7.01.2013

The future of marketing opportunities


  

In the end I Boston, news that a storm is coming. In general, most people will be put down from the job at hand, to supermarket shopping, even if they can't go out, also have enough food throughout the winter.

 

 

 

Usually I'm not do such a thing, but this year I decided to follow the footsteps of all, to the supermarket to buy two whole cart things, then go to a look very technical check-out counter. I put all the things to put on the counter, and say "hello" with the clerk, but didn't get the other party of any response. Wait until the bill, I to a small machine brush my card, finally hear machine "hello" with me, and all my life I recommend some won't buy things. In fact I still continue to try to chat with the clerk, I talk to the weather, talked about the snow, but have no response to each other or do the work at hand to, until I had paid for all the money, I looked at the clerk said, "listen, I know you don't want to say" hello ", it seems that you don't want to say "goodbye", but is it possible you will say 'thank you'?" At this time, the girl in the shop is very excited to looked at me and said: "we have needless to say 'thank you', later" thank you "will play in the receipt!"

 

 

 

I recalled feel very curious, that a small machine, high resolution touch screen plus card reader, recognize my name, thank my patronage, to recommend some is reasonable of commodities. At the same time, behind the counter young female clerk also in good use of her logistics functions, quietly with a scanner to scan I buy goods. But I later found, she made the machine should and the machine did she should do, for this is the division of labor between machine and perfect, but order completely wrong. Whether or not this story to you what inspired, I encourage you to, when we focus on the development of the service industry, we must recognize science and technology in it what role should be.

 

 

 

Emotional ties with consumers

 

 

 

To talk about the relationship between industry and science and technology, can be divided into four key points: first, we need to know about business and the development of science and technology background; Second, understand business and promoting the development of science and technology factors; Third, explain business and the development of science and technology of the influence of; Fourth, and most important, business opportunities.

 

 

 

We are now in a industrial production capacity surplus world, service industry is no exception, often because the competition is fierce and low prices, is now customers are unprecedented world class products and choice. Current industry to try the resources of the competition is not the material, but have enough of the customers.

 

 

 

When the professionals gathered together, will be mentioned in the world at present is the most representative brand. We often hear the starbucks coffee or apple computer, the name of the company, the company no longer be the starting point of the product competition, their competition point already sublimation to consumers use the product experience and the products and consumer emotional ties.

 

 

 

Let me for example, in the office of the Boston, for me and the other 500 colleagues for, drink the office coffee nothing to pay, but every day, a group of and a group of the workplace will leave the company, walking street and then spend eight dollars for a cup of special allocate starbucks coffee. It is not reasonable economic behavior, these make free with logic why people will make not reasonable thing? This is because products produced between consumers and emotional ties, and these special experience make starbucks have strong pricing power and high profits.

 

 

 

Enterprise future rely on four big thrust

 

 

 

In this context, I believe by the four derived from science and technology the impetus, and will change the future of enterprise marketing gimmick and provide services direction.

 

 

 

The first impetus, and most of the people on the earth, especially in industrialized countries, people are using network. The height of the network world link, in the past two or three years triggered a no one can predict the phenomenon: community network. From South Korea, Japan, Cyworld Mixi British Bebo, Facebook and MySpace to the United States, millions of people has been on the Internet for a contact, high connectivity has and life as a whole.

 

 

 

The second force, more and more people have connected network tools. The world of computer use more than 1 billion sets, and the mobile phone has more than 3 billion department. Last summer I met a friend of a coat, and I asked him, "why do you want to wear a jacket on a hot day?" He put the coat uncovered, show 4 pockets, each pockets on a mobile phone, said: "not the pocket, these mobile phone to put on where?" From the marketing point of view, this story may give us an important inspiration.

 

 

 

The third force, new product development is not confined to the strengthening of the function, but how to do these functions can be combined into a fully integrated into the People's Daily life tools. There is a from MIT out company iRobot, developed a robot vacuum cleaners, this machine has its own artificial intelligence, use simple linear method navigation route cleaning, cleaning the furniture, home will bypass the pet, children. This type of vacuum cleaners in the U.S., Europe, and part of the Asia is a best seller. This machine is very interesting, it and people have interaction, the price is not high, and may link network, the most important is, everyone like this tool, buy the pint-sized robot family feel it is an important partner. I don't know you normally at home how look upon your vacuum cleaner, but I won't run every day can't wait to go home with my vacuum cleaner together. Some people really pay attention to these small robot, and even give them the names of the home as a pet.

