Blog: Naras

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The Customer Ecosystem - Part Deux

May 3 2010

In a previous blog post, I shared thoughts on a book chapter Naras and I are in the process of writing.  I thought I'd follow up by focusing on one of the key external drivers forcing CMOs to take a hard look at their ecosystems.

Changes in Consumer Behavior

In the not-too-distant past, if you wanted to "buy" something, you went to a store (or several), evaluated your options and ultimately made a purchase.  Now, brick and mortar stores have become little more than distribution centers for people who have done their "shopping" online and want the convenience of picking up in-store.  Since 2000, online retail shopping has grown by 210% and accounted for a $130 billion market in 2008, according to comScore (SCOR).  And while in-store sales are declining, online sales are, in fact, growing.

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Will hard times spur innovation?

Jul 13 2009

Based on what I observe with many of our clients these days, particularly the ones that are hurting the most, I wonder if "hard times bring forth innovation".   Clients in multiple industries seem more open to considering new ways of doing things, perhaps because the same old same old is simply not working anymore  Or is it perhaps because they are so desperate, they will try anything?   Actually, having spent some time with senior marketing executives as well as general managers, I think the smart ones see an opportunity to actually use these hard times to execute on ideas they have had for some time - so it may be a case of not letting a crisis go to waste.  

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When the going gets tough, innovation suffers

Feb 4 2009

The popular saying that necessity is the mother of innovation, gave me one source of optimism that the current times might actually engender some innovation in how marketers approach their customers and their markets. Alas, so far, I have not found that to be the case, at least among large companies.

At the beginning of every year, I make it a point to visit with our primary clients who tend to be large companies. This year, these visits were particularly important given the steep downturn in the economy as well as the recent acquisition of Quaero by CSG Systems.

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