Palm Mention:
rd.yahoo.com*http://www.upside.com/Opinion/3a0347b81_yahoo.html
"...Some companies have a knack for identifying ways to get the word out and translating the word into profits. In the book, Rosen identifies Palm (PALM), Birkenstock USA, Delia's (DLIA), Hotmail, MCI (WCOM) and Nintendo as companies that have excelled and surpassed competitors by not relying on TV commercials and print advertising to sell their products.
In fact, with basically unknown products up until a couple of years ago like the Palm Pilot and Delia's clothing line, it was absolutely necessary to get people to communicate the features to friends and colleagues. Palm set up shop at tech conferences, lending Palm Pilots for the day so that people could get used to them. At the end of the day, there was the option to buy.
At one conference, 5,000 Pilots were loaned out and 1,500 were bought. And it stands to reason that many of those 1,500 people who bought the PDAs would tell their colleagues about their experiences.
Delia's is a different matter. You won't find the teen-focused clothier hitting the tech conventions, but you will see the company finding teens where they live. Rosen says the company has a good selection, frequent mailings, good service and a great website. But, he says, "it's the conversation that matters most."
Throw the word "clothes" into a conversation with teenagers, and they can't wait to give you the scoop on what's in, what's out, and where they buy the cool stuff. Delia's made it easy by allowing customers to sign up their friends for catalogs and streamlining its website with its catalog..." |
