JephMaystruck.com » Perception

The Architecture of Lineups

Jeph — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:03:18 +0000

I hate lineups. For anything really. I’m impatient and I usually want things as fast as they can humanly be delivered to my hands. I’m pretty sure no one likes lineups so it is a perplexing issue to me that as humans (lineup haters) we don’t do everything in our power to minimize, shrink, or do what every we can to demolish these horrible things that eat up our time.

I don’t believe it is the general public’s or customers fault that there are lineups, it all has to do with the choice of architecture of the lineup. These companies and organizations that under estimated their own traffic and how long wait times would be now must look to alternate methods of satisfying the demand at a minimal cost.

There is some research being conducted around lineups and how to minimize wait times but this research is mostly for grocery stores and Wal-Mart. I think the research paid off, the “Express Line” at Safeway, the “12 items or less line” at Superstore and the newly adopted number system at Wal-Mart where they herd everyone into a line and a lovely women over the loud speaker tells you which till to go to once you reach the front of the herd. All in an attempt to save their customer’s time.

It is very easy to find the organizations that don’t believe in “line reduction research”. Craven Country Jamboree, Tim Horton’s, and my bank TD Canada Trust.

If I was to conduct my own research within these organizations here is what I would try.

Craven: Offer an express lane for vehicles only, no trailers. As well, have line marshals that insure the line is constantly moving. If it begins to bottleneck somewhere the line marshals must keep the vehicles moving. Seems like a not bad solution to a problem that 25,000 people complain about every year.

Tim Horton’s: Offer an express lane to people who just want coffee. Tim Horton’s could charge a quarter more in the “caffeine line”, I’d pay more for my coffee if I could have it right now. Have a thermos? How about an automatic coffee dispensary for all those who don’t mind serving themselves.

TD Canada Trust: Again, offer an express lane to people who have no questions, that know exactly what they need to do and won’t take any longer than a minute. The line gets bottlenecked when those REALLY friendly people come in and need to strike up a conversation about anything but their bank account. TD knows that they can not compromise customer service so just have two lines, one for questions/conversations and one for banking.

Treating your customers better is a proven strategy to increase customer loyalty. Caring about your customers time is obviously an undiscovered facet of customer service. As our world keeps progressing and we get more busy, our time increases in value. Finding an innovative way to tell your customers you care about their time could have a lasting effect on how they perceive your brand.

What do you think?

Photo Credit: Those funny pictures . com

Engage Post in Social Networks

Hide Sites

You can’t hide your reputation

Jeph — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:30:40 +0000

Anytime you cross someone in a bad way they will remember. Your reputation is your business. We have the ability to communicate online with thousands of people instantly, it is what those people say about you that becomes your reputation.

Humans remember the bad things much longer than the good, if you have broken someone’s trust in the past I’d suggest working on making it better soon because it’s going to take a while. Think of the last person who broke your trust, have you worked with them since? How do you feel about him/her?

Trust is a peculiar trait, difficult to earn but once trust is established amazing feats can be achieved. On the contrary, if you lose someone’s trust it is extremely difficult to earn back and you probably ruined the relationship you had with that person. In the small business landscape that Saskatchewan is, you can’t afford to break someone’s trust, word spreads too quickly.

Remember:

you can’t hide your reputation
acquiring and keeping ones’ trust will be one of the most important things you ever do in business
bad things spread much faster than good
people who really do trust you will defend your reputation as if it were their own
if your business is not based on integrity you will lose in the long run

Photo Credit: Kat Jackson

Engage Post in Social Networks

Hide Sites

Cause marketing: a diamond in the rough

Jeph — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:27:35 +0000

Cause marketing is utilizing a non-profit organization as a means of putting a for-profit brand or product in front of someone in return for fundraising and awareness. Anytime you partner with a charity for anything it is a win-win situation. The charity gains funding and exposure to a group of people it may not have been able to touch and the company gets to show people that they actually do care by helping out a charity.

