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26 April 2006 1 Comments on this post: View all | Add a Comment This weekend I had a chance to check out the New York Auto Show at the Javitz Center in NYC. Why does one who is working tirelessly to become a guru of sustainable business marketing do this? Well, in the interest of upholding my tenet of transparency I must confess that I'm a closet auto enthusiast. It was not the ridiculously impractical Italian sports cars that appeal to me. It was the up and coming sporty hatchbacks from Japan that impress me. Good on gas, holds a lot of gear, easy to park and fun to drive.Still there is much to be learned from the Auto industry in many ways. Whether we like it or not cars are everywhere and most of my clients have and need them. So why not do our best to understand what there is available and what steps are being taken to make them destroy the planet a little less quickly? Lexus has made huge strides in creating three unique cars with hybrid powertrains. They are, in theory, zero compromise driving experiences. (That is, if weight and complexity are unimportant to you.) A Lexus LS600 has the power of a V-12 with the efficiency of a V-8 (huh?). This is, in a way, "good". One must consider that if a flagship product has new technology that makes a better car that it will trickle down. And when it comes down to it, these cars do consume a little bit less gas. This barely lets them off the hook for much of anything in my book, but it's still interesting. And for the marketing nerd, there's the 300 different nameplates available and seeing what appeals to the consumer in each that any marketing jedi can learn from. Then there's the way each car maker chooses to make their individual splash. For most, it was flashy displays, signage and concept car turntables. Jeep blows the doors off all others with Camp Jeep. It was a giant tent off to the side of the Javitz Center occupying perhaps a couple acres of asphalt. They constructed and indoor off-road course complete with mud, trees, gravel and hills. They gave spectators rides in several Jeep models over the trail demonstrating all the virtues (albeit unnecessary) of a Jeep. You could not be in this space and misunderstand what Jeep was about. So thank you Jeep for showing us how it's done. Now, let us take that lesson and apply it to our own brands. What can I do for my clients to show their customers that they are unquestionably good at what they do? It's my job to constantly ask this question over and over. 1 Comments:
By Shel Horowitz, author, Principled Profit, at 6:41 AM:
Are you familiar with Amory Lovins and his environmentally friendly (I'd almost say revolutionary) Hypercar? |
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