Cauvin

The esteemed Steve Johnson recently wrote a provocative blog entry on the merits - or lack thereof - of demoing at trade shows. He implies that showing demos is usually not very effective: Nobody retains information from a trade show--everyone is yelling to be heard. Perhaps you could be a little quieter and much more effective. Let's use the demo where it belongs, much later in the sales cycle. And he contends that collecting information about prospects' situations and problems is often a better use of trade show time: At your next event, try just asking people who come by the booth a few simple qualifying questions about their problem and its urgency to them. If they answer in the affirmative, scan their badge or take their card and invite them to enjoy the show. Meanwhile send a set of materials to them through the mail or better yet, have a sales person contact them the week after the show. In my opinion, Steve's key point is that: The best demo is cust

GSD&M is changing its name to "GSD&M's Idea City". This move seems like a bad idea for at least three reasons: The new name is too long. The length of the name makes it less "speakable". A brand name that's easy to say is more likely to be remembered and more amenable to word of mouth. The new name is too descriptive . Descriptive brand names are less memorable and make differentiation in the mind of the customer harder. Any identity change is costly. Every bit of marketing and sales collateral has to be modified and redistributed. But the threat of rebranding disease is constant and almost ubiquitous.

It's just one person's experience, but Amy Tiemann recently described her disappointment with the iPhone. Her conclusion: It turns out that combining multiple functions into one device isn't always more convenient. For me, a Blackberry Pearl plus an iPod Nano seems to be the best combination. I need basic online access on my smart phone, but I don't browse a lot or compose a lot of e-mail on my Pearl. I either call back, answer e-mails from my desk, or if I am traveling, I have my laptop with me. Recall that Laura Ries stubbornly predicted that the iPhone would fail (after some initial success) because it is a convergence device. The jury's still out, but Amy Tiemann's experience is an interesting data point.

Trends in the marketplace affect the appeal of your message and the profitability of your product. When the trends run counter to your marketing message, should you re-position your product? Laura Ries says, "No." She discusses the Hellman's brand. Hellman's mayonnaise is full fat, so What do you do when the world seems obsessed with dieting, fat and calories? When every product is promoting it is low-fat, fat-free, low-carb, high fiber or zero calorie? When everybody is on a diet, gobbling up calorie reduced manufacture foods yet still hungry, miserable and (at least in the U.S.) fat? Most company executives and product managers would either modify the marketing message or come out with a "light" version of the product under the same brand. What does Laura suggest? Whatever your brand is, you have to deal with it. Pretending it isn't high fat isn't going to change what’s in the package. And promoting your “light” version just reinforces