Cause marketing is growing in part because some large players are getting involved such as Pepsi with it’s refresh project. Other companies have the charity aspect as a part of their day to day business like Toms Shoes, their fascinating business strategy is worth a read.

The example I love to tell people about is a local company. Coda Clothing & Shoes (@CodaClothing) throughout the year does not promote the store or sales via any mass media type other than the large billboard on the side of their building shown here:

Instead of telling everyone in Regina to come to Coda, they host Charity fashion shows where a large amount of money is donated to a specific charity and Coda gets to show off their new line of clothing. It’s difficult not to like companies like Coda that are active in the community, that care about your city, and that want to give back.

I love the concept behind cause marketing because in this ever-changing marketing world you can never be certain as to what is the best medium to be broadcasting your message on. Cause marketing works because it’s like putting a huge sign on your company’s building that says, “WE CARE”.

So when you’re thinking about the next big ad campaign to roll out with, why not pair up with a charity and try help them too, you’d be surprised at what you can do.

Pictures courtesy of Coda Clothing & Shoes

Engage Post in Social Networks

Hide Sites

What we take for granted

Jeph — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 21:28:28 +0000

Helping out at Regina’s Canada Day in Wascana Park I met a young gentlemen who was volunteering for the day. Blain, a quick-whited kid, just a bit younger than myself, had an adorable dog named Dewey with him at all times.

Just after sunset in the park, a man rushed over to Blain and I, he had a severe problem on his hands. Here is how the he started the conversation, “I have to go to the washroom but when you close the outhouse door you can’t see anything in there and the Legislative building is locked, I need to go to the washroom, what should I do?!?” Without missing a beat in a condescending tone Blain snapped, “well I could guild you!” Trying as hard as I could not to laugh at what just occurred in front of me, I helped this guy explore his washrooms options, apologized to him for not having lit outhouses, and he went on his way. It was a very interesting moment for me.

You see, Blain is blind but that doesn’t really stop him from doing anything. He can golf, get to and from places on his own (via talking GPS device), volunteers in the community and can go to the washroom in the dark on his own. Blain doesn’t complain very much and he makes the most out of life. I think if we saw the world through Blain’s eyes we wouldn’t be so quick to complain over a dark jiffy biffy.

So smile, we have it pretty good.

Photo Credit: Steven Wilde “Fireworks” from the Regina Canada Day Facebook group

Engage Post in Social Networks

Hide Sites

The No Name Strategy

Jeph — Mon, 31 May 2010 17:34:43 +0000

When you purchase a generic, grocery store brand product that is all you’re buying, no fancy name, no advertising campaign, just the product. No Name is usually the cheapest compared to other brands, but there are exceptions. Here are some conclusions I’ve come to on No Name products:

They have found the most inexpensive way to make and distribute their own products.
They compete on price and price alone.
People don’t buy No Name products because of the amazing quality
The perception is that the quality is below average.
Because of the lower expectations, it is much more difficult to under-deliver
Quality to consumers is a flashy label that catches your eye and a more expensive price point
When your product doesn’t need a large advertising campaign, you can price it lower.
When no extra effort goes into making the packaging of the product “pop” whatsoever, you can price it lower.

If there is no expectation of the standard of quality of a No Name product, you are rarely dissatisfied with it because the value (benefits/price) is quite high. Why is the value high? Because the benefits remain close to the same but the price is less, thus increasing the value of the product.

In whatever industry you are in you can attempt to compete on price but always know there is someone out there that can make your product cheaper and ship it cheaper. Instead, ad some value, tell a story, create an added benefit in your customers mind, then you can begin charging more.

Engage Post in Social Networks

Hide Sites

Sexist? or Smart Advertising?

Jeph — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:19:58 +0000

This ad has been creating controversy in the media this past week and for good reason. Originated on the CBC Canada website, the article talked about the condo developer taking the ad down and offering a formal apology as well as the agency that created them offered an apology but the comments on the article are much more interesting than the article itself, I have quoted a few below.

“They are sexist, tasteless and old-fashioned. They will attract the wrong sort of people who think this sort of thing is okay.”

