This latest blog, was inspired by a recent holiday to the States when a simple visit to a bagel bakery turned into a cross examination succinctly highlighting first world problems.
The plan was to simply order, a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel. The highly polished sales person prompted a barrage of questions which would have made the Spanish Inquisitors of yesteryear proud.
Here is a sample of the various choices that were offered:
- Type there was a choice of 7 savoury: garlic, French toast, poppy seed, cinnamon, sesame, onion, plain
- Food Allergy – Gluten free option offered- fair point.
- Temperature – toasted or not toasted
- Type of Spread -if you wanted spread there was a choice of at least 5, but I had lost the will to live by this stage and given we were in a quick fire response situation blurted out butter purely as a knee jerk!
- Filling 1– cream cheese full or low fat? He may have also asked me if I wanted it kosher, but I may have made that up, such was my addled demeanour by this stage?
- Filling 2– salmon sourced from Scotland, Canada, Atlantic… this I’ve definitely made up! I felt that a slither of fake news was worthy of some poetic licence as hot flushes began to sweep over me as a I regale this tale!
The simple process of ordering a snack had focused the spot light onto the Mastermind chair and created an unwanted exercise in mental agility, highlighting how obsessed we have become with choice.
Ultimately marketing must hold its hands up and take a bow!! After all, every time someone registers a fault with an item, suggests a product improvement, wants a different colour, texture or tone or has a specific dietary need, the marketers go to work with the view of refining our lives. This is the essence of ‘self-improvement’ and forms the bedrock of the feedback loops that proliferate in western society today.
The product sector is inconsequential. The point is we are creating first world problems daily and the marketers who are no doubt keen on their own career progression and personal ‘self-improvement’, are gainfully geared up to drive the delivery vehicle.
The Jam admirably summed it up in a song lyric as …” the public gets what the public wants!”
Creating an effective marketing strategy is no different… the choice is so vast, it is difficult to know where to start? Concentrate on campaigns or go stampeding towards social media? Invest in finding out what your clients think about you or concentrate on getting your website sorted? These have similarities to “The Bagel Quiz” witnessed in America, but of course on a much more grandiose scale.
The key is knowing your destination, direction of travel and how much you can spend to get there. A sensible conversation with a specialist will then ensure that the investment in marketing is spread evenly and effectively to ensure that the choice delivers the most realistic return on investment within a realistic timeline.
In conclusion…. any holes found in the Bagel Conundrum, can be overcome by ring fencing your marketing, maximising revenue through your circles of influence, rounding your reputation and filling your capability void with quality marketing conversations.
