"Consumers want to escape over-marketization not the marketplace."
I love this quote from Professor Bernard Cova of Euromed Ecole de Management when he presented "Is Tribalism a Way for Consumers to Escape the Marketplace?" January 2006 to my MBA program during a month-long module at Domus Academy, Milan. Rather than think how you can sell a product or service, consider ways to help people create an organic experience. Consider two coffee shops. One shop advertises with giant signs. "$2 LARGE COFFEE + DONUT DEAL" in bright colors screaming out at me. The signs were so large that they blocked most of the window. 3 Cups in Chapel Hill was different - no blaring signs, no blue light specials, and no giant vats of coffee in sized cups. The man at the counter was authentic, explaining how the shop works with co-op farmers around the world to export fresh coffee and provide living wages. When I asked what kind of coffee they had, he showed me a sample of beans - whole coffee beans. He asked me if I wanted a sample, then grounded the whole bean and made an amazing French press. Two tips to help people escape over-marketization: 1. remove ugly "deal" signs from your shop or website 2. build a team of authentic people #1 takes a beat, #2 takes a heart.
