Though tempted, I won’t comment here on the morality and integrity of Tiger Woods. I’m only writing about the Tiger Woods brand. And there is much to learn about marketing from watching Tiger’s response. One of my favorite of the 7 Habits of Highly Successful People from Stephen Covey was “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Tiger’s response in the first few days demonstrated a real lack of seeking to understand the public reaction to his mess. Rather than immediately and sincerely apologizing for his actions, he gave a response that angered many, including his sponsors AND his customers (the public that buys everything from Brand Tiger). By acting defiantly toward the media and by failing to apologize sincerely, Tiger further eroded any brand equity he may have still had. One lesson: before communicating for your brand, make sure you understand your customers…and their potential reaction to your communication.
 |
||||||||||
|
Changing and Innovating to Keep Up with Your Customers
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009I spoke recently about the urgency with which clients need to get out and listen to their customers. The world has changed in the past year and economic concerns have fundamentally changed the ways in which consumers think and act. The solution: listen to them! Understand how they’ve changed, and innovate to meet their key needs. In a great article in Ad Age, Coca Cola’s CEO confessed that they had “not focused enough on changes taking place” with their customers. He shared how they are focusing much more on innovation, driven by better understanding and addressing changing customer needs and desires.
Tags: customer research, innovation, marketing
Posted in Marketing Comments, Marketing Tips | No Comments »