Regardless of what you sell, people will ask others before they buy. And guess what. They trust what they hear from their friends more than anything you’ll ever say in your advertising.

This is hardly breaking news. Since the first caveman started selling clubs and spears, people have been voicing their vendor related gripes and praises to their friends.

Word-of-mouth just happens.  And that’s how most of us still view it… something that happens as opposed to something we can actually influence.

If that’s still your view, you’re missing the boat and probably losing business as a result.
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I got my 5th invitation today to join the 6 Degrees of Separation group on Facebook.

I decided to investigate it. I’m seriously intrigued (as we all should be) by the social networking phenomenon and how it will impact the marketing world in the months and years ahead. Clearly there’s a viral potential for ideas and applications within social networks that is unprecedented.

Yet, I’m still waiting and watching for case studies that demonstrate the marketing ROI on these initiatives. There is no doubt these concepts draw eyeballs… and can be sticky (at least for short bursts of time). But is anyone other that the app developers making money?
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A professional marketer recently suggested that the marketing principles I’ve been addressing related to overt benefit, dramatic difference, and real reasons to believe are outdated… they no longer apply since the dawn of category competition.

The example that she cited was that of GM, Ford, and Chrysler perfecting these principles only to converge on a “commodity position” and obviously struggle in the marketplace.

At times it would be easier to draw this conclusion and search for an easier path to resolve our most fundamental marketing challenges. But respectfully, I disagree. These principles are not outdated.  Rather, I think that these tired organizations have forgotten (or possibly can no longer deliver on) the concepts of REAL reasons to believe and DRAMATIC difference. Their products are painfully inferior to their foreign competitors, and sadly, they no longer have a benefit to offer that is more pronounced than 0% financing.

In fairness to their marketers, the weight of the business economic issues plaguing our auto makers (the burden of healthcare costs, etc.) is probably as much or more to blame for this than anything else.

However, when your category becomes crowded, and if ever wellspring of product innovation runs dry, differentiation can always be found in the provision of service… making bold declarations and standing behind them… building new and REAL reasons to believe.
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If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know my position on the importance of cultivating referrals – particularly for smaller businesses.

This is a realm of marketing that is commonly overlooked… typically botched… and is often arguably the highest return marketing activity a company can invest in.  Literally… Infinite Return Marketing when executed properly and consistently.

Yesterday I had breakfast with the owner of a small service business.  As is typically the case, he is not only the owner and manager of the business, but the chief client relationship manager and evangelist for the firm.

The topic of referrals came up, and I was struck by a confession he made. So much so that I wanted to quickly offer up this brief post for anyone else who may also be hindered by his fear.
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A while ago I wrote a post asking the question, “who is really in charge of your marketing?” My intent was to highlight the marketing impact (for better or worse) of the rank and file staffers who come face-to-face with customers.

Recently however, I have noticed something truly fascinating that I believe may very well change marketing forever.  And it forces me to revisit this same issue of who’s in charge of marketing.

This time I would ask you to consider the role of your customer in the marketing equation.  No… I’m not talking about generating referrals.  I’m actually talking about the customer as the deciding and active force in an organization’s marketing.
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If you haven’t taken a moment to appreciate the work that Unilever is doing with its Dove Self Esteem Fund and related campaign, you’re missing something truly special in the world of marketing. What’s more, you’re missing a great example of the new face of powerful, authentic marketing… infusing emotion and meaning into what could easily be a big, boring brand.

The campaign is supported in large part by a number of brilliantly composed, thought provoking, debate inspiring videos created by Ogilvy & Mather Toronto. If you haven’t seen “Evolution,” you need to take a moment and watch it right now.

This Dove self esteem campaign is worthy of serious study and reflection, but there are three aspects of it that I want to call your attention to right now.
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Brian Korte is an artist pioneering a new and fun medium. He builds mosaics – big pictures – out of LEGOs.

I can remember the time he told me he was working on his first one – a portrait of two of his friends who had recently married. With limited expectations, I took a look, and WOW! pretty darn cool!

What’s really interesting about his LEGO art, is that once you understand HOW he does it, unlike other forms of art that so often require freakish talent, most anyone could do this with his level of precision.

He has leveraged this sense of attainability to create a following of enthusiasts. Kids can (and do) actually help him complete his work.

Now he has built a growing business called Brickworkz out of this form of LEGO art, and by all indications, he’s doing quite well. You should have a look. He’s being commissioned to build his mosaics for individuals and businesses around the country, and he’s creating a growing buzz.

I mention this for two reasons. First, he’s a creative inspiration, and he’s succeeding at breaking into the crowded art community in a new and exciting way. It’s worth watching.

Second, and more to the point of this post, he wrote something recently that highlighted a phenomenon that has intrigued me for several years now as a marketer. It is a counter intuitive quirk of human nature that many of us marketers should recognize and exploit.
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John Taylor is the grand master among a new breed of marketers.

A short while ago, I wrote a post criticizing Sprint/Nextel for their abysmal failure to even be civil in their face-to-face interactions with customers. John is the polar opposite. He is the engineer of a near flawless customer experience designed to delight just about the most demanding consumer that the world has to offer – rich, executive golfers.

He’s an artist, a choreographer, a director, a gracious host, and a savvy business man. Every business needs a John Taylor.

We had lunch last week in the kingdom that he has created in Scottsdale, Arizona. Here’s his story – and three of the lessons that I walked away with…
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I’d hate to be responsible for marketing at Sprint (together with Nextel). There are people at Sprint dedicating their lives to trying to make people like this company – to say nothing of the millions they spend in that effort.

And for what??? To have it all ruined the moment someone walks into one of their retail locations and tries to transact business with any one of the battalion of thoughtless morons that they employ (or allow to conduct themselves draped in the Sprint brand).
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What do your customers really want from you? I’d classify this as an important question for any business. And today, I got a glimpse of something from which most of us can probably extract a valuable lesson.
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