Nike's a marketing company that uses shoes to market itself. What?!

Hugh's Reviews:

"We've come around to saying that Nike is a
marketing-oriented company, and the product
is our most important marketing tool."

— Phil Knight, Nike

 

 

Nike is a marketing company whose primary marketing tool is the product.

That's what Phil Knight said in the quote above. Hmmm.

Joe Pine says, "The Experience is the Marketing." Hmmm.

Ben Beaver said, "Barely a fraction of marketing budgets are spent training staff."

Catching the trend here? So often I'm asked what the best marketing or advertising method is, so often I'm asked how to get new customers. The answer is the take care of the customers you have and to the extent that you force them to talk about you. Instead of fretting over the right advertising, fret over your employees training; over them knowing as much about your business as you do; over them worrying about customer's enjoyment of the experience.

Ben says it's cheaper! It's cheaper to thrill a customer who is about to have a bad experience (i.e. cold pie, spoiled apples, no help in your maze, bump on the playground, etc.) than it is to lose that customer and have them tell others you suck.

Think about it: Your customer service multiplies your advertising dollars.

• Ex. If ad dollars are positive for business x positive customer service = BIG positive for business.Ex. 
• If ad dollars are positive for business x NEGATIVE customer service = BIG NEGATIVE for business NO MATTER HOW POSITIVE THE AD DOLLARS!

We are all marketing companies whose main marketing tool is our products and experiences. If it's true for Phil Knight and Nike, how much more so is it for family entertainment experiences on our farms?