouldn't do it, and how to remove the application from your facebook account. Enjoy your day.

Mj

Why your tweets should not feed to your facebook status. It’s a #fail !!!

View more presentations from themarketingnerd.

You Must Think of Yourself as a Musician

2009-04-01T21:53:00.005-04:00

I was inspired tonight, and when I am inspired I tend to write blog posts. So here's the deal. I'm a Dave Matthews Band (DMB) fan. I've been to 9 live shows and appreciate what he (the band) does to entertain. Below I've embedded a teaser video he's posted to YouTube with a snippet off his upcoming new album. Whether you are a DMB fan or not, watch the video and then I'll expand on how he's inspired me in marketing/business.

After watching that bit I'm excited as a fan to hear the new album, but that's not what inspired me to write this post. Before I'm a DMB fan, I'm a marketer/business man. In watching this and thinking about how many songs and how much success DMB has had, I feel we all need to look at our businesses like GREAT musicians do their business.

Here's a band that has been making new music and remained popular for nearly 20 years. I'm sure many of you can think of plenty of other examples of bands that have been doing the same for even longer, but let's use Dave Matthews as an example. So what's the secret for these GREAT bands? It's really no different than a GREAT business. Outstanding passion, integrity, teamwork, innovation, and development (learning).

They obviously still have the passion for what they do, the fans continue to trust the message they are sending, they've been working together creating music for nearly 20 years, and I think it's the last 2 values that really make the difference. You must have the first 3 just to be in business, but you grow your business by innovating and learning.

With each album DMB innovates, but does not steer too far away from the core that made them successful. The fans love it, and they continue to gain new fans with the evolution of the music. When innovating your business, marketing, etc. remember your core. Most definitely strive to innovate, but remember what got you there.

With each year that goes by DMB pushes their music skill level and they also learn more and more about who their fans are. This video is an example of DMB wanting to learn from their fans. It's the interaction, it's the conversation, it's listening, it's learning. Get to know your fans/customers, intimately.

So the questions I pose to today are what are you doing today to innovate, and what are you learning from your fans (customers)? DMB has proven continuous improvement and innovation to their product/services (their music) has been a great success. They also have learned in order to improve they must challenge themselves to learn more about their craft, and more importantly, more about their listeners/fans.

How can you think of yourself/business as a musician? Do you think this way? Why not?

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day.

Mark

Fast Company - April 2009

2009-03-30T00:18:00.000-04:00

OK, I'm not even halfway through the April issue of Fast Company and my mind is racing. I have to share 3 stories I think everyone should read.

1. What Should I Do With My Life Now?

2. Sell Handcuffs - Why customers will pay you to restrain them

3. Boy Wonder - How Chris Hughes Helped Launch Facebook and the Barack Obama Campaign

If you don't subscribe to Fast Company, then I suggest doing so. I'm never disappointed. Enjoy your day.

Mark

Be True to Your School ... Sort of

2009-03-13T10:03:00.011-04:00

I received an email this morning that has me all fired up. I've shared the message below and I would love for you to pass along to support Natalie and her friends.

Hello,

My name is Natalie Moistner. I am a senior at Cathedral High School and President of the Paws for a Cause group. Five of my friends and I would like to tell you a story and ask for your help.

In our religion class we are assigned a service learning project of our choice. Our school brought in experts on service learning to help us with this project and encourage us to work hard. Me and my five friends (Katy, Morgan, Abby, Kaleigh, and Elissa) decided to host a dog walk to raise money and awareness in support of animal adoption. Things were going great and our group seemed to be the only one that was actually excited about the project.

However, we were called down to the Advancement office at our school and told that we were overstepping our boundaries". There was concern that our fundraiser was going to interfere with Cathedral's fundraisers. The argument was that parents are tired of being asked for money. "Someone may be asked for twenty five dollars and refuse to donate $25,000 simply because they are sick of being bothered."

I am not sure what kind of parents he is speaking with. Our parents are impressed by the leadership and initiative that students take to help others less fortunate than they are. Seeing kids make efforts like this only increases their level of respect for the school. Although we are not asking for money, rather, hosting an event with a $5 admission fee and donating all profits to animal shelters, the Advancement office still feels we should not be allowed to advertise in our school. Even though they assign us service learning projects, allow other organizations to fundraise, we are not to advertise the event at our own school.