“has anyone ever heard of this popular slogan: SEX SELLS”

“I don’t know about the rest of you… but I’m not wasting any of my 25 year old scotch on a 25 year old Blonde.”

“The ads don’t appeal to me. But you have to be pretty uptight to let these harmless ads bother you. Wil Knoll says he wouldn’t want to be in a room with people who thought it was a great ad. I don’t think I’d want to be in a room with Wil Knoll.”

From Twitter:

@Jaynauta: I bet the goal of that condo ad was to cause I huge uproar. I’m a guy in Regina not looking for a condo and I saw the ad.”

Yes it may have been a bit sexist but people are going to complain regardless of what you do. Remember, advertising that’s targeted at everyone is effective on no one. Timothy Ferris once said “Belief’s, belongings and behaviors, threaten these and you will get a response.” You don’t have to believe me, just look at the statistics so far on this ad:

275 Diggs on Digg.com

367 Comments

203 Recommends

It’s all over Twitter just search “Sexist Calgary”

Finally this is the comment that summed it up for me, I say smart advertising.

TimPaper wrote:

“Oh, lighten up, everyone. The ads were targeted to men – and they appeared in men’s washrooms at nightclubs. They didn’t target children. And they didn’t target women.
All they did was put in an ad in a place where only adult men could see the ads the very thoughts that go through the minds of 99 per cent of men when they’ve got a few drinks in them at a bar.
This is really a tempest in a teapot. You don’t like the ads? Fine, don’t buy a condo. But, please, get a life. All the overly-sensitive new men who complained about this ad managed to do is get a heckuva lot more publicity for the condo developer.
In fact, the cynic in me wonders if the complaint about sexism wasn’t orchestrated by the developer or the marketers of the project specifically to create a media fury and get a lot of free exposure. If they didn’t do it on purpose, well, they were born under a lucky star because I’m sure this nonsense really helped their sales.”

Read the full article at: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/03/24/calgary-ads-sexist-condo-midtown-withdrawn.html#socialcomments#ixzz0jWtcGHAb

Engage Post in Social Networks

Hide Sites

The Complaining Generation

Jeph — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:46:18 +0000

Recently I have been asking a lot of people how they like their job and it didn’t surprise me that the vast majority said they were unsatisfied. The more I asked, poked and prodded about their career, the more positive it became. Then it dawned on me, sure there are some better careers than others, but our generation enjoys complaining. Let me explain.

If you have what most people would call a “boring” job (accounting, office job, the majority of the crown corporations) you probably have great security and make an above average wage. You complain about how board you are at work because they block you from using Facebook and Twitter but your paid four weeks of holidays and have “earned days off” so it’s worth it for now.

If you have what most people would call an “amazing” job (entrepreneur, creative director, manager at a small company) you probably have great flexibility and actually enjoy the majority of the work. You complain about how you’re underpaid and how it must be nice to collect a check every two weeks. You struggle but your passionate and an office job just isn’t your style.

So why must we always complain? Our generation is never satisfied, we want the greener grass and the internet has only made it easier to see the grass, touch it, tweet about it and then determine if we like it or not. Is their a solution? It’s an opinion so let me know if you disagree.

You need to stop comparing yourself to others. If you tell me how much money you make it’s because your job sucks and thats the only good thing about it, save it, I don’t care. Instead of comparing and complaining ever try making your job better? Possibly making work “fun” for a change? I know sounds weird doesn’t it.

Finally, I think managers in general need training on the “generation Y” employee; their expectations, their motivations and what they want out of life. Complaining gets you no where, start thinking of innovative solutions to making your job better, what have got to lose?

Engage Post in Social Networks

Hide Sites

Why Are You Buying That?

Jeph — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:12:31 +0000

In some industry’s I would argue brand loyalty does not exist for the vast majority of people. For these products price is the main reason of choice. In the grocery store I have too many options in front of me, so like any other confused male in their twenty’s in a grocery store, I begin to compare prices and inevitably many of my choices are dictated on which is the cheapest. But a product can look good enough that you will pay a premium just because you perceive it to have more value (this happens a lot). Many products in the grocery store are sold because of implied value, which creates brand loyalty. Marketing has aided this effort for years, making products seem better than they actually are, just so people would buy.

