Leveraging Scarcity To Your Advantage
Think about rare or exclusive things, either that you own, or that you would like to own. What is it about them that makes them attractive? Is it the fact that they are of high quality or a luxury brand? The truth is, those are more givens than anything else. The real reason may be in fact, because, it is a hard to get item. At least thats what the marketing would have you believe. It may be a limited edition, or 1 of 100 produced, or something to that effect.
The Joneses Effect
The Joneses. The movie came out in 2009 and from what I remember was somewhat quiet as far as press and coverage. It depicted the typical ‘American Dream’ family with the house in the suburbs and all the toys one could want.
Famous in 31 Days: A Documentary
Movies fascinate me. I love the interwoven stories and how the characters come to interact with each other. Documentaries also fascinate me. They are personal stories of triumph, heart-break, depression, and happiness all rolled into a roller coaster ride as you ride along through their journey. The thing about documentaries is that the people don’t need to be traveling very far for it to be an adventure. Although the docs where the people travel the United States or the world are my favorite.
B2B Series: Wrap Up & Bonus
About 8 weeks ago, I began a series of articles called Back 2 Basics as I began to see a gap in the market. Many entrepreneurs start a business, a practice, yet they start without the basics. The goal, over the last 8 weeks was to close that gap, covering topics that build upon each other in order to create a platform, position and grow the brand, and execute the plans that were made.
Objectified
As someone who has a background in various aspects of design, my mind and imagination are very visual. I recently discovered a documentary film that discusses industrial design of everyday items that we use and experience. The idea behind those items is that people may not realize that they had even been designed. They are what they are. But there much deeper thought into these everyday products. The film looks at the experience that the product will offer, how people will become attached to the product emotionally, and how and why people are attached to these material products. It is a fascinating look at design, at the thoughts and processes that designers go through, and those designers are influencing our lives with their products.
B2B Series: Branding
Branding- a now well-known buzz word, but one that is not fully understood by many business owners. When a business owner hears the word “brand” or “branding” they associate that with a logo, tagline, or motto. While those are elements of expressing the brand, it is not the definition of brand. Often times, those elements do not go beneath the surface, they simply create a facade that appears to be a brand.
Suncadia, WA: A Branded Community Case Study
There are so many different kinds of branding, be it personal, corporate, products, or location. Branded communities interest me because it physically uses all five senses to design an experience for the end user, the home owner, the restaurant goer, the golf clubhouse member. Having worked on a number of planned communities throughout the world, it is a topic I am familiar with. On top of branding and planned communities, there is the economic engine part that really fascinates me. Combine all of these together and you get an amazing experience. While resort communities are being built around the world, some more than others have a unique feel to them. Suncadia is one of the few.
An Entrepreneur Is…
There are many definitions as to what an entrepreneur is, what they do, why they do what they do. Over the last few years, the trend online is to “make money from home,” or “become your own boss.” These phrases are attractive to some people, and they could be associated with being an entrepreneur. However, many of the systems being pitched online are designed for the end user to be more of a free-lancer. Someone who would not necessarily create a corporation or true business entity.
Cougar Pride: A Unique Branded Culture
Cougar Pride, as it is called in the Palouse. There is nothing quite like it. I have met a number of people who have gone to school all over the country, but none seem to have the bond that a WSU cougar has. It is a culture of its own, and one that is pretty special.
Choosing A Branded World- How Do You Decide?
In yesterday’s post, I discussed the trend that companies and their brands are becoming more and more incompatible. Competition is becoming more and more fierce, and therefore, gaining a customer and their trust is critical. Just as a theme park is a world envisioned by the imaginations of its designers and entrepreneurs, companies have started to create worlds of their own.