We may not agree, but we will honor the wishes of our school. Doing so will cost us a reliable support base, so we have to sell our cause to a larger, less familiar audience. This is where we need your help
The motto of Paws for a Cause is: "Be the voice for those who cannot speak". That is exactly what we are asking you to do. In this case, the animals are not the only ones being silenced.

Help us spread the word about the Monon Mutt Strutt. The flier for the event with all of the details is attached.

Thank you for your time
Natalie Mositner
Katy Achtien
Morgan Lewis
Kaleigh Roughraff
Elissa Hagans
Abby Kotarski

I'm really frustrated by the way the school is handling this. Not only are they squashing a great cause for ridiculous reasons, but they are trying to squash the entrepreneurial spirit of these students. What's great is that these girls are looking for other ways to promote their cause. Their spirit is not completely crushed and by helping support them I think we can not only help the animals, but also help these young innovative students realize they can overcome obstacles to achieve their goals.

My goal is to help them set-up a PayPal account for donations even from people that can't make it to the walk. Any other suggestions on how to help them overcome their obstacles? Here's the flyer they are posting around Indy.

Flyer

Thanks for your help.

Mark

Your Cover Letter Is Your Resume

2009-03-10T01:22:00.012-04:00

I was recently asked by a friend for some recommendations in looking for a job and what I look for when reviewing resumes. With all my social media involvement this past year, I would have thought LinkedIn or some other online advice would come to my mind first. But that was not the case.

The first question I asked my friend was about his cover letters. Just like his standard stock resume, he was using a standard stock cover letter. Now, from my experience in multi-family if I get a good cover letter (or get one at all) I definitely take more time to read the resume. If the cover letter is specific to J.C. Hart then I can almost guarantee that person will get an interview.

Why is this important to me? It's important because if someone takes the time to write a custom cover letter for my company then I know they are serious about a career and not just looking for another job. What I really wonder is why this is so rare? In today's tough job market or really anytime it's critical to explain why you want to work for a company. Your resume doesn't do that, and a stock cover letter is just whipped cream on shit.

So then I got to thinking. Uh oh, stay with me. If I have a LinkedIn account that gives all my basic resume info and a cover letter is so important, then why not just send a cover letter out to prospective employers. Most likely you're posting a resume online or emailing it, so why not just send a really great cover letter that has links to all the other information the employer needs to know. While I'm not looking for a job, I put together a sample cover letter/resume that I could tweak and customize as needed. I left it generic for this exercise, but I hope you can see the potential and how it tells a better story.

Let me know if you think I'm nuts, if you like the concept but think my letter needs work, or if you think I'm on to something. I'd love to hear that too. Thanks and enjoy your day!

"You mean, like the brown meat at the grocery?"

2009-02-21T20:24:00.004-05:00

Kim Andreadis inspired me to write this with her Sincere Professionalism vs. Hype? post at Multifamilyinsiders.com. I think the question she poses is, with specials flying around when do your customers just turn their head and label you as another gimmick? A few thoughts come to mind.

1. Revenue management systems are a much better solution for staying competitive with price. Simplify the pricing process and your customers will appreciate it.

2. A leasing trainer I work with has a great response to customers that ask if we have specials. "You mean, like the brown meat at the grocery?" Are we selling brown meat here or are we leasing apartment homes?

3. Better yet, why does used car sales have the reputation it does? Go ahead, put a huge gorilla out on the road, wear a plaid jacket, open all the doors to your apartments (why do they do that with the hoods?), and advertise "Cash Back" on all your listings. All that should definitely set you apart from your competition. :)

I understand, desperate times call for desperate measures, but there is a line out there where your customer actually just labels you as untrustworthy and a gimmick. Feel free to attract some unqualified traffic to your property, move some brown meat to some interesting people, and in the end create an experience based on gimmicks. I'm sure those people will surely renew next year and be good testimonials for your communities and brand. Good luck with that.

Walkin' the Line

2009-02-18T01:19:00.011-05:00

After defining the difference between Social Media Marketing & Using Social Media for Marketing and reading some recent blogs, in my mind we're finally starting to get somewhere with the whole marketing with social media idea. My friend Duncan at Firebelly Marketing shared his frustrations recently in his blog. He asks for some results based blog posts, and enough with the theory already with social media. It's time we all start trying to use social media for marketing and share results (good or bad). So, today a fellow Apartment Marketing enthusiast, Mike Brewer, wrote about a concept Ford is trying that markets their Fiesta using social media. Read what Mike has to say here: Tryvertising. Thanks Mike for sharing this story and of course your application to apartment marketing.

