KODAK GET's PUSHY WITH BEST-BUY

[Anonymous]

http://www.huliq.com/64766/kodak-being-pushy-best-buy
Kodak Being Pushy In Best Buy
Last
year Kodak entered the consumer inkjet industry touting they could save
consumers 50% off everything they printed. According to a Businessweek
article, they planned to spend upwards of $300 million to launch their
inkjet printer series, All-In-One (AIO).Even “The Donald” got in on the
launch buzz with an episode of Celebrity Apprentice. Other than a few
meetings in Rochester with Kodak’s research team, I’ve loosely followed
the campaign. That is, until the customer-facing element of their
campaign, far-from-loosely followed me around Best Buy this past
weekend.Need a clearer picture? It seems Kodak’s campaign has
salespeople key-pointed in Best Buy’s printer section. Makes sense,
right? Best Buy has less hourly employees on the floor and Kodak gets
direct, personal access to the consumer. Based on my recent experience
… Kodak or Best Buy missed something in the execution.

Imagine a
salesperson pushing the current “Buy a Kodak printer, get $50 off a
Kodak digital camera” promo, by clowning me, the customer, for having a
3-megapixel digital camera. Talk about a feel good conversation. But,
at least for that brief moment, I didn’t have to hear again, “before
you buy a printer, you should consider your costs for ink, Kodak will
only cost you blah blah blah.” Regardless of which printer I was
looking at, she was right there, in my ear. I’m thinking to myself —
fall back, what makes you think I’m going to be pushed into a
purchase.Random irritating saleslady aside, Kodak has a compelling
value proposition – 50% savings on ink costs. Too bad, I couldn’t hear
it over the salesperson’s pushy chatter.

Kodak, be Reason-able:
Train
Best Buy salespeople. Spend time educating Best Buy salespeople about
the benefits of your printers. As they work the printer section, they
can speak to your products’ benefits. More importantly, your training
sessions are a perfect time to hear what they are hearing from the
customers and what they are finding, and liking in competing products
(AKA: Focus group).

From a customer perspective, I expect Best
Buy employees to be subject matter experts who can help find the best
product for me, regardless of brand. A woman walks up with a Kodak
logo-emblazoned shirt on, I just can’t trust her opinion – too much
obvious bias to ignore.Store within a store. Have a Kodak display
showing off all your wares. There’s an Apple section in Best Buy, do
the same thing with you brand. Place your digital cameras next to your
printers, next to your digital frames, next to your customized photo
books; bringing to life your brand essence – preserving memories for a
lifetime.Become part of the ritual. When and where will consumers use
your printers? Be THERE. Set up a kiosk at that idyllic, tourist
picture spot … imagine the impression you create when I see how easy it
is to pop out my memory card and print a picture with as good a quality
as when I order online.

[Author]

July 24, 2008 at 11:19 AM