First, a caveat. This post is from a marketing and branding perspective. Employment considerations are an entirely different matter. I’ve been laid off and I would not wish it on anyone.
Would anyone miss (insight from Seth Godin here and here) any of the traditional Big Three US automakers if they were gone? No, really. Do you hear anyone screaming “I can’t live without my next Ford (or Chrysler or GM)?”
I don’t. If two of them went away, and you still wanted to buy an American car, you could easily move to the remaining one and get the same basic brand experience.
On the other hand, can you imagine the outcry if BMW was at risk? You would hear the screams from the rooftops. That’s because BMW drivers truly believe that no other car drives like a BMW. BMW drivers are stark raving fans – and for good reason. Their experiences bear out the brand’s claims.
Not so, for Detroit’s dinosaurs. They keep pushing the idea that they’re just as good as Toyota and Honda (bad sign when you have to benchmark against your competitors) but nobody’s buying. Because the majority perception in the marketplace – where consumers are now each other’s experts – is that US automakers don’t match up to their foreign-owned counterparts. And it’s going to take more than a $25 billion bailout to change that market dynamic. Unless they change the game
One solution would be for them to merge into one company, scrap all but the absolute best performing models, use the American-made positioning to sell against the foreign-owned marques where it has true value and put all the money saved and all their best engineers to work on becoming a leader in next generation personal transportation.
That’s one solution for these three tired, old school brands. There are probably better ones. But one thing is painfully clear – they need to wake up to the fact that the world has left them behind and nothing short of revolutionary thinking is going to make them vital again.
My wife just linked me to this website called Advent Conspiracy. My first thought was “who’s making money”. But I was quickly dissuade from that oh so 21st century skepticism with a quick read through the FAQ. Amazingly, no one is. Nothing to join. Nothing to do – except, as the site says – worship fully, spend less, give more, love all. A brilliantly simply idea executed simply and brilliantly.
My family had the pleasure of experiencing another magical night at the Fire In The Kitchen concert series – this time courtesy of Hanneke Cassel and her band mates, guitarist Christopher Lewis and cellist Ariel Friedman. The day began with our 2 hour workshop with the band where a group of around 30 (kids to seniors and everything in between) learned Hanneke’s The Boston Urban Ceilidh (which was written for the event of the same name), and ended with a rousing concert of Scottish and Cape Breton fiddle tunes.
If Hanneke (and friends) are ever appearing in your neck of the woods, take the time to go. They deliver the goods and then some.
Just finished reading a short piece about the band Deerhunter in the November 27 issue of Rolling Stone. (Still not sure if I like the redesign. There was something special about the oversized, newsprinty style of the original that felt right.) The band’s leader, Bradford Cox, is quoted saying, “Blogs to me are really dated already. In 15 years, they’ll be like Crystal Pepsi.”
That’s the first I’ve heard that blogs are already on the way out…but I wouldn’t doubt it. Keep on the look out for what’s next.
There’s a phenomenon among churches that I don’t understand – pithy statements on their front signs. What exactly is the intent here? To prove they can be clever? To confuse or enrage non church members so that they are compelled to enter the sanctuary searching for an answer or an argument? To make the pastors and the congregation feel like they are reaching out to the community?
I guess my question is this…who decided that the Bible needed copy writing help. Isn’t the message of the gospel, and the way it is told, good enough? Do these churches really think a catchy headline with some reference to current events is the best way to reach those who need the message most?
I don’t think so. The hallmark of all great marketing is simplicity of message. Adding anything to the Gospel’s message is adding complexity where none is needed.
My problem isn’t with the signs themselves. The concept is fine. The execution is the problem. My beef is with the slogan-esque style that most churches use. It demeans the message.