Now this Ford contest spurred a little debate on Twitter in my little apartment marketing world, and the argument was basically one for "how" Social Media should be used for "marketing." Arguments were made that Social Media should be used in its honest and true form for unbiased feedback and conversation, and feedback from consumers should not be "bought." Others felt that as long as the feedback was honest (even with a freebie) it's a good marketing play.

There are countless examples of companies using social media to market their products. Whether they are buying someone's opinion or not, brands are looking for exposure. How many people are sending Guy Kawasaki or Chris Brogan their products to blog about them? It's happening all the time. Guy is test driving a brand new Audi right now!!! Is this right, is it wrong? I think it's all open to interpretation.

As we move forward and experiment using social media for marketing we will walk the line in the eyes of the consumer. While some might view the Ford and Audi strategies as "against the rules," others will appreciate the projects and want to hear the stories. It's just like any other marketing or advertising, your efforts are not going to appeal to everyone. As long as it fits with your brand and the image you are trying to achieve I say go for it.

Thanks and enjoy your day!

Mj

photo courtesy of harry.1967 on flickr.com

What's the Difference Between Social Media Marketing and Using Social Media for Marketing?

2009-02-17T23:35:00.011-05:00

So, what's the difference between social media marketing and using social media for marketing? Let's first define social media.

Social media are primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.

OK, now that Wikipedia gave us that definition, let's look at social media from a marketing approach. Here's my definition of "Social Media Marketing."

Social Media Marketing is giving people a reason to talk about your products and services, and making it easier for that conversation to take place using social media tools.

This definition is actually taken right from the WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) website, but I added the "using social media tools." Let's stop fooling each other by throwing theories around that Social Media Marketing is anything more than an online evolution for word of mouth marketing.

Now, "Using Social Media for Marketing" is different than "Social Media Marketing." The use of social media for marketing can be a number of things. In general, "interruption marketing" examples like banner ads, sponsorship ads, AdSense, or blog buttons/links would qualify.

You're probably asking now, OK Mark, where are you going with this? Here's where I'm going. Try whatever you want with social media and marketing. It should qualify as either Social Media Marketing as WOMMA has defined it, or it will qualify as "interruption marketing" as I gave examples for. But here's the rub, DON'T let your marketing efforts fall under any of these definitions here at WOMMA.

Now that I've defined this for everyone please let me know your thoughts, and please read my follow-up post with some friendly debate and frustrations surrounding Social Media and Marketing.

Thanks and enjoy your day!

Mj

photo courtesy of Eleaf on flickr.com

Alert, Alert, Alert!!!

2009-02-11T11:07:00.004-05:00

Recently I have received some Google Alerts for a couple of our communities. If you don't have these set up for your company or your communities I highly recommend you do as it's a free service offered by Google. So let me share with you the two most recent alerts that touch each end of the spectrum.

First is Bayshore Apartments. I received an alert linking me to MerchantCircle.com. I'll have to say that I'd never heard of MerchantCircle.com, but it appears to be a long tail website for city/business searches. The alert came due to a review from a former resident that was dissatisfied with us. How great! If I didn't have Google Alerts I may have never know about the review, and I would not have had the opportunity to respond. Unfortunately, both reviews have now been removed (in less than a day) as they must not have represented what MerchantCircle.com was looking for in a review. While the resident's review was obviously very negative, I'm happy I had the opportunity to respond in an apologetic way and explain J.C. Hart Company was following the terms of our lease agreement in this situation. Nothing too detailed, but a nice apology for any confusion for the resident and for readers of the reviews. I do find it interesting that MerchantCircle.com chose to remove the reviews. The only conclusion I can make from this is that they were not specific to the apartments and focused on one incident vs. being an entire review.

Now onto the other end of the spectrum. I received an alert for our Linden Square community. This was a link to City-Data.com, and a conversation thread about Linden Square. I also had not heard of City-Data.com, but it appears to be a long tail relocation forum. It was great to see positive testimonials for our community as well as for J.C. Hart. I did take the time to write a short response to those involved and thank them for their posts. This is a great way to acknowledge to our residents and future residents that we care and we are listening.

I highly recommend you find out what people online are saying about you. It's a great way to discover some websites or forums you were not aware of. Also, good or bad it's always nice to know what your customers are thinking as it may confirm you are doing things right, or it may help you to make improvements to your processes.

Enjoy your day!

