Aldi makes it hard (actually, impossible) to buy branded goods and to have them delivered to your home. But this obstacle allows the brand to keep ruthlessly competitive prices, and frees up staff to assist customers in stores.
Innovating by saying no
Rather than expanding and diversifying, brands are often better off limiting their options.
Rather than defining and targeting the small group of consumers most likely to buy the brand – the standard approach for online ad campaigns – Audi defined those who rejected the brand and targeted everyone else. This meant they were going after a much broader audience, all of whom had at least some propensity to buy the brand. The impact was stark: a significant improvement in campaign conversions, and a compelling case for using data to avoid the worst, rather than find the best.
Fiat recently made the bold decision to stop selling gray cars. CEO Olivier Francois said this was “reinforcing Fiat’s leadership as the brand of joy, colors and optimism.” The strategy doesn’t come without its risks, with gray being the most popular color for new cars in many of Fiat’s most important markets. But a strengthened commitment to the brand’s vibrant Italian roots will help it to resonate with customers looking for a more exciting choice of car.
Mike Harris questioned whether banks even needed physical branches. The success of First Direct shows they don’t. The absence of stores means virtually all of its staff are on the customer service team, providing an average call wait time of 39 seconds, versus the industry norm of 8 minutes.
Louis Vuitton is one of few brands that never discounts products. “Items advertised as discounted on the Web are invariably fake,” it states online. This is a smart decision for the luxury brand, which realises that doing so retains the value of the products while sending the confident message that the original price is exactly as it should be.
in 1901, Picasso imposed a self-constraint to boost creativity. His ‘blue period’ helped him produce paintings that conveyed a sense of melancholy and sadness, and killed the assumption that paintings required a range of vibrant colours to be successful.
Michael O’Leary removed the add-ons that make flying pleasurable. Ryanair routinely ranks bottom in airline surveys. Its social media is full of complaints about cancelled flights and extra baggage fees. But it’s a ruthless provider of low fares and high punctuality, and Europe’s most profitable airline.
Southwest no assigned seating
Zappos no call script