Q: What type of corporate image do you like the best?
A: My favorite image is an effective image. What may be effective for one company with a certain type of product and customer is going to be completely different for another company. I see examples where a very traditional image is appropriate and effective, and others where the only way to go is with a hip, cutting-edge feel. What's sad is when you see a company miss its mark because they like a particular look. There's nothing wrong with having good taste, but don't let it get in the way of your business. If you make hand-crafted flutes for classical and jazz music, don't try and imitate the ad that shows kids with tattoos and nose rings because you think you're trying to appeal to a younger audience. There are other ways to more effectively steer your market perception.
Q: I've heard you talk about "The Seven Customers" a few times. Who are they?
A: It's not always seven customers. Sometimes it's five or six, sometimes it may be eight. But the point is that most businesses get hung up on marketing to one level of customer, often the end user of the product. Unfortunately for them, that customer may not have the biggest influence on the success or failure of the product.
The basic list of seven customers was something defined for me by Allen Wald, who was then the vice-president of Alesis. The basic idea was that if we didn't do something to touch each level of customer, we ran a chance of missing out on some percentage of success. For our business at the time, those customers were as follows: our internal staff, our sales reps, our international distributors, the press, the owners and buyers of our retail distribution channels, the retail salespeople, and finally the end users of our products.
If your staff doesn't understand a product message, how can they relay it to the other customers? If the press gets your marketing message, it can be passed on to thousands of other customers over whom they have a heavy influence. If retail salespeople are properly informed, they will get behind your product over that of your competition who doesn't devote and time or energy to speak to them.
Again, the point to keep in mind is that doing something in a marketing plan to promote your message to each customer in the chain is crucial. The good news is that it doesn't take much money; it's much more about how well (and how often) you communicate with those customers.
Q: Is everything in marketing about communication?
A: Yes. An ad, a web site, a press release...they're all about getting a message to a customer. The best marketers also have tools in place to listen to customers in return, for market research, product development planning and the like. That's why I named my company "Jeff Klopmeyer Communications", instead of "Jeff's Advertising" or "Jeff's PR" or whatever. The key to success is communication, no doubt.
Q: What do you do when you're not creating?
A: I'm almost always creating. I find it funny that to take a break from creating an ad, I'll pick up a guitar and write a song. Taking a break from writing a brochure can mean working on the novel that I'll never finish. I suppose that other than sleeping, hanging out with friends and family, and watching the occasional sports game, I'm always creating. It's my lifeblood. |