Perseverance (Part 2)

2009-01-18T14:13:00.004-05:00

Last June I wrote a post about one of the greatest sports icons of our time, Tiger Woods. In that post I asked a question, "When do perseverance and determination actually hurt your brand?" Tiger has been out of golf and out of the spotlight for more than 6 months now. He is one of the major endorsers for Nike, Buick, Gatorade, Gillette, Accenture, EA Sports, and the PGA Tour.

As I stated in the previous post, this situation presented an amazing opportunity for marketing researchers to study the impact of a celebrity on a brand. Tiger is one of the largest sports celebrities in the world so I would imagine his impact would be much larger than some others, but it will be very interesting to see how these companies are affected by his return later this year.

If anyone in marketing for these companies stumbles across this piece or if anyone has some insight into how or if there is a study for this please let me know. And, please share it with marketers around the world. Thanks and enjoy your day!

Mj

I Need More Convincing

2009-01-16T02:52:00.008-05:00

Yesterday I received an email newsletter from For Rent Media Solutions. I enjoy receiving these email newsletters from my vendors as they generally have good industry information, new data, or just information I need to know.

In yesterday's message there was a post titled "Magazine Ads Increase Web Traffic By More Than 40%." Just after reading that title I had to dig further. WOW, that's a big number, and I'm curious. As I read, the article pointed out the data was from the MPA (or Magazine Publishers of America), and they provided a link to the full report for the data.

Now they really had my attention. I love juicy data, and I was looking for a convincing reason for print to have a resurrection. As I began digesting the full report I quickly became disappointed. While the study they share is interesting and the analysis of the conclusions are explained well, I struggled with three issues in how the study was relevant to For Rent.

1. I have never considered For Rent Magazine a "magazine". It's not one of those publications I see on coffee tables or in rest rooms, and people do not read it for entertainment purposes or subscribe to it (that I know of). It is a book of listings.

2. The data generated for this study was from non-real estate related businesses, and I could not understand how the products they studied could relate to apartment homes.

3. The studies used for the data were run from 2003-2007. It's 2009, and so much has changed.

That being said, I challenge For Rent to help us all understand more about this study and how it relates to our industry in 2009. The summary For Rent made from the full report did not make it clear for me, and I'd like for them to expand on the findings. I would also enjoy anyone's thoughts on the topic, or statistics you can share from your own experiences with print driving Internet traffic.

Thanks and enjoy your day!

Wayne Gretzky Is Your Inspiration

2009-01-13T15:09:00.006-05:00

I was fortunate enough today to participate in a meeting with my company's president. The theme of the meeting was marketing, and the CEOs that are a part of this group were asked to invite their Head Marketing Nerd. Thus, the invite.

I probably don't attend enough non-industry related seminars and training, and I must say it was a nice change of pace. The presenter for the day was Mitch Gooze'. Mitch was an engaging speaker and allowed great participation from the group. The main theme for the presentation was comparing marketing and sales to design and production. He asks the question, "While production would not be expected (in most cases) to redesign a widget due to a design flaw, why do we expect sales to fix what is essentially a marketing flaw?"

Let me further explain. What he is trying to say is that there is a disconnect between marketing and sales. The sales team is trying to sell something that the marketing team has not clearly defined. He explained, on the marketing side we must connect the "Who Buys?" and "What are they buying?" to the sales side or "How are they going to buy it?" The message the sales team is receiving in many cases is conflicting or is inspired by them and not by marketing. Marketing should be the team clarifying the Who? and What? while sales is concerned with the How? Too often marketing has not made the message clear and sales is then responsible to fix it themselves.

So, how is this accomplished. Talk to your customers. Find out why they buy your product or service. It's our job to understand what our customers needs are, and if you've been in a business for a number of years you might think you know but in reality you don't. After you find out more about your customers you can give your marketing the direction it needs, and communicate that properly with your sales team.

Part of learning more about your customers should help you to innovate, improve, and stay ahead of the curve. Mitch shared a story about Wayne Gretzky that I just loved. Wayne was once asked, "Why are you such a great hockey player?" He responded, "I skate where the puck will be." Wayne made a choice, and just like Wayne we have a choice in business. We can educate ourselves and anticipate where the puck will be, or we can follow everyone else and chase after the puck. I'd rather play like the great one.

Enjoy your day!

picture courtesy of bobdylan_8 at Flickr.com

Kaizen

2009-01-12T21:37:00.003-05:00

A couple days ago I changed the background for my Twitter page, and if you ever read this blog you'll notice I've changed the design here as well. Now this isn't because it's 2009 and time for a new start, it's because of something I learned early in my business career at Toyota.

