A simple marketing lesson I learned from my recent Hawaiian cruise...

12 years ago

All the answers are always staring us right in the face.

You have just hit the nail right on the head right here Gene.

These huge companies employ full time market experts who come up with new and exciting ways of making sales without actually being that obvious that they are even trying to sell us something first off.

Yes we all like simplicity and that is why the refrigerator full of beverages to suit all ages is a prime example of how we should all be marketing to potential future customers.

You have provided some insightful and extremely useful advice that anyone at any marketing level can learn form right now and start to use in their online buisness.

Keep up the good work my friend!

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TheContentAuthority

12 years ago

Gene Pimentel, Nice Post! It made me want to ask more questions and think about what happens after everyone gets this... maybe they wont, so we may not have to go beyond, simple, easy and user friendly...

How do you see this playing out for companies that offer SEO services? Simple payment options? Easy to understand packages? User friendly interfaces?

I think making products / services simple, easy and user friendly seems to be what everyone wants, but when everyone is doing this, what comes next?

I would think that the next steps are making sure you are providing the most value (not cheapest) for what each client is looking for.

Anyhow, great post!

Shawn

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Michael Oksa

12 years ago

Hi Gene,

Isn't it funny how marketers view the world?

While I enjoyed our family vacation to Walt Disney World several years ago, it was impossible not to notice all of the marketing lessons going on.

We stayed at a Disney property for the week, so we got the full effect.

There were tons of lessons, but one of the best was how good they are at keeping everything self-contained. In other words, there is no reason to go "off property" to get anything. We drove there, by parked the car for the week. There were Disney buses that took us where we needed to go. There were plenty of restaurants and gift shops, and if we lwanted to go to nightclubs, we could have went to Downtown Disney (again, via bus).

Once we were there, 100% of our money was spent there. That philosophy is a given on a cruise ship, but much harder to pull off on land...in Orlando!

All the best,
Michael

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"Ich bin en fuego!"

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Walter Parrish

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

Hi Gene,

Isn't it funny how marketers view the world?

While I enjoyed our family vacation to Walt Disney World several years ago, it was impossible not to notice all of the marketing lessons going on.

We stayed at a Disney property for the week, so we got the full effect.

There were tons of lessons, but one of the best was how good they are at keeping everything self-contained. In other words, there is no reason to go "off property" to get anything. We drove there, by parked the car for the week. There were Disney buses that took us where we needed to go. There were plenty of restaurants and gift shops, and if we lwanted to go to nightclubs, we could have went to Downtown Disney (again, via bus).

Once we were there, 100% of our money was spent there. That philosophy is a given on a cruise ship, but much harder to pull off on land...in Orlando!

All the best,
Michael

Excellent Observation Michael.
I don't know how it works for disney and cruise ships, but I once had a friend who's job was to put together million dollar packages it. he worked with the airlines, hotels putting these packages together. what he actually did was negotiate buying property overseas. so, when we take those bargain 5 day 4 night vacations, everything in and around the hotels were owned by the airlines, including the tourist spots and basically anything within a 5 to 10 mile radius. so, there was no way the big bad corp wasn't going to make money.

I guess we could all pull this off with a network of sites or something. I know I am definitely going to roll out with a low end high strategy. Which I learned to well working in car rentals. Avis and Budget were the same company same cars basically, except one small difference if the milage was high budget got the car. Most car rental companies had the same strategy.

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Gene Pimentel

12 years ago

Michael, absolutely true. Just about everything we did, whether on the ship or out on excursions, was a profit center for the cruise line. I'd be hard-pressed to name something we purchased that didn't benefit the cruise line monetarily. It's a very well oiled machine.

Thanks
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Michael Oksa

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel

Michael, absolutely true. Just about everything we did, whether on the ship or out on excursions, was a profit center for the cruise line. I'd be hard-pressed to name something we purchased that didn't benefit the cruise line monetarily. It's a very well oiled machine.

And it's a machine that makes most people really happy. At Disney they explained how staying on property made everything more convenient, and it did, but they never explained that the real purpose was to get more money from their guests.

Oh yeah, and you are a "guest" not a "visitor" or "customer".

And the parks were spotless.

And the staff was very helpful and friendly.

Crowd control was done seamlessly.

And...

The list of marketing lessons that I noticed at Disney is long, and I'm sure you have several more examples, as well. BUT...the really good marketing is the stuff we didn't even notice.

