As consumers, we typically look for value – that perfect combination of quality and price – when we make a purchase. Most of us have a favorite retailer or group of retailers, and today’s hyper-competitive, information-driven marketplace allows us to easily compare prices across multiple retailers and channels. A recent study by Bain & Company […]
And be disruptive. Yes, that was a disruptive headline and most likely got your attention. Now, I’m really not suggesting you get naked, but I do promise naked people will come in later in this post. But first, let’s talk about how hard marketing has become. Marketing is tough. It’s just plain hard, and there are […]
5 Reasons Why E-surveys Should Be Part of Your Marketing Program At J.Schmid, we constantly preach that you can never know enough about your customers. That’s not a new concept and we’re certainly not alone in that belief. At the same time, we hear any number of reasons why companies don’t reach out to their […]
Much has been written about the demise of America’s brick-and-mortar retail institutions due to the expansion of e-commerce and mobile technology. With slowing population growth, the future of retail sales will depend largely on increased individual spending, much of which will come from the demographic cohort known as Millennials. Some relevant facts about this group: […]
The notions that “the customer is king” and “the customer is always right” have been marketing gospel for generations of business school grads and brand managers. I’d never suggest that a strong customer focus shouldn’t be a key element of any brand’s marketing efforts. But how do marketers keep “King Customer” from becoming a total […]
How to gamble on new ideas without losing big I just spent this past weekend in Vegas. Nice little getaway. Saw a show, played a few slots, danced with a monkey (don’t ask). But as I contemplated how much to wager at the Blackjack table, it occurred to me that there are no sure bets. […]
By Chris Hayes, EVP Brand Strategy This 18th Century quote from my high school lit class got me thinking about a conversation I had with a marketing director from a well-known cross-channel brand a few weeks ago. He mentioned his company would like to do comparison research on their catalog covers to determine which ones […]
The research stopped me cold. And I seriously thought our team had it right … we didn’t. Let me back up to the beginning. At J.Schmid one of our mantras is that catalogs should DISRUPT, DELIGHT and DRIVE. I’d like to focus on the latter. Catalogs should DRIVE customers or prospects to DO something. In […]
by Chris Hayes, EVP Brand Strategy When Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast…” he really wasn’t thinking about the world of marketing, much less social media. But he was unknowingly articulating one of the biggest challenges marketers face in their quest to understand and respond to the always-changing preferences of their customers… how to get timely, accurate […]
