The Truth About What Customers Want

by Solomon, Michael R.

• ISBN13: 9780137142262
• ISBN10: 0137142269
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-10-16
• Publisher: FT Press

Summary

In The Truth About What Customers Want, world-renowned customer behaviour expert Michael Solomon brings together the 50 absolutely crucial facts and insights you must know to successfully attract and keep profitable customers. This book doesn't deliver abstract theory: It delivers quick, bite-size, just-the-facts information and plain-English explanations you can actually use, no matter what business you're in-consumer or B2B. You'll discover which psychological motivations drive your customers; how to forge deeper, more emotional relationships with them; how to drive more value from the positive associations customers already feel; how to stay 'top of mind' in a crowded marketplace; and what you need to know about emerging trends like green marketing, virtual worlds and neuromarketing.

Author Biography

Michael R. Solomon, Ph.D. is Professor of Marketing and Director of the Center for Consumer Research in the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He is also Professor of Consumer Behaviour at the Manchester School of Business, The University of Manchester, U.K. Professor Solomon’s primary research interests include consumer behavior and lifestyle issues, branding strategy, symbolic aspects of products, psychology of fashion, decoration, and image, services marketing, and the development of visually oriented online research methodologies. Professor Solomon has been recognized as one of the 15 most widely cited scholars in the academic behavioral sciences and fashion literature and as one of the 10 most productive scholars in the field of advertising and marketing communications. His textbook, Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being, published by Prentice Hall, is widely used in universities throughout North America, Europe, and Australia and is now in its eighth edition.

 

In addition to his academic activities, Professor Solomon is a frequent contributor to mass media. His feature articles have appeared in magazines such as Psychology Today, Gentleman’s Quarterly, and Savvy. He has been quoted in numerous national magazines and newspapers, including Allure, Elle, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Mirabella, Newsweek, The New York Times, Self, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. He frequently appears on television and radio to comment on consumer behavior issues, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, Channel One, Inside Edition, Newsweek on the Air, The Wall Street Journal Radio Network, the Entrepreneur Sales and Marketing show, the WOR Radio Network, and National Public Radio. Professor Solomon provides input as a marketing consultant to a variety of organizations on issues related to consumer behavior, branding, services marketing, retailing, and advertising. He frequently speaks to business organizations around the world about new trends in consumer behavior.

 

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. ix
Your customers want a relationship, not a one-night stand	p. 1
Design it, and they will come	p. 5
Sensory marketing-smells like profits	p. 9
Pardon me, is that a breast in your Coke?	p. 13
One man's goose	p. 17
Throw 'em a bone, and they'll no longer roam	p. 21
Stay in their minds-if you can	p. 25
These are the good old days	p. 29
Why ask why?	p. 33
He who dies with the most toys wins	p. 37
Your customers are looking for greener pastures	p. 41
"Because I'm worth it"	p. 45
Love me, love my avatar	p. 49
You really are what you wear	p. 53
Real men don't eat quiche (but they do moisturize)	p. 57
Girls just want to have fun	p. 61
Queer eye for the spending guy	p. 65
Yesterday's chubby is today's voluptuous	p. 69
Men want to sleep with their cars	p. 73
Your PC is trying to kill you	p. 77
Birds of a feather buy together	p. 81
Sell wine spritzers to squash players	p. 85
They think your product sucks-but that's not a bad thing	p. 89
When to sell the steak, when to sell the sizzle	p. 93
People are dumber than robots (lazier, too)	p. 97
Your customers have your brand on the brain	p. 101
Let their mouseclicks do the walking	p. 105
Nothing shouts quality like leather from Poland	p. 111
Consider investing in a drive-thru mortuary	p. 115
Go to the Gemba	p. 119
Your customers want to be like Mike (or someone like him)	p. 123
Go tribal	p. 127
People like to do their own thing-so long as it's everyone else's thing too	p. 131
Catch a buzz	p. 135
Go with the flow-get shopmobbed today	p. 139
Find the market maven, and the rest is gravy	p. 143
Hundreds of housewives can predict your company's future	p. 147
Know who wears the pants in the family	p. 149
Youth is wasted on the young	p. 153
Make millions on Millennials	p. 157
Grownups don't grow up anymore	p. 161
Dollar stores make good cents	p. 165
The rich are different	p. 169
Out with the ketchup, in with the salsa	p. 173
Look for fly-fishing born-again environmentalist jazz-loving Harry Potter freaks	p. 177
Ronald McDonald is related to Luke Skywalker	p. 181
Sign a caveman to endorse your product	p. 185
Make your brand a fortress brand-and make mine a Guinness	p. 189
Turn a (pet) rock into gold	p. 193
Think globally, act locally	p. 197
References	p. 201
About the Author	p. 209
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Preface Praise forThe Truth AboutCreating Brands People Love"I recommend this punchy, provocative book that uses vivid case studies to remind us of 51 truths about brands." David Aake r, Vice-Chairman, Prophet and Author ofBuilding Strong BrandsandSpanning Silos"Brian Till and Donna Heckler have captured the key proven principles of creating strong brands and managing them effectively over the long-run. Their work is practical and applicable to companies across a wide range of industries. They offer concrete marketing strategy guidelines necessary for creating sustainable brand commitment. Their ideas are expressed in an engaging fashion, and the book is divided into concise chapters that can stand alone to make powerful points during brand strategy planning sessions." Dan Smith, Ph.D. , Professor of Marketing and Dean, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University"Utilizing a broad range of examples, anecdotes, and case history-style narrative, the authors answer many of the recurring questions brand managers and their agencies face every day in marketing consumer and business-to-business products and services. The truth about The Truth About Creating Brands People Love is that it offers sound, actionable advice that anyone in the business of building, managing, and stewarding brands can put into effective use immediately." Joe Osborn , Partner, Osborn & Barr Communications"This is an enjoyable read of spirited and engaging 'Truths' regarding effective brand building. Importantly, it is filled with wisdom and insights that apply to all brands and all businesses." Patricia Seybold , Author of Customers.com, The Customer Revolution, and Outside Innovation"Brian and Donna have peeled back the secrets of how to make great brands. Filled with countless real life examples, it's an easy and "relatable" read. A great primer for the marketer just starting out or for the established manager who thinks he knows it all." M. Paul Kravitz , Manager, New Products and Business Development, Nestleacute; Purina PetCare"A must read for corporate execs. It brings the basics back to branding." Brian Abrahams , General Manager, U.S. Sales Division, Anheuser-Busch, Inc."A very easy to read-and-apply text that relates well to the new marketing 'guru' and the seasoned vet. A must read for all marketers." Larry Brayman , Manager of Marketing, Dunkin Brands, Inc PrefaceCreating brands people love seems so easy. Just look around at all the wonderful brands that we experience every day. Yet, creating brands people love requires more than simply love of a product and spectacularly creative advertising--it requires intelligent, strategic, and coordinated decisions in many areas of marketing. Packaging, promotion, advertising, positioning, distribution, and pricing are just some of the important functions that, when successfully managed, lead to profitable brands that matter to consumers.The purpose of this book is to illustrate universal truths about brand management that cover the range of brand-building activities. These truths transcend context, providing important insights irrespective of industry-specific dynamics. The guidelines here are as relevant to a marketing manager for a steel producer as for a cereal maker; as meaningful to a brand manager for coffee machines as for a ski resort; as useful to someone running an art gallery as to someone managing a high-end hotel.For experienced and well-trained marketing managers