Trent365

Recycling is a hot topic. It has been for a long time. 

And so it should be. We need to work hard to minimise the the impact we make on our environment.

But whilst lots of big brands like to talk about their Sustainability Goals and how much of their packaging is recyclable, we don't hear much about them reducing the actual amount of packaging they use.

Surely THIS should be a much bigger focus.

Case in point, this week I purchased a 2 pack of Gillette MACH 3 disposable razor blades. I love the blades. But the amount of packaging wrapped around them was INSANE.

We have to do better than this.

 

#recycledmaterials #reducereuserecycle #packaging #sustainability

In a world obsessed about how our business looks Online, it's important not to forget how we look Offline.

Many companies today have their own Apps. Many of those Apps work great...as long as your customers are Online.

But what happens when they are not? They will still gravitate to your App. So you need to make sure it works well when it is Offline too.

Case in point, Malaysia Airlines App works great...when you are Online.

But when you're on a plane and not connected to the wifi...you can't access the App.

This is surely a massive misstep in terms of Customer Experience.

Don't be like Malaysian Airlines. Get your Offline game sorted.

#apps #offline #customerexperience

If you try to be everything to everyone, you'll end up being nothing to no one.

I reckon that statement goes a long way to explaining the inefficiency of the Hotel Spa Menu.

We expect it to be a Sales Tool, a Branding Tool and an Informational Tool.

For example, when the Spa Menu is in the guest room, it should be a Sales Tool.

If it's going to be an effective Sales Tool, it should really have a Call to Action.

But if we did that, then it wouldn't work so well as a Branding Tool.

And there's the rub. We want it to do both.

It's time we re-think the functions we expect from a Spa Menu and find different ways, different mediums and different media to achieve the results we're looking for.

#marketing #sales #branding #menus

If you're looking to build a long-term, emotional connection with your customers...you're branding.

If you just want to close the sale today, right now...you're selling.

Neither one is better or more noble than the other. They are just different things.

And as they are different, they require different messaging.

Ask yourself, do you have different content for each?

If not, chances are you're not doing either as well as you could.

#selling #branding #messaging

Branding is not about Products & Services. It's not even about Features & Benefits. 

Branding is about emotions.

How do people FEEL when they interact with your brand?

Just take a look at what the big, successful brands do. 

Coke's brand messaging is people hanging out at the beach, having fun.

Nike's brand messaging is the emotional highs of winning, or the lows of losing, or the satisfaction of Just Doing It!

If you're not eliciting an emotional connection from your messaging...then you're just not branding.

PS: Here's the article by George Ziogas - https://medium.com/better-marketing/the-complete-guide-to-building-a-personal-brand-in-2020-725c9530bc49

#brandmessage #brandmessaging #branding #brandimage

Dynamic Pricing is all about adjusting your prices based on the market demand.

Usually that means, if the demand is high, the price goes up. If demand is low, the price goes down.

Airlines are the masters at this.

Many airlines let you pay a bit extra for an upgrade after you actually board the plane. This makes sense for the airline because at that point, an on-board upgrade is the only chance they have to sell an empty seat.

But the process is often limited by the passengers who have already paid for the higher category seats. If an economy passenger can end up in a business class seat on the day by paying significantly less than that business class passenger paid in advance, the airline will have a very unhappy business class passenger.

But what if the airline went ahead and sold those on-board upgrades, at the discounted price, and then gave the full fare paying business class passenger a rebate? Now, both passengers are happy. 

#dynamicpricing #pricingstrategy #pricingoptimization #pricing

The luxury boutiques like Chanel & Dior are masters at Slow Retailing.

They don't want you to rush. Take your time. Stay a little longer. Spend a little more.

At the other end of the spectrum are supermarkets and convenience stores. They're all about Fast Retailing. Their focus is more on volume. In and out.

The question is, where does your Spa fit on this spectrum?

I believe, in many cases, we focus too much on the quick sale when it comes to retail.

Maybe if we tried a little harder to offer a Slow Retailing experience, we could drive up those retail sales numbers?

#retail #hotelspa #slowretail #retailstrategy

Personal Branding is something just about everyone should be thinking about these days.

Whether you're an Influencer, or trying to sell your online courses or just trying to progress in your career, your Personal Brand matters.

PS: Remember when we used to just call it your 'reputation'? ;-)

Like any brand, you need to know Who your market is, What you're going to do for them, and What outcome they will then achieve as a result.

You need to have a Personal Brand Statement.

You need to be able to fill in these blanks...

I help ______ to do ________ so that they can achieve ________

Once you have that, you're on your way!

#personalbrand #branding #personalbranding #missionstatement

According to Seth Godin, advertising is essentially interruption.

We're being interrupted from whatever we're doing - be it watch TV, flicking through Facebook or walking down the street - to see or hear a message to compel us to buy or do something that we otherwise probably wouldn't have.

But today we've become blase about advertising. We don't trust it anymore.

Thus, the efficacy or effectiveness of ads is quickly diminishing.

Sponsorship, however if different. Sponsorship is seen as supporting a like-minded activity or event. It's a way of your brand joining the community or the tribe that does that thing.

And that is a more effective way to spend your promotional dollars than to simply continue interrupting people.

#advertising #sponsorship #marketing

Retail is Dead. Everyone's saying it. It must be true.

But it's NOT.

Retail Spaces are simply Overpriced for the value they currently give to the sellers or retailers.

Once upon a time, when we all shopped in Bricks n Mortar stores, high retail rents made sense. Because having prime retail space meant high foot falls and represented great value.

Today, lots of people don't shop that way. So the value of retail space is not as high as it once was.

But if the retail rents were lower, they would then represent value for money.

Also, the shopping experiences in-store need to evolve to make them more relevant to today's consumers. Think Apple Store.

#retailspace #retailsstores #bricksandmortar