 

 

 

This trend leads the fourth impetus: if we can reset the combination products, giving it a artificial intelligence, let it perfectly integrates People's Daily life, to have interactive robots, in the packaging with emotional factors, as well as the success of product to come. IPod is the best example, from the first generation of iPod to today's iPodTouch, it is a small computer packing in a small space, 70% to 80% of the parts in the Chinese Taiwan area production, production process while in mainland China, but also by the a company responsible for Taiwan, so in the end, this is a Taiwan products.

 

 

 

But interestingly, made in Taiwan iPod company and do not get the products and consumer emotional ties between, but for the United States to apple computer company earn most of the profits. When consumers to buy the iPod, the inside of the machine parts and systems for them is not important, the important thing is to the experience of their iPod, they buy iPod is a mood on the choice, not a rational choice. Otherwise, how do we explain the iPod prices in the United States than other similar products more than double that, and in two to four times higher than Western Europe?

 

 

 

Many americans when running is taking his iPod, when they ran to the physical strength was exhausted, iPod suddenly chose a particularly powerful songs to stimulate their potential, make them run the world, can let the people think: "day! This machine than my wife is also know me!" Although they also know that iPod just using the simple random system chose a song, but because some factors, but let them to iPod produced an emotional connection, make the products more precious.

 

 

 

Seize the new model will seize new business opportunities

 

 

 

At present the development of science and technology and industry for the future of the company will have what kind of impact? Now we heard a lot of business story, but ultimately is about the same content, which has three key points: first, the company will be in the future more human instead of the machine equipment; Second, the front end and back end on the operation will be combined with science and technology and talent, and support each other and help, not like me in the supermarket experience; Third, the network access devices everywhere, make services to move to any country, and need not be in the consumer side can meet their needs.

 

 

 

From the point of view of China, large brand and product marketing is a complicated process, and the enterprise the challenge is how to fusion high-tech pipeline and avoid the high cost. Besides, more and more people in the community web sites, blogs and BBS interaction, built many enterprises and consumers' "the contact point" (Touchpoint). And in so many "the contact point", some are enterprise can control, some enterprise can influence, but some consumers to make their own decisions. How to deal with the "contact"? To answer this question, the enterprise needs to make clear the consumer decision-making process.

 

 

 

The past americans buy cars through the newspaper ads, the mainstream media, friend chat, then reference magazine, and finally to find agents to buy cars. Today's American young people buying model change, they will turn to blog, community site search you need material. If we take consumers' decision-making process as a linear process, we can calculate in the beginning of the process how many consumers, where lost some consumers, why would lose those consumers, and how to reduce the number of loss.

 

 

 

The perfect combination of science and technology and talents

 

 

 

We go now to apple computer company, know how to use the company of consumer products and brands of mood, strengthen its unique pricing power, and apple computer has put this approach to bring retail store.

 

 

 

Apple computer company's retail store looks nothing new, its strength lies in the combination of science and technology and people. Apple computer company every retail stores, set up science and technology workstation, let customers any free trial a products; In order to more rich friendliness, store personal shopping service, the products are introduced. The most special is the "genius" (Geniusbar) and "professional service support" (Pro-caresupport) two special administrative area, experts can provide answer any questions.

 

 

 

For consumers, these wore a black T-shirt with mine of information science and technology experts, and any kind of simple technology use can all help products to consumers leave deep impression. For example, the checkout consumers, the clerk will not open bill, when consumers when questioned, the clerk will tell consumers: "we have from your iTunes material found in your E-mail address, at the same time, we will send you the invoice to the mailbox." Usually, this will let the consumer greatly surprise, think this is some kind of magic, or think this company very clever. To make consumers impressive, and not directly to the high-tech products sold out, but a perfect combination of science and technology and the use of talents.

 

 

 

In the past few years, apple computer company found that more and more people use "genius" and "the professional service support", so the company launched the customer priorities plan: if customers are willing to pay an annual fee of $100, and that he will not have to line up, don't have an appointment, can always come in to the store enjoy service, last year, 1 million people received the special service. So apple computer just by consumers want to chat with science and technology experts of psychological, earn $100 million, this is the perfect combination of science and technology and talents, created by the pricing power. Apple computer company in the United States only 300 home retail stores, but they are the highest profit retail market retail stores. Languishing in third BestBuy of electronics stores each square feet make us $800 to us $1000, ranking second in the difuni (TiffanyandCo.) to earn $2800 per square foot, and apple computer retail stores per square foot of can earn 5000 dollars.

 

 

 

Through the example we learn, the future of the marketing opportunity, is the experience of consumers and the emotion, if the enterprise can capture the "contact", the enterprise will take uncounted value. And these value belongs to those who know how to seize the consumer products positive emotions and feelings and use innovative marketing and r&d imagination planning process of the manufacturers. That is, the humanities, arts, and emotions into important "the contact point", the enterprise can hug filled with infinite hope in the future.