Alright so you buy Kraft over the no name salad dressing, and you buy Bicks because No Name pickles taste funny (when in fact they taste fine). Marketing has done a great job building trusted brands for us but I don’t agree with buying a name brand products just so a multi-national company can keep marketing it. Presidents Choice Cola tastes strikingly similar to Coke Cola but you don’t want to be known as the guy who buys PC brand Cola do you? Well why not? It’s cheaper and it tastes like the real thing.

One could argue that the more informed shopper will purchase the generic brands more than big name brands because they understand that the extra cost supports marketing efforts not improving the product.

The next time you’re going for groceries ask yourself, “why am I buying the name brand product.”

Engage Post in Social Networks

Hide Sites

To Wrap, or not to Wrap?

Jeph — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:38:57 +0000

Vehicle wraps are quickly becoming a great alternative to billboards and other awareness type mediums and for good reason. The vehicle is seen in many different places, depending on how much it is driven, and it works because it is different.

This post isn’t to decide if the car wraps themselves are effective but more importantly the car behind the wrap, and what message it’s portraying.

Do you want your brand to be displayed on a luxury car to give your business a “high-end” type feel? Or do you wrap an entry level vehicle to show the world you are frugal and manage money well? A GM to support the automakers? Or a foreign car that’s going to be reliable for years? Some vehicles are for functionality, others are to stand out, and some need to be able to hold an entertainment centre in the rear so an SUV is the obvious choice.

My gut says I like the luxury car but there’s something to say about companies that purchase an economy line.
Is there a perfect choice? Probably a Prius to show your company has a small carbon footprint. On that note, what do you think about everyone jumping on the Hummer band wagon a few years back? What kind of impression of your company are you making?

It’s growing in popularity so it would be nice to come to a conclusion on which is better, luxury or economy, what do you think? (click the links for some examples)

Engage Post in Social Networks

Hide Sites

The Future of Exercising?

Jeph — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:29:19 +0000

The gym I go to has stationary bikes with TV screens build in them and handle bars that you actually use to steer. You can ride around a boring track or play the dragon coin game, the future of stationary biking. The bike has gears like a normal bike and it steers like a normal bike but you peddle around a small village collecting coins and dragons, unlike a normal bike. This is the closest I have ever come to having fun while exercising. I hate exercising.

Someone out there understood that biking can be rather boring so why not throw in a little game to pass the time, albeit not a sophisticated game but enough to peek my interest. It got me thinking, why do I dread going to this insufferable place to sweat my heart out day in, day out with no end in sight? Why can’t exercising be fun? And don’t just tell me Pilates is fun or that class my Mom goes to is “fun” exercise, no its not, not to me anyway.

The first computerized exercise bike was developed in the late 1960′s and since then all we’ve done is make the seats a bit more comfortable and put together a simple Asian game to make peddling a tad more enjoyable? It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to understand that there may be void in this market. Wii Fit has taken advantage of people who want more out of their work outs, the popular game has proved very profitable for the Nintendo company selling just under 20 million units thus far. Why wouldn’t it sell? They took an activity the general public should be doing regularly that is not enjoyable and made it fun, seems like a formula for success to me. But what is surprising is that no one else is doing it.

How many national gym chains are doing research and development into making exercising more enjoyable? Have they ever? Or are they just trying to make the next big machine? Has anyone thought about flipping the industry on its head? Possibly paying people to workout by getting them to do surveys while running? Or why wouldn’t they take a page out of Nintendo’s book and make a video game that involved cardiovascular activity? If we made exercising fun, and I mean actually fun it would increase the number of people working out and make our country healthier.

This could change the way our kids exercise and save our health care system millions of dollars, or it could just be my fat ass complaining because I hate working out. You can decide. But if you can take anything in your life that is not enjoyable and make it fun, you’re on to something and please let me know about it!

Engage Post in Social Networks

Hide Sites