DISASTER PLAN: How Lose Customers In A Single Move!

At times it is surprising how easily large corporations make huge errors in judgement!

In this case the company which produces the Absolut Vodka brand produced a TV advertising campaign for airing in Mexico that played on the longstanding rub the Mexicans have had toward the U.S. for having lost the Mexican-American War of 1848.

Absolut Vodka apparently never supposed that people in the U.S. would never even know the TV ad campaign had even run.  Has their ad department never heard of the Internet?

Incredible!  Check out this article which tells more of the story — http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/05/america/LA-GEN-Mexico-US-Absolut-Ads.php

The marketing lesson?  Know your customers — all of them!  Understand them very well.  Never take them for granted.

Never assume you will be able to target a segment of your customers exclusively–you won’t.  Of course, you can target them selectively, but you cannot do so exclusively–avoiding that some for whom the message was not intended will also see it.  Keep constantly in mind that your customers are intelligent and they are informed, especially in these days of mass media and the Internet.

Remember, one of The 88 states that, “You should never leave to chance anything over which you can exert some control!”  (Get more on this subject by subscribing to “The 88 Marketing Tips That Will Change Your Life!” on this site.)

Profile your customer as precisely as you can.  Understand all you can about his or her likes and dislikes.  Part of this understanding is the demographics of your average cusotmers–where do they live, what are their ages,  incomes, where do they shop for groceries, what do they do for recreation,  etc., etc.  The more you can know about your customers the more effectively you can present your products or services to them.

In preparing your Disaster Plan be sure it is designed to avoid disasters . . . not create them!

To your business success!

Paul Elliott
Marketing With Unbelievable Guarantees!™
http://www.MarketingSuccessBlueprint.com/blog

© 2008, Paul Elliott, All rights reserved world wide.