It's a good time to be different
Editor in Chief, Ray Allegrezza -- Furniture Today, March 2, 2008
Centuries ago, underscoring our nation's escalating hunger for independence, Thomas Paine wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls."
Today, those words aptly describe the frustration we feel with the current retail environment. It's no cakewalk out there. But then again, if it was, anybody could excel. In times such as these, maybe what we really need to do is try something different.
Sure, I know the home furnishings industry is paying the price of being too closely linked to the stumbling housing market. But I think we're also paying a price for being bland and predictable.
We take wonderfully made furniture and line it up like lifeless wooden soldiers, then wonder why those hard-to-please shoppers aren't beating down our doors. Or we think that in order to engage the shopper we have to keep slashing prices.
Remember Seth Godin's best seller "Purple Cow?" The concept was that a fresh new idea (aka a purple cow) would be immediately recognized, especially if it was smack in the middle of a herd of brown cows.
The makers of 7-Up took this concept to heart years ago, referring to their soda as the "Un-Cola." In a word, the company immediately told you what that beverage was by telling you what it wasn't.
How about in our backyard? Does anybody get it?
Recently, the online newspaper The Onion, in a spoof, profiled a fictional firm called Northside Mattress Warehouse and its Non-Blowout Sale.
The made-up story quoted the store owner as saying, "It's not like these are once-in-a-lifetime prices. You'll get a pretty good deal on a brand-name mattress. Yes, we've slashed prices, just not to the bone. If you can find the same mattress at a lower, publicly advertised price, then God bless."
Granted, while the Onion's story was pure fiction, the fact of the matter is that if we fail to see the need to try something new, the joke is on us.
It’s a good time to be different
03/06/2008Consumer Reports' ratings shake things up
09/01/2009Vineyard debuts its 'purple cow'
05/14/2005Changing cast in Top 100
03/21/2010Are you bringing a purple cow to market?
03/06/2004
