Pheremones Work!
Dial for Men has a new product out, a body wash which is "pheremone infused." A Dial website shows a video in which 9 of 9 women appear to prefer Dial to competitive products. Supposedly, Dial shows that pheremones (a sexual attractant) work.
Today in my marketing class, I redid this quasi-experiment with some changes. I had 5 blindfolded female students smell 8 male students. Two each of the male students had rubbed one of the following on their wrist: Dial for Men Magnetic Attraction Enhancing Body Wash, Axe Fever Shower Gel, Cetaphil Skin Cleanser, and a professionally-mixed scented "attraction oil." 5 out of 5 of the ladies ranked the Dial for Men first. The unscented Cetaphil actually did as well as the Axe product! And the attraction oil was ranked last on everyone's list.
My sample of females (college juniors and seniors) appears to be somewhat younger than the women in the Dial for Men video. Both samples are tiny (9 there, 5 for me). There are other problems. Still, I'm surprised that the outcome was so clear.
If you are a guy, try the Dial! It can't hurt.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
A great deal has been written about the "capture" of firms by their customers. The latest salvo is David Pakman's "The Impact of Social Media on the Enterprise" http://dpakman.wordpress.com/ But Pakman's line of reasoning makes several assumptions. Are all firms equally impacted? Should all firms be embracing this strategy equally? If we look at the issue with some degree of nuance, we find that all is not "black and white."
Here are some more questions. (1) perhaps there needs to be a contingency framework. Under what circumstances do customers take over, when do they not? Because it's not happening across the board, equally for every firm. (2) What about a typology of "degrees of capture"? (3) What is the evolution of capture, or better, what are the different types of evolution? What are the steps? (4) Avoidance: Can firms avoid capture? Can they manage it? Do they have a say in the matter? Are there firms or firm types (certain industries, a certain size, startups vs. established firms, oligopolistic industries, who knows...) which try (or should try) to avoid "capture?"
One size never fits all.
Here are some more questions. (1) perhaps there needs to be a contingency framework. Under what circumstances do customers take over, when do they not? Because it's not happening across the board, equally for every firm. (2) What about a typology of "degrees of capture"? (3) What is the evolution of capture, or better, what are the different types of evolution? What are the steps? (4) Avoidance: Can firms avoid capture? Can they manage it? Do they have a say in the matter? Are there firms or firm types (certain industries, a certain size, startups vs. established firms, oligopolistic industries, who knows...) which try (or should try) to avoid "capture?"
One size never fits all.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Who's the First Lead Guitar Slinger?
Whoever it is, that man is the spiritual grandfather of every electric lead guitar player, from Stevie Ray Vaughn through Eric Clapton, Keith Richards...not to mention the lead players for Metallica, Korn, Pantara, jazz, country...If you have any insight into this, let me know.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Archetypes of Innovation
An interesting attempt to uncover the secrets of innovative firms is presented in a paper from George Pool and Stephen Wunker. After asking questions of executives in 90 organization and 14 countries, they developed four “archetypes.” An archetype is simply a model or exemplar, the “perfect” example.
They called their four archetypes the “marketplace of ideas” model, the “visionary leader” model, the “innovation through rigor” model, and finally the “innovation through collaboration” model. For each archetype, they name a company as an example. The marketplace model is Google, they identify several visionary leader models – Sony, Apple, Henry Ford, Harrah’s – the rigor archetype is Procter and Gamble . and the collaboration example is Vodaphone.
THE MARKETPLACE FIRM , GOOGLE, EXPECTS EMPLOYEES TO COME UP WITH GREAT IDEAS AND SHOP THEM AROUND THE FIRM. IT’S A BIT CHAOTIC. IDEAS THAT GET TRACTION ARE DEVELOPED QUICKLY INTO PROTOTYPES, THEN RELEASED FOR INTERNAL USE, THEN PUT OUT IN BETA FORM. A SIMILAR FIRM IS BEST BUY. TELEVISION COMPANIES ALSO ENGAGE IN THIS. IDEAS FOR SHOWS COME FROM ALL CORNERS, ARE RAPIDLY TRIED, AND IF THEY DON’T HIT QUICKLY, THEY ARE PUT TO SLEEP. FAILURE IS EXPECTED. SINCE IDEAS COME FROM ANYWHERE, THEY LIKE CLOSE INTERACTION WITH CLIENTS AND PARTNERS. THEY LAUNCH NEW PRODUCTS AND BUSINESSES AT A HIGHER RATE THAN FIRMS USING THE OTHER INNOVATION MODELS.
