Wednesday, October 15, 2008

When Some Spice is Required

I've been working with a community group that is seeking to promote a great product. Unfortunately, their product is perceived by many as being somewhere between dry and boring.

The reason is the marketing has traditionally been done by academics and we all know what party animals they are. Nice folks, but their tendency is to take an exciting topic and analyze, analyze, analyze it until the joy has been removed.

I'm a rather conservative fellow, but I leave meetings with them feeling like I'm Mel Brooks. "Let's try this," I say and they start to look nervously around the room. "Then again, we can also do this" I shout and they look for the door.

We joke about this and yet it is a serious issue. They don't come from an environment that is divided between the Quick and the Dead. Their usual division is between the Quick and the Living. They may be politically left of center, but their general approach is hyper-traditional. That is appropriate in some areas [I'll be posting an article later on the need to slow down), but in the eyes of their customers, they are already well-stocked with stodgy.

They need to become daring and exciting. They need to hustle.

When bland threatens to put you on the street, you need to add some spice.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If spice doesn't work, try the butter:

http://thepeoplescube.com/images/Wealth_Spread_500.jpg