December 12, 2007My Initial Jaffe Juice Post – And the Conversation You Can Join
Filed Under: Join the Conversation
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Thanks to Joseph, I will be sharing my thoughts with you while he is off in Africa chasing Wildebeests. My focus will be a current favorite subject on my mind (and in my public speaking) – the mistaken beliefs held by many of today’s marketers. It may be a new world, but many miss-takes are already etched in stone. Over the course of the next month I will post a snapshot of some of today’s most common mistaken beliefs about marketing.
For starters, hardly a day goes by without a reference in the business press to the newly empowered consumer. In FastCompany’s fascinating article this month about the Mad Men on Mad Avenue you’ll find still another reference to the power of the consumer. Not so long ago no less than The Economist proclaimed in a cover story, “The Consumer Really is King and Queen Now.”
Baloney!
Serfdom would be a better description of the present state of consumers in America - they have never been more abused and confused at any time I can remember. Bit by bit the structure that once served consumer needs is being replaced by a cold-hearted service economy. Some of you are too young to remember when the gas station attendant filled your tank, cleaned your window, checked your water and smilingly sent you on your way. Nowadays you’d be hard-pressed to even find a gas station offering Full Service (unless, of course, you live in New Jersey, where Self-Service is against the law…). These days you pump the gas, pay with your credit card, and never interact with a human being. Have you ever thought of sending ExxonMobil a bill for your services?
Of course, you had better pay the minimum due on that card on time or your friendly neighborhood bank will hike your interest rate over 30%. And when you take that credit card to the mall to do some Holiday shopping at your favorite department store is there anybody on the floor to answer a question or direct you to what you want to find?
Or how about this dandy: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=3361743&page=1
If you call Sprint customer service one time too many – look out! They will terminate your service and kick you to the curb.
The evaporation of service in our service economy represents both an enormous failure on the part of marketers and also an enormous opportunity for marketing smarts. Which bank is going to be the first to end the credit card interest hike abuse of their customers? Which department store is going to be the first to ensure that the shopping experience is such a pleasure that you’d rather shop in the store than online? And which advertising agency is going stop conspiring with marketers to take advantage of customers for short term gain rather than being the Great Defender of the American Consumer?
-- Stan Rapp
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Comments
Great post, Stan. I'm hooked on the customer service meme as it pertains to new media marketing lately. I agree there are huge opportunities out there for marketing, but only when the efforts are baked into the long-term service promise a brand makes with the consumer.
What fascinates me is the self-serve, DIY appeal of the internet - and how that can backfire when consumers experience the lack of service when, on their terms, they decide they want it.
It's like when I walk into a retail store, I hate when hovering sales people interrupt my mission with a lame welcome to the store or "can I help you?" But once I have a question or need help I become instantly irate if I can't find someone on the floor to help. I want the service, but only on my terms. It's another example of the push/pull debate, and it's yet to be mastered in Internet marketing.
Posted by: Kirk Skodis
Great post and very thought provoking. I think many confuse consumer empowerment with marketing’s cleverness at breaking through clutter. Our efforts have become more targeted and we’re using better approaches to start a conversation with our consumers. But at the end of the day our campaigns need to dovetail with an organization’s goals, many of which include automating every last experience, as in your gas station example. These two approaches are at odds with each other. It takes a thought leader in an organization to be able to realize that there’s a balance that needs to be sought when setting goals for operational efficiency and old fashioned customer service. It’s not efficient to give every customer the white glove treatment, but limiting human contact will also result in higher customer churn rates. People don’t develop relationships with automation; they develop relationships with other people.
Posted by: Valerie Conyngham
Valerie, Thanks for your further clarification. Right on! It doesn’t make sense to spend all that money tracking and analyzing consumer behavior in order to be responsive, and then fail to respond when that same consumer contacts you.
Posted by: Stan Rapp
I think the word 'consumer' has had its part to play in this. 'Consumer' (No.82394850) is just a number. There's no respect for consumer. As if this company was built on consumers. Faceless idiots. No, this company was built by shareholders with their own bare hands.
They're not consumers. They're people with real lives and real problems. Imagine if it was you, with your busy advertising job, on your busy street and you're having to try and sort out your billing issues every six months because there seems to be a glitch in the system. Here's a crazy idea (and one that 'consumer' wants) FIX THE GLITCH!!! She's calling these corporate shackle monkeys because she wants something fixed. Do you honestly think she 'wants' to be on that phone? And like us when we have a client that makes 'realistic' demands of us, we do it! Now!
This is a first for me. A Telco that makes a promise, says to call them if they have a problem, then doesn't fix the problem, then they 'kick their ass to the kurb'. I'm in Australia and I think your Telco industry is in the same industry as our Telco industry and last time I checked it was the service industry.
Posted by: Andrew Ostrom
Great point, Stan. I give it no more than 18 months before a major company makes the head of customer service report into the CMO -- or vice versa :)
Posted by: Ian Schafer