THE VISIONARY LEADER FIRM IS CENTERED ON A KEY EXECUTIVE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE FUTURE, MOTIVATES EMPLOYEES, AND KEEPS GENERATING GOOD IDEAS. STEVE JOBS IS AN EXAMPLE. HE WAS INVOLED IN CREATING ONE OF THE FIRST PERSONAL COMPUTERS, BROUGH T THE Graphical User Interface to the public, AND WAS IMPORTANT IN DEVELOPING THE IPOD. THE FIRM LAUNCHES ONLY A FEW KEY PRODUCTS. SONY’S AKIO MORITA DID SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH THE WALKMAN A GENERATION EARLIER.
BUT MOST FIRMS AREN’T LIKE GOOGLE OR APPLE, SO INSTEAD OF REPLYING ON A MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS OR A SIGNLE INDIVIDUAL, THEY TRY TO BUILD PROCESSES THAT WILL PRODUCE RESULTS SYSTEMATICALLY. SAMSUNG DOES IT THIS WAY. IT CREATES MANY NEW AND INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS, FOCUSING ON DESIGN QUALITIES. IT HAS DESIGN CENTERS IS SEVERAL MAJOR CITIES AROUND THE WORLD.
FINALLY, SOME COMPANIES COLLABORATE TO ACHIEVE INNOVATION. THESE FIRMS ARE EXTERNALLY ORIENTED, TEAMING WITH OUTSIDE FIRMS. IT IDENTIFIES NEEDS AND SEEKS SOLUTIONS FROM ITS PARTNERS. VODAPHONE WORKS WITH EXTERNAL SUPPLIERS SUCH AS ERICSSON. EVEN ITS SOFTWARE IS SOURCED FROM MANY THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS.
THERE YOU HAVE THE FOUR ARCHETYPES. LIKE ANY TYPOLOGY, THIS SUCCEEDS IN DESCRIBING AND DOESN’T HELP TOWARD , FOR EXAPLE, BEING PRESCRIPTIVE – TELLNG FIRMS WHICH ARETYPE THEY “SHOULD ‘ FOLLOW. THAT’S YOUR JOB!
An interesting attempt to uncover the secrets of innovative firms is presented in a paper from George Pool and Stephen Wunker. After asking questions of executives in 90 organization and 14 countries, they developed four “archetypes.” An archetype is simply a model or exemplar, the “perfect” example.
They called their four archetypes the “marketplace of ideas” model, the “visionary leader” model, the “innovation through rigor” model, and finally the “innovation through collaboration” model. For each archetype, they name a company as an example. The marketplace model is Google, they identify several visionary leader models – Sony, Apple, Henry Ford, Harrah’s – the rigor archetype is Procter and Gamble . and the collaboration example is Vodaphone.
THE MARKETPLACE FIRM , GOOGLE, EXPECTS EMPLOYEES TO COME UP WITH GREAT IDEAS AND SHOP THEM AROUND THE FIRM. IT’S A BIT CHAOTIC. IDEAS THAT GET TRACTION ARE DEVELOPED QUICKLY INTO PROTOTYPES, THEN RELEASED FOR INTERNAL USE, THEN PUT OUT IN BETA FORM. A SIMILAR FIRM IS BEST BUY. TELEVISION COMPANIES ALSO ENGAGE IN THIS. IDEAS FOR SHOWS COME FROM ALL CORNERS, ARE RAPIDLY TRIED, AND IF THEY DON’T HIT QUICKLY, THEY ARE PUT TO SLEEP. FAILURE IS EXPECTED. SINCE IDEAS COME FROM ANYWHERE, THEY LIKE CLOSE INTERACTION WITH CLIENTS AND PARTNERS. THEY LAUNCH NEW PRODUCTS AND BUSINESSES AT A HIGHER RATE THAN FIRMS USING THE OTHER INNOVATION MODELS.
THE VISIONARY LEADER FIRM IS CENTERED ON A KEY EXECUTIVE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE FUTURE, MOTIVATES EMPLOYEES, AND KEEPS GENERATING GOOD IDEAS. STEVE JOBS IS AN EXAMPLE. HE WAS INVOLED IN CREATING ONE OF THE FIRST PERSONAL COMPUTERS, BROUGH T THE Graphical User Interface to the public, AND WAS IMPORTANT IN DEVELOPING THE IPOD. THE FIRM LAUNCHES ONLY A FEW KEY PRODUCTS. SONY’S AKIO MORITA DID SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH THE WALKMAN A GENERATION EARLIER.