All the best,
Michael

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Gene Pimentel

12 years ago

I might add - the open refrigerator concept is not only an extremely potent marketing method, but it easily bypasses the "parent" filter. The cruises do not post a sign telling anyone that there is a price to using the beverages - many people assume it is there for the taking. Kids reach in and grab a beverage on impulse. Kids tend to not be concerned about whether or not there "may" be a cost.

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seanocoso

12 years ago

Absolutely right - good post. This model is on offer in alot of places. Just look at ikea for example. They make you follow a set route through their store, put stuff you don't need in front of you and expect you to buy it. And it works. Nothing like impulse buying.

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wordpressmania

12 years ago

If you permit, I will use part of this post for my next WSO....

Thanks

Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel

I just returned from a WONDERFUL cruise, which stopped at all the Hawaiian islands. It was not only a very, very exciting fun-filled vacation, but also had MANY marketing lessons for anyone who cared to observe. Cruises make the bulk of their money on all the "extras".

I'll share just one of the more obvious lessons here. In each of the hundreds of staterooms on the cruise ship, there is a fully stocked refrigerator containing a wide variety of liquors and softdrinks. Something to satisfy every member of the family.

Actually, something to "entice" every member of the family. The refrigerator is always in plain site, and every time someone gets thirsty, it is just incredibly convenient to reach in and grab a drink of choice to quench the thirst. No up-front payment or credit card needed - it's almost too easy to "buy".

The next day, while we're out having fun, the refrigerator is restocked, and inventory is taken. Whatever we consumed the day before is simply added to our cruise "tab" at the end of the trip.

Nobody tried to sell us on consuming the beverages. They just kept it in front of our face and let us sell ourselves. They were well aware that after a day of playing on the beaches and touring etc., that the last thing we wanted to do was to leave our room again to seek out a place to buy beverages. All we had to do is reach into the well stocked refrigerator for instant gratification.

The lesson: CONVENIENCE sells. Make it easy, and almost irresistible for your customers to buy. Make it a painless process.

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Aliasjackjones

12 years ago

Wow! that's such a great way of selling. Amazing stuff. So simple yet so effective.

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Isaiah Jackson

12 years ago

Excellent post dude valuable lesson indeed and while on vacation thats awesome

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lordspace 12 years ago

Thanks for sharing Gene!
I bet the ship was designed with the valuable feedback from psychologists for better experience and *conversion*.
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George Wright

12 years ago

Profound Gene,

On the caribbean cruises, cruise lines actually own some of the islands they stop at and if not the entire island, at least they own the section of the island where they dock.

Talk about a captive audience.

George Wright

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Gene Pimentel

12 years ago

Originally Posted by George Wright

Profound Gene,

On the caribbean cruises, cruise lines actually own some of the islands they stop at and if not the entire island, at least they own the section of the island where they dock.

Talk about a captive audience.

George Wright

Yup, and when they don't own the island, they share in the revenue generated by all the tour companies and excursions that come to the ship to pick up passengers. There are hundreds of other partnerships that are not even seen.

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OPTIMUSMKTG

12 years ago

That's exactly what most of the top Vegas hotels do. $5.00 for a 12oz Heineken can!

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Michael Franklin

12 years ago

Great story, Gene....

It's amazing how many businesses are doing the exact OPPOSITE...that is not promoting convenience.

I could name a whole bunch but a few airlines come to mind.

In any event, this should be required reading for all business owners. Too many take their customers for granted!

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JohnMcCabe

12 years ago

Gene, my wife and I took one of those cruises a few years ago, and it was indeed wonderful.

Your lesson on the refrigerator extends throughout the ship. Every time you turn around, a smiling, attractive person is offering you a drink. And they never ask for money, just your cabin number.

There were folks that were shocked to find that their bar tab cost more than their cabin. They never even thought about the cost, just the wonderful, frosty tropical drinks in paradise (at $8-$12 a pop).

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Gene Pimentel

12 years ago

Even stealthier - they give each member of the family a room card. Makes it dead easy for anybody to purchase anything on the ship without 'paying'. Gotta really make it clear to the kids that it costs real money every time they use their room card.

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JohnMcCabe

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Gene Pimentel

Even stealthier - they give each member of the family a room card. Makes it dead easy for anybody to purchase anything on the ship without 'paying'. Gotta really make it clear to the kids that it costs real money every time they use their room card.

No kids, but had to keep reminding myself...