Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Product is King

It’s not all doom and gloom. I talked with a handful of clients in the past week who are pleased with results this summer. (Of course, it depends on how you define success- sales growth vs. LY, improvements in operating profit, achieving Plan.)

As Kevin Hillstrom pointed out in a recent blog, it is frustrating to read headlines such as Five Easy Tips to Boost Business- as if anything is easy right now! But it got me thinking about the similarities in recent strategy for the brands reporting success. It also reminds me of something we used to say at Eddie Bauer…

Product is King.

Some marketers have a tough time admitting this, but even the most brilliant marketing strategy can only sell so much mediocre product.

Some of the companies achieving strong results this summer include brands in the following categories- home furnishings, children’s merchandise, and specialty gift. The one common element they all share is an intense focus on the “freshness” of their merchandise strategy: introducing new product, spinning existing product in a fresh way, providing content and solutions, establishing authority, and putting a new look on the catalog creative.

These brands prove that it’s possible to succeed even with all the challenges we face!

No comments: