Awareness of marketers.

"This hat is 20 euros, but if you are not interested in buying..." was the the not-so-encouraging answer I got from an old lady in Tallinn to my price inquiry. The lady's response took me by surprise, she seemed annoyed and defensive, as if my question had poked her. I just thanked her politely and left, but I did not forget the incident as soon.
I was received coldly, or downright ignored in a few more souvenir shops, so I pondered on the reasons. Was this the proud attitude of smart people forced by a bad economy to sell trinkets to foreigners because it pays better? Or are these the remnants of Soviet-era habits where customer focus was smashed down as "burgois"? I decided on the latter, since Estonia's economy is doing well.
And I wondered about marketing to a society where consumer behavior and expectations could vary a lot between generations, and about the challenges of communicating effectively to "transition" generations raised under socialistic rule, but "coming of age" as consumers under a capitalistic system. It would seem an easy transition where people move from "less" to "more", except for the instilled skpeticism towards ads, promotions, polite customer reps, electronic commerce, etc. that can skew marketing results.
Social and historical awareness becomes even more paramount to marketers' ability to read customers well in such settings.

Brands to the rescue.

As I stand  before the vending machine at Aalto University Executive Education in Helsinki, Finland, I find I can't fathom what most of the products are about. Apart from "moi", for "hello", I don't understand any Finnish, so I am continously resorting to people's abundant helpfulness and widespread knowledge of English to be able to figure out what my options are.

But then I see them. And I don a smug smile when I realize that I won't need any help to know that, from this machine, I will like numbers 21, 24 and 25, because even though the packages are all covered in Finnish, they also read Snickers, Milky Way and Dove.

Granted: their flavors may deviate slightly from what I am used to in the United States, but I expect the difference to be perfectly ok, interesting even, as I have learned from previous stints abroad.

So bring on the Finnish and the host of other languages I can't read. Just show me brands that I know and I'll show you a purchase.

Zooming in on Fragrance.

Professor (talking about prestige fragrances): "They just slap a label on a bottle and want to charge you a hundred dollars for it!"

Me (thinking): "What?!" (and about to say:) "That's not true."

But Professor quickly wraps up what was really a joke, and I mentally back off: "Ah, ok then."

Former NPD Group intern - at ease!

Not.Just.A.Label.
Fragrances are such aspirational products, catering to a sensory medium less invoked than sight or hearing but very hard to ignore.
Fragrances can easily "invade" our space and add true magnetism to human interactions when they strike the right chord. But striking the right chord takes quite a bit of work: notes, sillage, packaging. And of course: the right sales pitch (often literally) to the consumer.

Prestige fragrances undergo a much more unforgiving scrutiny than many other products on the shelf, and to withstand it successfully, they require considerable investments in time, money and dedicated people.

Fragrance brands can hardly brag about innovative technology, cleaning power, healthier nutrition, improved safety, or other easily relatable merits.

It takes sophisticated creativity and resourcefulness to engage the consumer at a more subjective level and convey successfully how 3.4 ounces of caramel-colored, 200-dollar liquid can do for them what no other product can.

Google, the advocate.

Google is an octopus.
Actually: a multipus. (There, I just made up a word, but it serves the purpose.)
This is no news, except that Google's reach does not cease to amaze me, expecially when it is focused in improving customer's experience and filling in the gaps that other firms leave in their haste to protect their interests. Or the interests of shareholders, which happen to be very important but cannot substitute the role of the customers in driving the success of a company.
When I read The Customer as a God in The Wall Street Journal as part of a class assignment, many questions passed through my head on the feasibility of such a world, but the gist of the article was clear: customer empowerment is only moving forward and the future belongs to companies who learn to adapt to this trend.
Or lead it. And I am thinking: Google.
I have lost count of how many new, innovative and completely free services or products Google offers. And there is an equally large number of established companies for whom Google's prowess is a real threat.
But the latest surprise came after I submitted an order in Overstock.com (discount retailers are an MBA student's best friend!) and up popped a window from Google offering me Free Purchase Protection because Overstock.com is a Google Trusted Store. Protection consisted of up to $1,000 and "Google's help if you need it".
I actually gaped at it!
In a split second, the power of mighty Google stood on my side, and I felt important and yes, protected. For free. Any online company would be very unwise to let giant Google down, and Overstock.com, Google and I all know it.
What this means for other companies and the virtual marketplace has multiple layers of complexity, but it boils down to treating the customer as a god and minimizing the fine print that makes customers feel exposed and powerless.
On how many toes did that little window stepped on? Hard to count. From Amazon.com's to Internet Explorer's, the list is long.
But as a customer, it is hard to keep a cool head and not just love 'multipus' Google.
People's advocate. Trendsetter. Mighty brand.

Selling Hispanics food.

I often hear that Hispanics hang on to our cuisine to preserve cultural identity, which may explain the abundance of heritage and nostalgia-focused advertising campaigns we see.
Yet a much simpler attribute, like "taste", may work much better. Take Goya Foods' case, for instance. 
The company does not flood high-rating Miami TV with ads, and yet it pulls Cuban-Americans to their products like a magnet, attracting even the newly arrived Cubans who are not familiar with the brand, but whose friends and relatives quickly advise them to use Goya for best results. And Goya can focus more on good placement, sound pricing and of course, great taste, since nutrition issues are less focal where rice and beans are concerned.
But back to marketing: I seldom identify with Hispanic nostalgia ads. And it's likely I'm not alone.
I agree that often there is tradition and identity involved in how and what we cook, but core motives vary so much by nationality and level of acculturation that heritage messages may not be inclusive enough. What does not vary is our desire to create dishes that taste true, and I would vouch for ads that highlight how a brand does a better job of it, or even how it is especially targeted to a specific nationality or region.

Facebook, Youth and Marketing.

"Ditch Facebook, try new platforms" reads the heading of an editorial on the University of Rochester's newspaper, the Campus Times. And the articles begins: "Facebook has lost its cool factor".

Ouch. 

As a communication vehicle for the undergrad population, this newspaper's topics and views often strive far from what interests older students like myself, yet it offers an informal means to gauge trends among the younger population...including calls to "ditch" Facebook.

The article was an instant reminder of conversations with my summer internship manager, Brenna Phelan, at The NPD Group, where she talked about her college-bound daughter's disregard for Facebook and preference for Twitter instead.
Interestingly enough, on the opposite end of New York State, the anti-Facebook call from UR college students offers some very similar and highly intuitive arguments against The Network:

• Facebook is looking more like the type of Corporate America behemoth that bloats itself with acquisitions, increasingly commanding youth's disdain. 
• Parents and grandparents are all over Facebook, and that is not very appealing at all.
• Facebook's latest mission statement notoriously leaves out any mentions of the youth population that made it popular, and vaguely refers to its target users as "people".
• Facebook is not as simple and uncomplicated to use anymore as newer platforms like Instagram and Tumblr who feature uncluttered newsfeed. Clinging to Facebook is "inane".

I guess this article just means more headaches for marketers, or is it a relief? Reaching younger consumers through Facebook has been quite the thankless task which might as well be put to rest.
The ever elusive youth remains a fast-moving and unpredictable target (as it should), and the challenge to connect with it is still far from gone.
Bring it on...

Transferable skills: seeing yourself through other people's eyes.

When I found the article CEOs and inventors most likely took art or music lessons as a kid from Vickie Elmer on qz.com, I was one genuinely happy camper.

Although the article doesn't delve too deep into the specific transferable skills between arts and business management, and linking CEOs' abilities too closely with artistic training may prove "stretchy", I am glad that it introduces a few notions that are often challenging to convey to the non-artist listener. In my case, I find it hard to pinpoint all the special abilities an artistic training has provided, since I am not sure of what an alternative version of me would lack, apart from the more obvious ability to play an instrument. 

But knowing a fair number of artists does help see some patterns across the board. Some recurring abilities are easier to explain than others, so here are few of the former (since I am still somewhat stuck on the latter!):

• Have a differentiated style: no one can tell you what that looks/sounds like. Teachers can help you shape it, but it is mostly your job to figure it out. Audiences don't care much for copycats, but hey, no pressure.
• Think outside the box: to make a piece sounds sad, optimistic, nostalgic, and energetic, all at the same time. Never mind that as a young artist, you often lack relevant life experiences to draw from to recreate such complex moods!
• Have an iron-like discipline: talent is not enough to do things the human body is not designed to accomplish without a significant amount of effort. By the way, the effort curve gets exponentially steeper the farther from mediocrity you aim for.
• Stay poised in the spotlight: you ought to smile, play, or dance like it is all extremely easy and you didn't just spend months getting a 7 minute piece right... which could nevertheless go wrong. 
• Take any falls with humor: moments of truth for artists are very public indeed. Any messes will not go down in the privacy of a paper exam, so a thick skin is a must have in your survival kit.
• Gauge people's mood at a glance and create the ultimate customer experience: when your gig's repertoire can go either way, doing a great job largely depends on your ability to gauge and deliver what will make your audience tick. It is hearbreaking to get it wrong, but extremely rewarding to get it right.

From a business management perspective, an artistic training helps you interact easily with new people, gives you the patience and resilience to work towards long-term goals, enables you to speak up without the restrains of stage fear, and largely equips you with an inordinate amount of poise to listen to the strangest ideas with an open mind... unless someone tells you that J.S. Bach was anything less than genius, of course.