Best Practices Not Included

Where's the "Wow"?

Last January, The New York Times ran a piece on Microsoft's promotion of the new Vista operating system. Seth Godin first critiqued the photo but I wanted to take the opportunity to offer mine. First of all, let me just say, contrary to popular belief, I think Microsoft is an extremely innovative company, especially from a business model stand point. Innovation is more than just coming up with the latest and greatest product, service, or idea. I currently own stock in Microsoft that has faired very well over the last 6 months. I will reserve the rest of the innovation discussion for another post. Back to what's really on my mind. What's wrong with this picture? The "Wow" starts now". Words can't replace context! Don't let your message be inconsistent with the actual experience delivered. Look at the posture, expressions, and overall attitude being presented by this group of executives. No one looks to be having fun! That being said, it seems important to recognize that in thinking about context, from the picture, it's impossible for us to tell what atmospherics might have caused this moment in time. But the reality is that for those of us who weren't in attendance, this snap shot is characterizing the event in its entirety. The excitement level of Microsoft's launches have always dwarfed those surrounding MacWorld. I remember how everyone was talking when XP first came out, everyone went out and upgraded. But this time around, even though Vista sales have kept up, no one seems to be talking about it. Bottom line, don't disappoint, you have to deliver along every step of the way, especially first step!

What Happened To PC?

Being politically correct counts, it goes a long way when making marketing decisions. Yet, there always seems to be business names or slogans that I just don't understand. Sometimes it's like, "what the hell were these people thinking" or not thinking about when they come up with that idea. This example is no exception either. Granted, it is only a thrift store, we're not talking about a more established and visable business that probably thought long and hard about their name like "Stupid Prices" or something of that caliber (sarcasm). Talk about missing the boat. We all know what we're talking about here, we see it every day, especially in small business. For many small businesses, just like Retarded Children's, there is a huge lack of multicultural sensitivity as well as creativity when it comes to branding. I can't say I feel the need to elaborate on why there are probably better names for a thrift store business. You can probably come up with dozens of more appropriate alternatives just off the top of your head. This is  precisely the point! I will say that I believe polarization in marketing is an approach that can be very effective, yet is often under utilized. But, there are many variables in a market place that will limit the level of polarization, if any, that can be effectively achieved. So, what's the lesson here: Choose a name carefully. One of the most basic and important lessons of successfully marketing your business is having a successful name. It's your cheapest (free) and most important (most paid attention to) message that can be communicated to consumers. And lastly, at the end of the day, for this thrift store, it will be all about context and connotation, and I'm sorry to say that "Retarted Children's" has struck-out big time.