Blog Topics For Fall 2009
Summer is gone now, replaced by cooling temperatures, frost, and football!
During the summer, we took the content on this blog in a different direction. We went from 9.0 posts per week to 4.5 per week. We shifted the focus from general topics and Multichannel Forensics to Gliebers Dresses and the Online Marketing Simulation. We moved a lot of the other information over to Twitter. Readership and subscriber metrics suggest that this was a very good move. Gliebers Dresses is the most popular series ever written on this blog. The Online Marketing Simulation is so popular that it appears to be the likely successor to the Multichannel Forensics product so many of you have used.
Now it is your turn to voice your opinion.
Is the blog serving your needs? If not, what kind of content would you recommend for this fall?
Starting next week, I'm leaning toward the following schedule:
- Monday = Catalog / Multichannel Forensics Topics.
- Tuesday = Online Marketing Simulation.
- Wednesday = Gliebers Dresses.
- Thursday = Online Marketing Simulation.
Use the comments section below to recommend the content & frequency you're looking for this Fall. And if you don't feel comfortable doing that, go ahead and send me an e-mail with your thoughts.
posted by Kevin @ 8:15 PM
3 Comments:
Hi Kevin,
I've been pressed for time and have not commented earlier. I wish to thank you for your continuing contribution to my professional development. I get a lot of good information and unique points of view from your writings. (I have purchased a couple of your books - just so you know I'm not a total freeloader!)
I've enjoyed the Gliebers Dresses series - particularly as it reminds me of the case studies from my old System Analysis 101 textbook. It provides a good introduction to the analyst's business for new/ young players. Although I began to develop a certain disdain for the management team over time. They appear to be ruled by an out-of-focus CEO and seem unable to follow-up on your recommendations. I guess in part this is what the industry is like. I was particularly dismayed when you began to dangle the free marketing tagline in front of Glenn. It is like you knew how he was going to respond.
I'm not sure I understand how MF has morphed into OMS. Particularly I don't understand the 'Online' focus. Maybe I am misreading the 'online' part of it - it is not just about web marketing right?
Personally I wouldn't be too sad to see Gliebers go bust and disband. Do people really hire you for a year and then not listen to you?
Anyhow thanks again for your ongoing and valuable contributions
Cheers
Hi Kevin and Derek,
I actually had a different take on the Gliebers not following every recommendation--most companies select only pieces of advice from consultants, often the pieces are what reinforces their own established beliefs.
They are a catalog culture and I get the impression many of these conversations were similar to yours at Nordstroms when dropping the catalog was first mentioned.
Major revolutionary events like that probably take much conversation before it happens(unless you have a dynamic shoot from the hip CEO/owner).
Kevin, have you ever had someone follow your advice 100%?
With regards to the topics, I would prefer to see Thursday as a wrap on your take of events in Retail/Online vs the theoretical. Your summaries of the various conference call transcripts are very poignant and perceptive. You pull out what most people reading same article miss.
So--two days to theory and two days for application of that theory(Gliebers, and real life) get my vote!
But no matter what way you choose, please keep up the fantastic work!
Thank you for sharing your wisdom...
No worries, Derek, this information is out there for everybody to think about. I'm ok with people agreeing or disagreeing with the content, buying books or not. That being said, thank you for buying a couple of books!
This is an extension of Multichannel Forensics, because in Multichannel Forensics, we end up trying to forecast where the business is heading over the next five years. The OMS takes many more factors into account, allowing us to simulate not just three main channels (catalogs, online, stores), but all of the micro-channels associated with e-commerce.
Since most of my clients use this type of analysis to forecast online growth, I called it the "OMS", though it could work for any channels --- if you had 20 stores, you've got 20 channels to plug into the OMS.
Gliebers Dresses --- no company accepts all recommendations. Some do everything you suggest, some choose to ignore what you say. The consultant has a responsibility to tell a compelling story, one that is congruent with the belief system of the company the consultant is working for. If you fail to do that, you're the one not being effective.
People are very interesting, they pick and choose to believe things.
Steeler13, believe it or not, I was one of the loudest advocates for the catalog at Nordstrom. My boss wanted the thing killed, I did everything possible to keep it. Two years later, when the customer proved that the catalog wasn't needed, I realized that I was the person who needed to re-think my belief system.
I've never had anybody follow 100% of my comments. You do good when people follow the "essence" of what you want to see happen. I'm not always right, so it would be foolish for people to follow 100% of my advice.
I'll think about how to get some of the conference call transcript information into the blog.
Thanks,
Kevin
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