The Brown-Coakley Senate race in Massachusetts, which ended with the hugely unanticipated victory of unheralded newcomer Scott Brown for the Kennedy Senate seat, seems to be one of those "defining political moments" that you always read about in history textbooks. This, after all, was the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Ted Kennedy for over 40 years. The idea that an unknown Republican could win the Senate seat in the "bluest of blue states" -- especially after Barack Obama carried Massachusetts by more than 25 points just over a year ago - is staggering. And not just for political junkies.
customer needs Dominic Basulto emotional engagement politics customer insightsWhat do you know about unmet needs? Theodore Levitt (a retired HBS marketing prof) used to say that "people don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill – they want a quarter-inch hole." It is true and not true. While it is always useful to understand what customers want to achieve and get done, there are often times when consumers don’t know what they want and what they need. Or even when they know, they cannot articulate it.
customer needs Idris Mootee innovationMany of us have been taught in design school to be very user focused when seeking design solutions. However if you have been in the industry as long as I have, there is this insidious sickness that tends to influence this fundamental approach we have with design.
consumer needs customer needs design Design Translatorby: John Caddell
Andrew McAfee’s blog is a great place to learn about how businesses can gain competitive advantage by their use of IT. But yesterday he took a left turn and discussed business situations where data crunching is not helpful to decisionmaking, and I loved it.
John Caddell customer feedback customer needs data analysis employees engagement retail salesby: Chris Lawer
Faced with tough decisions that can make or break their company’s future, it is little wonder that innovation managers are seriously fretting over their product portfolios, go-kill decisions, new projects, resource allocations and go-to-market timescales.
management innovation customer needs Chris Lawer recessionby: Dominic Basulto
With all the gloom and doom surrounding the economy these days, it seems like the consumer-facing companies that are going to do well during an economic downturn are those that actively address customer "pain points." Over the past two weeks, both Amazon.com and FedEx have shown that they are attuned to customer needs with new moves designed to alleviate two big customer pain points.
packaging travel customer needs FedEx Dominic Basulto Amazonby: Jonathan Salem Baskin
I put "customer loyalty" in the same category of happy myths as those of creation science, voter intelligence, and brand equity.
Most loyalty programs are just another form of sales incentive. Call them what you want, but point or mileage accrual engenders little more trust or conviction than an annual holiday bonus check. Repeat customers as likely to be trapped by habit or circumstance as by any sense of commitment.
customer insights Jonathan Salem Baskin loyalty customer needs
