Old school ways do not work anymore

imgresPerhaps I live too much in the future but there seems to be this push/pull between a new world and an old world in so many different aspects of business.

I could go on and on about the retail space.  I have written about this countless times.  The concept of buying the same merchandise as everyone else and then marking it down to draw in the customer stopped working quite awhile ago.  It is time for a new look, a new concept and a total overhaul of department stores.  Thinking that maybe tomorrow will be better is not a good look.

There is a reason that people are drawn to more authentic blogs or podcasts.  They aren’t perceived as tools to draw in people.  The concept of branding is well known so if you want to draw in a customer than you have to be clever.  Celebrities are big pulls but are they going to be as strong as real people, entrepreneurs, who have figured out to gain an audience over the next few years?

Sponsorships.  Old school thoughts on branding companies names to large organizations vs spreading it out to small meaningful opportunities.  Might be harder to execute on but perhaps that is a new way of thinking that could be worthy too.

Just like styles change from clothing to interior design, the thought process around businesses that are no longer working or doing the same thing that they have done for the past 10 plus years has to change too…otherwise they will die.

The future is here with new customers, new engagement, new priorities, new likes, new styles, new everything.  It happens every new generation.  We are full on in the midst of the newest generation and it will all change again in ten years.  That is reality.  Sometimes what is old is new again and sometimes it is not.  Change is good.  It keeps everyone on their toes.

Comments (Archived):

  1. awaldstein

    You touch on a topic I’ve been talking with clients about in the enterprise who have huge advertising spends that are simply more and more ineffective.What will they do with that capital?Are they willing to embrace that digital transformation is in actuality a communications issue and they need to rethink everything from the ground up.

    1. Pranay Srinivasan

      Digital Adverising isnt the same as Digital Reach IMHO. Understanding needs and leveraging the spread of free content to build a brand has worked – So does referral.

      1. awaldstein

        Agree but in the enterprise what matters is where and who controls the budget. And in most cases they are entertwined

    2. Gotham Gal

      100% from the ground up

  2. Susan Rubinsky

    I love that you keep posting about this. It seems that the merchandisers are still clinging to the old ways without opening up parts of their budgets for experimentation. Imagine if the big stores — Macy’s for example — told their marketing team to take 10% of their budget to experiment (Maybe they ought to hire an Experimentation Team, a group of people not mired in the organizational structure)? Imagine if that experimentation drove through every public-facing department? Obviously, some experiments won’t work, but some will. That’s how you find new ways of reaching people.

    1. Jim K

      look up Design Thinking

      1. Susan Rubinsky

        I know what design thinking is. But, apparently Macy’s doesn’t.I find it rather ironic that there was an announcement today that there will be a new Apple store at Macy’s. I can imagine people flocking in to buy their Apple devices and going online shopping for clothes from vendors other than Macy’s while they are there.

        1. Gotham Gal

          Interesting. At least they are starting to think out of the box.

          1. Susan Rubinsky

            Yes, but I’m not sure they really are thinking outside the box. They are just putting a different box that they think is popular inside the big Macy’s box, thinking that the people walking through might stop and buy something. I think that if they really were thinking outside the box, they’d rethink the whole consumer experience from the point of view of a person walking in with a smartphone, from the young to the old. Like, how cool would it be if there was a booth you could stand in and it would measure your body, then send your measurements to your phone and then direct you to stuff that fits you? Or, how about if you see something on the floor but want a different color or size, you could just scan a code, enter your color and size, and it would tell you where the stuff you want is. Or, or, or…. I could go on.On a more simple level, I don’t think they even know what it is that people want to buy anymore. I rarely see anything I want in Macy’s so if I am walking through to buy an iPhone, if the general selection stays the same, there really isn’t anything I’m going to buy just because I’m there.

          2. Gotham Gal

            I totally agree with you. They are just thinking….lol

          3. Susan Rubinsky

            LOL. Yes, good that they are thinking. Baby steps 🙂

          4. lisa hickey

            Those are great ideas!

          5. P Donohue

            “…how cool would it be if there was a booth you could stand in and it would measure your body, then send your measurements to your phone and then direct you to stuff that fits you?”That booth exists, I have seen it or something like it but don’t remember the name.Also, the parts for that are readily available off the shelf, just add software which could be modified Scan/CAD. I am betting there may be free adaptable software online. Topo! This what this is! One could easily (relatively speaking) create a home kit that would be collapsable and easy to store. Now that I am thinking about it there may be several ways to do it. You would basically be capturing reflections and different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum reflect off skin/bodies in different ways.I can see this in my head. Two to three people would be all it would take to churn out some IP and a ProtoThe software would do the heavy lifting via algorithm(s) and such.How long do you think people would be willing to stand motionless, naked in their bedroom at home? A cheap version for a longer wait and the Rolls would just take seconds.Anyone have an idea where the retail price points are for something like this?Maybe online stores would give the cheap one away.We could do feet too for shoes. It would be a little different, as one would need to register how the foot plants on the ground with the various pressure points and such plus a “picture” of the foot. I can see this one too.By the way, thank you for providing the stimulus for what might be my next patent!Just thinking…

  3. Jim K

    Well said, Joanne! Yes, the new tools are very hard (like FB), but the pay off is big if you can figure it out, because very few people can.

  4. AMT Editorial Staff

    YES! “They aren’t perceived as tools to draw in people.” This “draw in” concept is right on. I am so tired of all the “click bait” and it shocks me how much of it is shared by people I like and trust. I ignore it. Authenticity is an appeal. And I hope it grows. We do NO advertising on our site. All content is original. And our site flies under the radar and gets very mediocre traffic. We are okay with that. Our revenue model doesn’t rely on the site. We have thought about monetizing in different ways…moving away from “freemium”…. Anyway, I am proud of our Blog. Alway written from passion — and never to “draw in.”

  5. Erin

    I don’t know how on-topic this is, probably isnt, but can I say how much I cringe when I see a company that has taken a noun, a verb, or an adjective, and added “ly” at the end of it to make up a company name? Like Flutterly or something. I just made that up, but it’s the equivalent of sticking up the middle finger to creative people everywhere and the creative process in general. It basically says, “Attention creatives: we don’t think you’re very important, and if you come work for us, we’ll stick you in a dark cubicle at the back of the office.” Not based on any real experience, but still. Three cheers for experimenting, being authentic, finding an original voice, and not following a stupid naming trend.