Marketing Idea No. 216 – How to utilize default setting to create profit for your brand

Remember the last time you bought a mobile phone?

Of course you do. Human beings love affair with their cell phone can only be matched with that of particularly passionate pre-marital relationship within a 1 year shelf-life. Simply put, we love our phones, at least the one we spend a lot of money to buy.

With that established (throw in human tendancy to personalize everything), wouldnt it be natural that we change our mobile phone default settings like ringtone, sms tone, wallpaper etc.?

You couldnt be more wrong. Research shows that in most cases, people tend to stick to the default settings that manufacturer gives them.

There are two things to learn from this. One, never underestimate the power of inertia. Human being would do anything to maintain status quo and ensure things never change; even if that means not changing that irritating ring-tone that the handset manufacturer has set as default. Secondly, this way, brands can harness this human tendancy to stick to “default settings” and tilt the consumers to the choices that seller would want consumers to buy. Or, even more importantly, the one choice that is more profitable to the seller.

How can you utilize this?

Marketing Idea No. 215 – What we can learn from Bill Murray and Groundhog Day

Did the idea cross your mind ever that if you keep on doing the same thing over and over again, you will get it right eventually? Also, is that whats keeping you busy these days?

There is a famous movie called Groundhog Day. In the movie, actor Bill Murray had to keep reliving the same day again and again until he got it “right”; where right means getting his love interest, his way of life, his state being overall in right shape. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get it “right” by repeating the same obnoxious behavior.  The point to learn form this is that you can’t keep doing the same things repeatedly and expect your situation change; without making some fundamental changes within you.  You have to change your attitudes, behaviors, and methods (the input) before you can expect changes around you.

Many companies are trying a “Bill Murray””day in day out. Without changing the way their employees feel about their brand and company, they want to change the way the customers feel about it.

They stand as much chance of doing that as Vin Diesel does in winning an oscar. Just by doing it over and over again, doesnt make an impossible expectation to come true. So if you are trying to increase your customer satisfaction, try doing it after resolving your employee satisfaction issues.

Marketing Idea No. 214 – Why niche is the future mass

Why dont companies make jeans brands solely for overweight people?

Why dont directors make film solely for intelligent, matured audience?

Why dont hair salons exist that specialize in curly haired women only?

Thats because these are specialized services that is required by only a niche audience.  And knowing niche, there is not much number there – both in terms of addressable market and profit.

Which is why businesses would rather cater to a mass market where there are already 10 competitions, rather than catering to a niche market where there is no competition. Think big, they might say.

Is this a valid strategy? Absolutely. The big question however is not that. The big question is can businesses continue to do that as a sustainable business strategy. When everyone moves to live in city center, the city becomes unlive-able and people move to suburbs. In the same way, when mass market becomes overcrowded, margin becomes thinner. And inevitably business will move to niche, untapped segment.

So why not make a first, proactive and timely move, right now?