How Not To Market Your Product To Customers
MLB Lockout Edition
Baseball as a business is in free fall. And while that may not be of much concern to those reading this, I still think this story holds some relevance for those in the advertising and marketing sphere. If you have ever wondered what should be avoided when trying to sell a product or establish customer loyalty, wonder no more. Indeed, Major League baseball has taken it upon themselves to ensure we learn a thing or two about running a business into the ground. And so, here are three takeaways from the collective bargaining negotiations that have plagued baseball for the entirety of the last three months.
When trying to build brand loyalty do not insist that the customer is the main priority, and then contradict that sentiment over and over again. As often as the owners and the commissioner of the league proclaim fans to be the priority, their actions say otherwise. Specifically, owners seem willing to spare everything and everyone if it means saving a dollar here and there.
If employees (MLB players) refuse to work under unfair conditions, do not shut them out. Instead, relentlessly seek resolution and compromise. The fate of your business’ success may very well rely on it. Yes, customers want to enjoy the product you are selling. But a part of that fulfillment comes from feeling good about their purchase. As it stands, it is hard to feel good about supporting an industry in which players’ compensation is manipulated and unproportionally distributed.
Do not forget what drives the success of a product in the first place. You can create, reinvent, rejuvenate, and advertise to the end of time. But when all is said and done, none of it will matter unless the consumer is satisfied. Nothing spurs repeat business, like good business.