BUT MOST FIRMS AREN’T LIKE GOOGLE OR APPLE, SO INSTEAD OF REPLYING ON A MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS OR A SIGNLE INDIVIDUAL, THEY TRY TO BUILD PROCESSES THAT WILL PRODUCE RESULTS SYSTEMATICALLY. SAMSUNG DOES IT THIS WAY. IT CREATES MANY NEW AND INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS, FOCUSING ON DESIGN QUALITIES. IT HAS DESIGN CENTERS IS SEVERAL MAJOR CITIES AROUND THE WORLD.
FINALLY, SOME COMPANIES COLLABORATE TO ACHIEVE INNOVATION. THESE FIRMS ARE EXTERNALLY ORIENTED, TEAMING WITH OUTSIDE FIRMS. IT IDENTIFIES NEEDS AND SEEKS SOLUTIONS FROM ITS PARTNERS. VODAPHONE WORKS WITH EXTERNAL SUPPLIERS SUCH AS ERICSSON. EVEN ITS SOFTWARE IS SOURCED FROM MANY THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS.
THERE YOU HAVE THE FOUR ARCHETYPES. LIKE ANY TYPOLOGY, THIS SUCCEEDS IN DESCRIBING AND DOESN’T HELP TOWARD , FOR EXAPLE, BEING PRESCRIPTIVE – TELLNG FIRMS WHICH ARETYPE THEY “SHOULD ‘ FOLLOW. THAT’S YOUR JOB!
ASIA IS DESIGN CENTRAL
MANY YEARS AGO I LAUGHED WHEN I SAW A JAPANESE CAR. IT WAS A DISASTROUS PRODUCT; WHEN THE CAR DOOR OPENED, WIRES FELL OUT. AND IT JUST LOOKED, WELL, CLUNKY. NOT SO TODAY. JAPANESE CARS ARE VERY WELL DESIGNED.
AND JAPAN IS SIMPLY ONE OF SEVERAL HOTBEDS OF DESIGN. THE EPICENTER IS PROBABLY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN KOREA AND CHINA. ON THE ONE HAND, CHINESE MANUFACTURERS ARE TRYING TO MOVE BEYOND MANUFACTURING INTO MORE-SOPHISTICATED DESIGN. THEY ARE HIRING IN-HOUSE DESIGNERS FROM EUROPE SO THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE DESIGN EXPERTISE. MORE THAN A DOZEN GRADUATES FROM NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY’S DESIGN SCHOOL IN ENGLAND HAVE TAKEN JOBS IN CHINA, FOR INSTANCE. AT THE SAME TIME, CHINA IS DEVELOPING ITS OWN DESIGNERS.
IN KOREA, SAMSUNG IS IN GREAT SHAPE AS A DESIGNER OF CHIC, WELL-DESIGNED PRODUCTS. IN 1998, SAMSUNG HELD LESS THAN 3% OF THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR CELLPHONES AND SOLD LESS THAN 5 MILLION PHONES, MOST OF THEM IN KOREA. NO ONE, AND CERTAINLY NOT THEN-LEADER NOKIA, PREDICTED SAMSUNG WOULD RISE TO CHALLENGE MOTOROLA FOR THE NO. 2 SPOT IN THE WORLD AMONG MOBILE PHONE MAKERS BY 2006.
SAMSUNG'S REAL SURGE STARTED IN 2002. WHILE OTHER MANUFACTURERS DISMISSED THE NEW CAPABILITY OF PUTTING SMALL BUT LOW-QUALITY CAMERAS IN PHONES, SAMSUNG PUT INTO ACTION THE OLD SAYING: "A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS." SAMSUNG EXECUTIVES GRASPED THAT PEOPLE DIDN’T WANT PHONES TO REPLACE CAMERAS BUT SIMPLY WANTED AN ADDITIONAL, MORE INFORMATION-RICH MEANS OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. IN SIX YEARS, SAMSUNG RACED FROM SELLING A MERE 21 MILLION PHONES IN 2000 TO 104 MILLION IN 2005, AND ITS GLOBAL MARKET SHARE NEARLY TRIPLED FROM 5% TO 13%! OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, SAMSUNG HAS RECEIVED 19 COMMENDATIONS IN THE INDUSTRIAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS (IDEA). IN 2005, SAMSUNG BECAME THE FIRST ASIAN COMPANY TO TOP THE IDEA AWARDS LIST.
