The CMO's Role in a Customer-Centric Organization†

The Head Marketer Is Pivotal to Defining and Implementing Programs About People, Not Products

Advertising Age, August 24, 2009 — Deciding whether to adopt a customer-centric orientation is a significant decision for organizations, not to be made casually. It results in debates defining customer centricity, often with the question, "How customer-centric do we need to be?" Inevitably, it means organizing around the customer and the further proliferation of the types of marketing needed to do so effectively. The many companies that have embraced a customer-centric orientation have experienced some real and often unexpected challenges. At the center of these challenges is the role of the chief marketing officer — the person who needs to deliver thought leadership, lead the strategy debate and reorganization, and then integrate the various marketing types into a company-wide,... continue reading

RadioShack CMO: We're Not (Really) Changing Our Name†

'The Shack' Just a Marketing Nickname; Company Says Criticism Based on Confusion

Advertising Age, August 5, 2009 — Yes, RadioShack has seen the criticism of its new branding. No, it's not worried. Earlier this week, RadioShack unveiled its new branding, which includes the nickname "The Shack." Immediately Twitter users and a host of bloggers were sharing their thoughts — many of them unflattering. Tech blogs zeroed in on the fact that the company appears to be embarking on a pricey (and misguided) marketing effort rather than addressing any number of core issues.

Tesco Customers May Soon Find Chickens at the Checkout Counter†

British Retailer Joins 'Grow Your Own' Movement by Renting Out Allotments, Selling Live Birds

Advertising Age, July 28, 2009 — Tesco, the world's third-largest retailer, is embracing the recession-inspired trend to "grow your own" produce by offering allotment spaces to rent in the U.K and selling live chickens.

In a bid to mark out its green credentials, Tesco has applied for planning permission to create an initial batch of 30 allotments near one of its Dobbies Garden Centre stores near Southport in the north of England. Dobbies, a 24-store chain acquired by Tesco a year ago, has seen a boom in sales of vegetable seeds over the past year, and will also sell an allotment "starter kit" to provide customers with everything they need to get growing and help novices keep soil fertile and sustain the patch of ground

Tracking deliveries of all kinds is on everyone's radar

USA Today, July 27, 2009 — Dawn Pabst hates the wait for a pizza delivery. So after she orders a pepperoni pizza from the Domino's website, she never waits.

She tracks.

The Air Force technician from Las Vegas tracks the second-by-second status of her pizza via colorful, thermometer-like gauges at Dominos.com. She's one of millions of customers who monitor everything from order accuracy to the moment their pizza is prepped, baked, boxed or sent for delivery.

Is Customer Service a Media Channel? Ask Zappos†

Brand Turned Cost Center Into Unassailable Asset Even Amazon Looks Up to

Advertising Age, July 24, 2009 — Is customer service a media channel? It's a great time to ask that question, as it comes right smack in the wake of Amazon purchasing Zappos for nearly a billion dollars. That's a big number for an online shoe company.

Staples and OXO: Poor Timing or Strategic Boon?

The recession could challenge Staples' pricey new co-branded products from OXO, but the partnership may also set the retail chain apart

BusinessWeek, July 22, 2009 — How's this for bad timing? Staples (SPLS) just introduced 25 co-branded office products from OXO Good Grips that cost up to five times more than Staples' own brand. The retailer's customers are in no mood to spend, however. Staples' same-store sales dropped 8% in North America in its most recent quarter. As Ronald L. Sargent, its chairman and chief executive officer noted recently, the chain is "in a very tough sales environment."

The Father of Social Networking

With Facebook, 25 year-old Mark Zuckerberg, turned a dorm-room diversion into a cultural phenomenon. His next goal? To finally turn the company profitable

Newsweek, July 22, 2009 — It's the stuff of dotcom legend. Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg and a few friends hack into the university's photo ID database and create a site for students to rate and/or berate their classmates' pictures. Since Facebook's launch in 2004, it's become a cultural phenomenon that's outgrown its Ivy League origins, into middle America and started to expand into countries around the world. NEWSWEEK's Dan Lyons spoke with Zuckerberg about Facebook's rapid growth, how it's reshaped how we think about privacy and whether the site can get too big for its own good.

Motel 6 Has Designs on Your Business

The budget lodging chain hired a designer of cruise ships and airline cabins to spruce up its look and lure in newly cash-conscious travelers

BusinessWeek, July 20, 2009 — Motel 6 hardly has a reputation for good design. At its best, the 47 year-old chain has been heralded for simple, no-frills efficiency. At its worst, it has been the punch line of jokes about dangerous roadside love-ins.

'United Breaks Guitars': Passenger's revenge video becomes a viral hit

United Airlines says it will meet with Canadian musician Dave Carroll to make restitution

Chicago Tribune, July 9, 2009 — Canadian musician Dave Carroll could have sung the blues after United Airlines workers at O'Hare International Airport smashed his guitar and the carrier refused to pick up the $1,200 cost to repair it.

Instead, he turned the experience into a witty ditty, "United Breaks Guitars," and scored an instant hit on YouTube, his first in a 16-year career. Posted on Monday, the video had been viewed nearly 150,000 times by Wednesday.

Getting to 'Wow': Consumers Describe What Makes a Great Shopping Experience

Knowledge@Wharton, July 9, 2009 — Paula Courtney found "wow" when she took her daughter to the employee washroom at her local grocery store. A sign by the door instructed workers to remain physically by the side of any customer experiencing a problem until that problem was resolved. Later, when Courtney was in the checkout line, the cashier noticed Courtney's blueberries were squishy. The cashier insisted on walking back to the produce section to find a fresh box.