http://ospreyvision.com/blog/2009/11/04/get-a-load-of-us/ The Customer Experience Across Markets Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:51:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://ospreyvision.com/blog/2009/11/04/get-a-load-of-us/comment-page-1/#comment-347 Steve_C_Fleming Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:14:45 +0000 http://ospreyvision.com/blog/?p=1929#comment-347 What the marketing folks at PUR appear not to understand is that everyone is intrinsically an accountant. The lower the level of discretionary income available to a particular consumer, the clearer the picture that consumer has of value (economics 101 - value is determined by the buyer on the open market). The lesson - understand your market! It's far easier to "create" a market in the US, where discretionary income tends to be high and the consumer will buy something with a lower marginal utility simply out of interest, or because "it's cool." In emerging nations, however, you're going to have to demonstrate that a purchasing a water filter is more cost effective than boiling drinking water, or that the risks of drinking unfiltered water are, despite those consumers' lifetime of experience, untenable. What the marketing folks at PUR appear not to understand is that everyone is intrinsically an accountant. The lower the level of discretionary income available to a particular consumer, the clearer the picture that consumer has of value (economics 101 – value is determined by the buyer on the open market). The lesson – understand your market! It's far easier to “create” a market in the US, where discretionary income tends to be high and the consumer will buy something with a lower marginal utility simply out of interest, or because “it's cool.” In emerging nations, however, you're going to have to demonstrate that a purchasing a water filter is more cost effective than boiling drinking water, or that the risks of drinking unfiltered water are, despite those consumers' lifetime of experience, untenable.

]]> http://ospreyvision.com/blog/2009/11/04/get-a-load-of-us/comment-page-1/#comment-283 Steve_C_Fleming Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:14:45 +0000 http://ospreyvision.com/blog/?p=1929#comment-283 What the marketing folks at PUR appear not to understand is that everyone is intrinsically an accountant. The lower the level of discretionary income available to a particular consumer, the clearer the picture that consumer has of value (economics 101 - value is determined by the buyer on the open market). The lesson - understand your market! It's far easier to "create" a market in the US, where discretionary income tends to be high and the consumer will buy something with a lower marginal utility simply out of interest, or because "it's cool." In emerging nations, however, you're going to have to demonstrate that a purchasing a water filter is more cost effective than boiling drinking water, or that the risks of drinking unfiltered water are, despite those consumers' lifetime of experience, untenable. What the marketing folks at PUR appear not to understand is that everyone is intrinsically an accountant. The lower the level of discretionary income available to a particular consumer, the clearer the picture that consumer has of value (economics 101 – value is determined by the buyer on the open market). The lesson – understand your market! It's far easier to “create” a market in the US, where discretionary income tends to be high and the consumer will buy something with a lower marginal utility simply out of interest, or because “it's cool.” In emerging nations, however, you're going to have to demonstrate that a purchasing a water filter is more cost effective than boiling drinking water, or that the risks of drinking unfiltered water are, despite those consumers' lifetime of experience, untenable.

]]> http://ospreyvision.com/blog/2009/11/04/get-a-load-of-us/comment-page-1/#comment-272 coffee_offline Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:41:32 +0000 http://ospreyvision.com/blog/?p=1929#comment-272 Hhhm, “conditioning”. Maybe that’s why cigarette manufacturers switched from the once lucrative (but no longer accessible) European market places to condition needs in emergent users. Leaving aside the ethical question of offering tobacco over water purifiers, the value statement to the consumer – from a local perspective and choice available – is what matters. If the cigarette advertising offers to increase your standing among your peers, empowers you to step up in the world by giving you a taste of the west, and is an affordable and legal pleasure, would you give your last dollar for a squeaky clean, life-extending, western imposed solution to a problem you've had to live with a lot longer? Rather than conditioning of the locals, it's education of the marketers that's needed. A better understanding of local priorities, expectations and cultural values, without imposing foreign standards, will open up real opportunities for "help". Hhhm, “conditioning”. Maybe that’s why cigarette manufacturers switched from the once lucrative (but no longer accessible) European market places to condition needs in emergent users. Leaving aside the ethical question of offering tobacco over water purifiers, the value statement to the consumer – from a local perspective and choice available – is what matters. If the cigarette advertising offers to increase your standing among your peers, empowers you to step up in the world by giving you a taste of the west, and is an affordable and legal pleasure, would you give your last dollar for a squeaky clean, life-extending, western imposed solution to a problem you've had to live with a lot longer? Rather than conditioning of the locals, it's education of the marketers that's needed. A better understanding of local priorities, expectations and cultural values, without imposing foreign standards, will open up real opportunities for “help”.

]]> http://ospreyvision.com/blog/2009/11/04/get-a-load-of-us/comment-page-1/#comment-270 Bonnie Zimmerman Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:51:01 +0000 http://ospreyvision.com/blog/?p=1929#comment-270 Steve - kudos for another great post and a reminder that in order to be successful in emerging markets, western companies must shift their emphasis from the “global” to the “local” consumer and from globally standardized to locally adapted products and marketing programs. Steve – kudos for another great post and a reminder that in order to be successful in emerging markets, western companies must shift their emphasis from the “global” to the “local” consumer and from globally standardized to locally adapted products and marketing programs.

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