JUST A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES. DURING THE 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS IN BEIJING MANY OF US SAW THE BIRD’S NEST, THE STRUCTURE HOUSING TRACK AND FIELD. THIS WAS DESIGNED BY CHINESE DESIGNER AI WEIWEI. THE CHINESE DESIGN FIRM LKK WON THREE RED DOT AWARDS IN 2008 FOR A REMOTE CONTROLLER, A BLOOD PRESSURE METER, AND A TOOTHPICK HOLDER.PUTTING THIS TOGETHER, THE HOTBED OF NEW, WELL-DESIGNED, CHIC PRODUCTS IS ASIAN.
MANY YEARS AGO I LAUGHED WHEN I SAW A JAPANESE CAR. IT WAS A DISASTROUS PRODUCT; WHEN THE CAR DOOR OPENED, WIRES FELL OUT. AND IT JUST LOOKED, WELL, CLUNKY. NOT SO TODAY. JAPANESE CARS ARE VERY WELL DESIGNED.
AND JAPAN IS SIMPLY ONE OF SEVERAL HOTBEDS OF DESIGN. THE EPICENTER IS PROBABLY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN KOREA AND CHINA. ON THE ONE HAND, CHINESE MANUFACTURERS ARE TRYING TO MOVE BEYOND MANUFACTURING INTO MORE-SOPHISTICATED DESIGN. THEY ARE HIRING IN-HOUSE DESIGNERS FROM EUROPE SO THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE DESIGN EXPERTISE. MORE THAN A DOZEN GRADUATES FROM NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY’S DESIGN SCHOOL IN ENGLAND HAVE TAKEN JOBS IN CHINA, FOR INSTANCE. AT THE SAME TIME, CHINA IS DEVELOPING ITS OWN DESIGNERS.
IN KOREA, SAMSUNG IS IN GREAT SHAPE AS A DESIGNER OF CHIC, WELL-DESIGNED PRODUCTS. IN 1998, SAMSUNG HELD LESS THAN 3% OF THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR CELLPHONES AND SOLD LESS THAN 5 MILLION PHONES, MOST OF THEM IN KOREA. NO ONE, AND CERTAINLY NOT THEN-LEADER NOKIA, PREDICTED SAMSUNG WOULD RISE TO CHALLENGE MOTOROLA FOR THE NO. 2 SPOT IN THE WORLD AMONG MOBILE PHONE MAKERS BY 2006.
SAMSUNG'S REAL SURGE STARTED IN 2002. WHILE OTHER MANUFACTURERS DISMISSED THE NEW CAPABILITY OF PUTTING SMALL BUT LOW-QUALITY CAMERAS IN PHONES, SAMSUNG PUT INTO ACTION THE OLD SAYING: "A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS." SAMSUNG EXECUTIVES GRASPED THAT PEOPLE DIDN’T WANT PHONES TO REPLACE CAMERAS BUT SIMPLY WANTED AN ADDITIONAL, MORE INFORMATION-RICH MEANS OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. IN SIX YEARS, SAMSUNG RACED FROM SELLING A MERE 21 MILLION PHONES IN 2000 TO 104 MILLION IN 2005, AND ITS GLOBAL MARKET SHARE NEARLY TRIPLED FROM 5% TO 13%! OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, SAMSUNG HAS RECEIVED 19 COMMENDATIONS IN THE INDUSTRIAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS (IDEA). IN 2005, SAMSUNG BECAME THE FIRST ASIAN COMPANY TO TOP THE IDEA AWARDS LIST.
JUST A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES. DURING THE 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS IN BEIJING MANY OF US SAW THE BIRD’S NEST, THE STRUCTURE HOUSING TRACK AND FIELD. THIS WAS DESIGNED BY CHINESE DESIGNER AI WEIWEI. THE CHINESE DESIGN FIRM LKK WON THREE RED DOT AWARDS IN 2008 FOR A REMOTE CONTROLLER, A BLOOD PRESSURE METER, AND A TOOTHPICK HOLDER.PUTTING THIS TOGETHER, THE HOTBED OF NEW, WELL-DESIGNED, CHIC PRODUCTS IS ASIAN.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Locks Of Love
For Red7 the process is simple. We cut off the longer hair and then cut and style the remainder into a new, shorter style. We've collected several poytails and this past Saturday cut off a man's ponytail. About 2 feet long!
