ETD: 866 Viral Marketing; G&DA Speciality Retailer Survey;
Sweetwater Consulting Inc.
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post at gapent.com
Tue Mar 8 12:27:49 GMT 2005
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0866 March 8, 2005
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem at gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
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CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] Viral Marketing
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[3] G&DA Speciality Retailer Survey
[4] Sweetwater Consulting Inc.
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
We have some input on viral marketing from one of our members. Does
anybody use this marketing concept?
Our friends at Gifts & Dec Magazine are asking speciality retailers to take
part in their sixth annual Retailer Comparison Survey. If you are a
speciality retailer, complete the survey. G&DA does an excellent job with
their surveys, and usually have a team of people working on the project as
they record, tabulate and interpret the results. For a couple of years, I
helped them with their annual computers in retail surveys.
I was pleasantly surprised to get a "Who Are You?" form from an old
colleague, Marty Brill, who is now consulting to retailers. Marty has a
boatload of experience with the apparel market, having held major positions
at top retailers.
Tell us about your business which will remain for posterity at
our "Members: Who Are You?" site. This is a courtesy to our members who
contribute to our forum, and not merely a way to advertise for
free. Anything to do with the retail world, i.e., supplier, retailer,
consulting, etc. http://etailersdigest.com/resources/members/index.htm And
we have a form there for you to tell us about you. As I said when I first
proposed this idea, we have "known" each other for a long time, yet we
often don't know anything about each other. So, tell us who you are and
what you do.
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
mailto:georgem at gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
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[2] Viral Marketing
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I used the term "Viral Marketing" in 1983 to describe an alternative to
high price advertising then used in the new consumer software industry.
Ogilvy, one of the icons of advertising years ago, wrote that all
advertising can do, is to seed the field, to start people talking about a
product. He wrote that good advertising is the fastest way of killing a bad
product.
If it takes, on average, seven exposures to "reach" a person; then who is
more likely to reach that person, advertising, or friends and
relatives? Who is more likely to be trusted?
Ultimately, it is people commenting to people which produces the bulk of
the sales for non-commodity goods and services.
Think about it. If you are going to buy a car, do you just go buy the
first car you happen to see? No? Then how do you decide what to buy? Do
you not ask your friends and colleagues what they think about this or that
car? To compare their cars with other cars they have owned and
driven? (And why the heck do you buy a new car when that old car in your
driveway still runs fine? Comments, or fear of comments from others!)
That is why I believe that most sales for non-commodity, non-impulse goods
are viral in nature.
As to the Internet, how do you think it was sold? How was The Web
sold? It was viral all the way! I mean ALL the way!
The greatest sin was not the spam e-mails we get; for we already know whom
we communicate with. It was the death by spamming of the Usenet News, where
you could read and post to find others with like minds. That's what many of
us pulled all-nighters reading. My most interesting friends came from
there. That loss to humanity is incalculable!
Cantor and Seigal, the first Usenet News spammers, should have been drawn
and quartered, their remains hung from the telephone poles!
javilk- mall-net.com
------------------- IMAGINEERING --------------------
--------------- Every click, a vote. ----------------
----- Do people vote for, or against your pages? ----
-- What people want: http://www.SitePsych.com/free --
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+++ [Moderator's Comments] +++
Johns, did you ever think that you would be another Bill Gates if you were
credited for all your ideas? :-)
This is a good reason to consider those linking services that folks are
touting .
George
----- ---- --- -- -> Important Offer <- -- --- ---- ---- --
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----- ---- --- -- -> Important Offer <- -- --- ---- ---- --
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[3] G&DA Speciality Retailer Survey
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Gifts & Decorative Accessories asks specialty retailers to take part in our
sixth annual Retailer Comparison Survey. The results of this extensive
survey will be published in the June issue of the magazine. All responses
are aggregated, and no individual respondent will be identified. If you
haven't answered the printed survey sent to many of you by mail, please
help us gauge the pulse of the industry by completing the online version by
clicking the link below. Thank you for your time.
www.giftsanddec.com/retailsvy05
Quinn Halford, Editor In Chief
Matthew Kalash, Managing Editor
Gifts & Dec Magazine
www.giftanddec.com
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[4] Sweetwater Consulting Inc.
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Sweetwater Consulting Inc. consults to apparel multi-channel retailers,
apparel specialty retailers and apparel manufactures on positioning,
merchandising, sales growth and brand development.
Benefits include: developing alternative channels of distribution, greater
focus on customer wants and needs, improved operating systems and setting
your brand apart as a market leader.
We concentrate on apparel and related products exclusively. I wanted to
bring knowledge gained from thirty five years in apparel wholesale and
retail to growth oriented companies.
The business with started five years ago and is marketed through a website,
search engine optimization and word of mouth.
Our rates are by project, daily or hourly and vary based on the nature of
the assignment. Typical one day rate $1,200.
Telephone or email me to discuss the nature of your project and how I might
be of help. I am free to travel to consult with clients anywhere in the
United States.
Martin Brill
President
Sweetwater Consulting Inc.
7 Webster Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07307
201-459-9115
http://sweetwaterconsulting.com/
mbrill at sweetwaterconsulting.com
+++ [Moderator's Comments] +++
I had the pleasure of working with Marty when he was COO and I Chief
E-commerce Officer at Silk Road Gifts. His blurb doesn't tell the whole
story. I had to get more from his site...
Before starting Sweetwater Consulting, Martin worked at a senior level for
some of the best-known apparel manufactures and multi-channel apparel
retailers in the industry. Martin served as division president for the
Jones Apparel Group, Schrader Sport, Christian Dior Active, Christie
Brinkley, the J. Crew Group and Hanover Direct. His vast experience in
strategic planning, conceptual merchandising, sales management, branding,
e-commerce, catalog development, and marketing have all contributed to the
company's high rate of success.
For eight years, Martin successfully spearheaded the dramatic sales-growth
and branding initiatives for the highly successful Breckenridge Sportswear
for LF Brands. Prior to that he was one of the Levi Strauss executives
selected to formulate and market the companies new " Levi's Women's Division."
At the J. Crew Group he restored profitability to the C&W Catalog through
acute merchandise repositioning, innovative marketing and cost control
tactics. As co-founder of the award wining One 212 Catalog Martin broke new
ground in conceptual apparel merchandising, and creative catalog
presentation. At Tweeds Catalog/Internet for Hanover Direct he increased
revenue by 52% in three years and profit by 26% with the introduction of
new merchandise initiatives, innovative marketing such as "Women Giving
Back" and global expansion into the Pacific Rim.
In recognition of his many achievements in the apparel industry, President
Clinton appointed Martin as a charter member of the "White House Apparel
industry partnership," whose mission was to eliminate abusive labor
practices in apparel and footwear factories, globally. The committee
included industry luminaries such Phil Knight, Paul Charron. Paul Fireman,
and Bruce Klatsky.
George
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