Kaizen defined is "Continuous Improvement". You will see some schools of thought redefine it as "Six Sigma" or "Lean Thinking". Just Google kaizen and you'll see a number of results. I'm writing this post to just explain the way I define it.

Kaizen for me is innovation, challenging ideas, and change. Part of my blog title and description of what this blog is all about is my obsession with kaizen at every touchpoint. I just can't tolerate "that's the way we've always done it." Join the kaizen train with me. There's always a better way.

I No Longer Give a #&%! About Your Closing Ratio

2009-01-06T14:05:00.002-05:00

That's right, it deserved an explative. Why in sales do we get caught up on this number? My question is how many sales did you get today (or this week)? I don't care how many times you picked up the phone or how many people you demonstrated your product to in order to get that/those sale(s) as long as you get them.

Why, Mark, why? Because you're all full of #&%! when you tell me how many calls or leads you had anyway as you're afraid to have a low closing ratio. We've been holding you to some magical closing ratio number, and it's time to stop. I love interviewing new sales candidates or managers and they tell me that they have a 50% closing ratio or higher. I call BS! How is that exactly measured anyway? Is it based on people you actually demonstrated your product to? Is it based on everyone that inquired? Does it include people that are interested in a product that is out of stock or not immediately available?

And given all that criteria, what really matters? I think two things matter.

1. Getting the sales to achieve the goals set for yourself and management.

2. Recording every single call, visit, or inquiry of any kind that comes in.

I believe these are the key measurements needed for selling and marketing a product. And that's why I no longer give a #&%! about your closing ratio.

Enjoy your day!

Mj

There's Always a Better Way

2008-12-21T23:29:00.004-05:00

I found a better way today. Now, this is just a better way for me, but you may find a use for this as well.

I flip flop from IE, Flock, and Firefox for my browsers. Today I used Firefox and discovered what I've been looking for for a couple months. I've been trying to discover a way that I can write just one post but publish it to multiple blogs. Syndication via RSS feed just wasn't the same as doing the actual post. So, I stumbled across www.scribefire.com. YES!

Go ahead, check it out. It is so easy to add multiple blog accounts to the interface, then just type your post and publish the same content to all those blogs. Enjoy!

Is Social Media Marketing Just the Evolution of Word of Mouth Marketing?

2008-12-19T10:45:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I commented on a blog post from Kyle Lacy about Controlling Word of Mouth Marketing Using Social Media. I'll share again here what I had to say:

Kyle,

I like to think that WOM and Social Media are one and the same. As I have dived into social media over the past few months I’ve come to realize that from a marketing perspective social media marketing is basically just an evolution of WOM. While there can be good old interruption “marketing” with banner ads and such on blogs, facebook, etc., what we’re seeing with users leaving reviews on Yelp!, becoming a fan of a product on Facebook, or blogging about their best or worst experiences with a brand or product is the evolution of WOM.

Now more than ever companies need to focus on WOM marketing in my opinion. This includes social media and the conversations about your brand online.

Thanks for sharing Kyle. Enjoy your day.

Mj

I'm curious if anyone else shares this opinion, and look forward to reading your thoughts.

Thanks and as always, enjoy your day.

Mj

Leading Loyalty - Marketing Professionals

2008-12-12T12:56:00.004-05:00

Over the past few months I have noticed the activity of groups on Linkedin increase. One that has grabbed my attention is called Leading Loyalty - Marketing Professionals. I encourage you to check them out. There are a number of theories flying around for how to market in a difficult economy, and customer service and loyalty seems to be getting some good attention. I'd also like to share an article from MulthousingPro.com that touches on the subject as well. Please feel free to share you thoughts on the topic. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day.

Mark

How Many "Cast Members" Are Best?

2008-12-09T23:51:00.003-05:00

Just one more Disney post and I'll let it be. I was blown away by the number of people that work at the hotels, parks, and restaurants at Disney World. There was not one moment I felt I could not turn around or turn a corner and find someone that could help me. At some points it was kind of creepy and even seemed a bit much.

After thinking about it a bit, seeing more news about layoffs, and reading a blog comment about reducing employee costs I had to write another post. So, what's your thought on over-staffing? Apparently Disney finds a way to justify it, and they don't appear to be reducing their prices anytime soon (trust me).