Friday, June 28, 2002
Background Stimulation Levels and Advertising
Concept Paper
If I conjure up an image of Brazil, I see Carnival: Barely-dressed people engaged in a near-drunken orgy. If I visualize Japan, I see a much more subdued image: Rows of shops and small businesses. Somewhere in between is my vision of Hong Kong: A little bit rowdier, louder, more colorful, more sensual than Japan, but less so than Brazil. The level of visual, aural, etc. stimulation is greater or less on a more-or-less constant basis, whether we are discussing the general indoor or outdoor environment, newspaper content, etc. That is, I assume Brazilian TV and newspapers are “hotter” than Japanese counterparts..
How to describe this background level? For starters, we can use the metaphor of thermometer readings. Let’s call Brazil “hot,” Japan “cold,” and Hong Kong “warm.” In European terms, France and Spain are warmer than Poland; Monaco is perhaps hotter than France or Spain. In terms of U.S. city environments, perhaps New Orleans and LA are “hot” while Milwaukee is “cold.” San Antonio is warmer than Fort Worth or Waco, but Fort Worth is warmer than Hebronville?
Now, I make three assumptions.
· First, I assume that this state of warmth or coldness forms a “background level” of general environmental stimulation. Brazilians live in one stimulation environment, Filipinos in another. Brazilians are often presented with “hot” stimulation from the environment, not so for Germans. The Brazilian doesn’t go looking for this environment: He/she is surrounded by it. Given such a hot environment, for him/her to find stimulation, this stimulation must be so much the “hotter” to rise above the general environmental level.
· Second assumption - Commercial messages appear within this general background environment of stimulation
· Third assumption - for an advertisement or other commercial message to be attended to, it must provide stimulation that rises above the “background level.” Thus: a commercial in Brazil must be “hotter” than a commercial in Japan in order to rise above the ”background level” of stimulation.
If you are with me so far, this reasoning leads to conclusions on the following order.
· If Brazil and, say, France are equally “hot” then the same type of advertisement should rise above the background level in both countries, and therefore have equal chances of success in both countries. If Japan and South Africa are equally cold then the same advertisement is viable (language translation is assumed, of course). An ad which appears sensual in “cool” Japan may not do so in “hot” Jamaica.
· Commercial messages appropriate for one environmental background level are inappropriate elsewhere. Jamaica - the hot home of reggae – has more in common with hot New Orleans or Bangkok than it does with much-cooler Puerto Rico or Guatemala.
Concept Paper
If I conjure up an image of Brazil, I see Carnival: Barely-dressed people engaged in a near-drunken orgy. If I visualize Japan, I see a much more subdued image: Rows of shops and small businesses. Somewhere in between is my vision of Hong Kong: A little bit rowdier, louder, more colorful, more sensual than Japan, but less so than Brazil. The level of visual, aural, etc. stimulation is greater or less on a more-or-less constant basis, whether we are discussing the general indoor or outdoor environment, newspaper content, etc. That is, I assume Brazilian TV and newspapers are “hotter” than Japanese counterparts..
How to describe this background level? For starters, we can use the metaphor of thermometer readings. Let’s call Brazil “hot,” Japan “cold,” and Hong Kong “warm.” In European terms, France and Spain are warmer than Poland; Monaco is perhaps hotter than France or Spain. In terms of U.S. city environments, perhaps New Orleans and LA are “hot” while Milwaukee is “cold.” San Antonio is warmer than Fort Worth or Waco, but Fort Worth is warmer than Hebronville?
Now, I make three assumptions.
· First, I assume that this state of warmth or coldness forms a “background level” of general environmental stimulation. Brazilians live in one stimulation environment, Filipinos in another. Brazilians are often presented with “hot” stimulation from the environment, not so for Germans. The Brazilian doesn’t go looking for this environment: He/she is surrounded by it. Given such a hot environment, for him/her to find stimulation, this stimulation must be so much the “hotter” to rise above the general environmental level.
· Second assumption - Commercial messages appear within this general background environment of stimulation
· Third assumption - for an advertisement or other commercial message to be attended to, it must provide stimulation that rises above the “background level.” Thus: a commercial in Brazil must be “hotter” than a commercial in Japan in order to rise above the ”background level” of stimulation.
If you are with me so far, this reasoning leads to conclusions on the following order.
· If Brazil and, say, France are equally “hot” then the same type of advertisement should rise above the background level in both countries, and therefore have equal chances of success in both countries. If Japan and South Africa are equally cold then the same advertisement is viable (language translation is assumed, of course). An ad which appears sensual in “cool” Japan may not do so in “hot” Jamaica.
· Commercial messages appropriate for one environmental background level are inappropriate elsewhere. Jamaica - the hot home of reggae – has more in common with hot New Orleans or Bangkok than it does with much-cooler Puerto Rico or Guatemala.
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