Mitchell Goozé
How to Confuse Your Customers … If That’s Really the Goal
I continue to be amazed at how companies can do so many things wrong and not see it. This story is a little long, but there are many points/lessons within it, so bear with me. The FCC recently removed the requirement that cable companies be…
What the Heck is B2B2C Marketing?
The construct of B2B2C Marketing (Business to Business to Consumer) is a relatively newly named construct (2015 or so). What is it exactly? Like many things in the Marketing space it depends upon who is defining it. I will argue later in this post that...
What Really Sets Amazon.com Apart
Amazon.com has claimed a relentless pursuit of customer-centric processes since its inception. Sure, Bezos’ access to VERY low-cost capital and minimal profit expectations gave him an advantage, but others have had those factors and no longer exist. It...
What’s Really Wrong With United Airlines?
Over the last 15 months or so United Airlines has received a lot of well deserved negative publicity. Here is a partial list: In January of 2017 they were blamed for killing a passenger’s Golden Retriever dog because it didn’t fit on a flight the…
Can Your Culture Make Your Company More Innovative?
Well sure, but the issue for many is whether a company needs to change its culture to become more innovative. Much has been written on this topic over the last few decades as the idea of innovation as a driver of competitive value comes in…
A Downside to Big Data and Data Mining for Marketers
By now anyone who is a marketing professional knows that analytics, big data, data mining etc. are key tools that must be mastered. Unfortunately for too many it has become a crutch or excuse to stop thinking. Another downside is that too many marketers...
Dealing with a Bad Online Review of Your Business
Online review sites are the rage. Unfortunately they often are given more credibility than they deserve. I wrote a piece back in 2016 about some disturbing things I have heard more than once about Yelp. Experts agree that negative reviews to which you respond appropriately...
The Root Cause of the Lastest United Airlines Fiasco
As many have read today, United Airlines was caught, again, in an embarrassing incident. This time having the police forcibly drag a doctor off an over-booked flight. They offered $400 and then $800 to re-accommodate and only got two takers when needing four seats. They...
What Can Save Brick and Mortar?
19455899 – worker create a brick wall with trowel and cement mortar A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle got me to thinking again about why most traditional retailers are having so much trouble these days. Still. I have written before on brick and...
Customer Experience and Process Management: A Dichotomy?
We find ourselves at Customer Manufacturing Group at the intersection of two trends that are finally becoming mainstream conversations: customer experience and process management. As we discuss these topics with people, we notice their concern that the two may be mutually exclusive. That is,...
I Was Stupid And They Saved Me
I bash the airline industry a lot on this blog. Firstly, I fly often so I get lots of opportunity; and secondly, they give me lots of examples. That being said, when they do a good job, I also like to make note of...
Customer-Centricity Is More Than Promotional Hype
A lot is written about the importance of customer-centricity and customer experience. Research by Watermark Consulting shows that companies that provide better customer experience create a better total stock market return that the S&P 500 and customer experience laggards. Thus many companies tout their...
What Makes A Good CMO or Marketing Leader?
My friend Laura Patterson conducts an annual Marketing Performance Management benchmark study. The current study represented their 15th annual study. After each study, Laura usually writes summary articles for publication on some of the interesting things they found. A recent article published by MarketingProfs, “Secure...
A 6-Step Plan For Increased Competitive Advantage
If you a running a competitive business these days, you already have world-class operations (if you didn’t, you’d be out of business or on the short path there to.) That is, you have already applied process technology and process management to your operations. That’s...
Are Your Customers Buying On Price?
“There is nothing in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and he who considers price only is that man’s lawful prey.” I remember first seeing this quote by John Ruskin in a Baskin Robbins Ice Cream...
How Much Is Marketing Really Worth To Your Company?
Well, there’s an often asked question. How do you answer it? We’ve seen and heard CMOs, VPs of Marketing, etc. scramble to create an answer to this question. Articles are written regularly on the importance of quantifying Marketing ROI and similar metrics. Since 2005,...
Gaining Competitive Advantage With Your Business Model
As I have written about before, companies can gain advantage from their business model. Consider some popular examples: Amazon.com: It starting as a bookstore and now is a global online “department store” that delivers. As competitors look to keep up, Amazon keeps upping the ante. They...
Why You Need To Be #1 or #2
GE has a mantra that they intend to be #1 or #2 in any market they serve, and if they can’t they will exit the market. In my first book on Marketing, It’s Not Rocket Science: Using Marketing to Build a Sustainable Business, I...
Confusing Motion With Progress
My older son, who works for a Fortune 200 company, mentioned this morning that his company was going through yet another reorganization to improve results, or efficiency … or something. I remember telling my dad the same story, and I suspect he told his...
Finally A Brand Metric That Might Actually Matter
Brand value metrics abound. Several consulting and branding firms purport to measure brand value. I have written my opinion on those before. Many marketers attempt to persuade their boss that increased brand awareness equals increased revenue. Not true. Meanwhile many, including me, exhort marketers...