Is there a secret to having plenty of people? In the world of technology so many processes and people can be reduced or eliminated. Why does Disney implement the technology, but also continue to employ more than enough people? Can more people help to enhance the customer's experience, or does it just add more expenses? Is there a magic formula? Do you think your company has enough people to help create a Disneylike experience?

Thanks and enjoy your day!

Mark

The Disney Experience of Today

2008-12-09T17:33:00.007-05:00

As I indicated about a week ago, I made a trip to the marketing mecca of Walt Disney World. Again, I was amazed at the details and the constant marketing. To the right is a photo of my daughter's hairdo courtesy of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (complete with Pixie dust, mini tiara, and Mickey ears barrette). For about $60 your little princess can be even more of a princess.

While some of these extras may be a bit much for many Disneygoers, many are sucked into these extra experiences. In general, visiting Disney World seems to be pretty straight forward. Resort hotels, amusement parks, restaurants/dining, and all the characters associated with Disney and Disney movies. That's pretty much a general overview of what to expect. I discovered on my trip that Disney World can be even more. Here's a list of extras during my trip, and this just scratches the surface.

- Dinner with 5 Princesses, Breakfast with Winnie the Pooh, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Breakfast with Chef Mickey, Dinner a Cinderella's Castle, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Breakfast with 5 Princesses

A majority of this was great for a 4 year old, and I can't imagine missing any of these extras looking back. Disney continues to raise the bar. Each time you go back you can have a different experience because there is always something new. They are constantly redesigning, adding, and enhancing. Just before we left the Grand Floridian Hotel the bellman told me how they plan to completely redecorate and rehab the entire lobby of the hotel. And that's just one hotel.

Now I will stop and pose my questions for the post. The concept of kaizen is alive and well at Disney. That being said, if they are constantly enhancing the experience for their guests, what are you doing to enhance the experience of your guests/customers? How often are you implementing these enhancements? What is holding you back?

Thanks and enjoy your day.

Mark

How Big of a Marketing Nerd Do You Have to Be ...

2008-12-02T01:35:00.004-05:00

... to apply for this? http://www.squidoo.com/Alternative-MBA

The Marketing Mecca

2008-11-30T17:30:00.006-05:00

So, I'm traveling back to Disney World soon for the 2nd time in the last year and a half. Vacationing at Disney World is like no other experience. For a marketer, all the details completely blow you away. From the moment you arrive in Orlando, there is buzz and activity encouraging purchases. As a parent you feel obligated to ensure your children truly remember Disney World being the happiest place on earth, but it doesn't take much work to accomplish that. At every turn the hotels, the parks, the rides, and the employees are always selling. They are selling you more while you are there, and they are selling you for the return visit. Everything seems so calculated and predetermined that it truly amazes me how well orchestrated the entire experience is.

As I look forward to this trip I wanted to propose some questions. If you have been to Disney World yourself, what was the most memorable part of your experience (from a marketing perspective)? Also, even if you have not been, do you have a special research project you'd like to send me on?

How Do You Prefer Your Budget Hat: Fitted or Adjustable?

2008-11-25T13:25:00.008-05:00

As a marketing director I wear a number of hats. The one that seems to fit best is the creative, brainstorming, idea hat. However, I also get to wear a customer service hat every now and then that's pretty comfy. There are times when my personnel/HR hat gets pulled down off the shelf, and there are a number of others for development, education, and PR to name a few.

The one I am most challenged with is the budget hat. That hat would probably be a visor or something else I don't enjoy wearing like a beanie with a propeller. Anywho, this post isn't about wearing a gazillion hats, as most of us do that and do it to the best of our abilities. What I want to talk about is the challenge of budgeting for marketing.

While a great marketing plan starts with a budget, it seems that economics, the unknown, and poor performance can all influence changes in the marketing budget. Each industry has different benchmarks for budgeting their marketing dollars. In the apartment industry the National Apartment Association actually takes a survey across the nation to measure average income and expenses. While this is an average and somewhat of a benchmark for economics in our industry, I have to ask what people are really spending and how they justify their expenses? How many of you set a marketing budget for the year and stick to it? Do you even have a budget or a plan?

We're all trying to save money, but how do you and your company wrap your arms around what is spent on marketing? I'm not asking this for my industry specific, but I'm curious what analytics marketers are using. I'd love to hear feedback for you and your industry as many are finalizing budgets for 2009 and cringing at the outlook of the economy. What drives your marketing budget decisions and sets the expectations for ROI?