The Opportunity Guy - Opportunity Finder - Articles

Going Ga Ga to Get Results
By Joe Veneto, the Opportunity Guy

The world is going Ga Ga, or so it seems. The latest cultural icon on the scene is none other than Lady Gaga. In recent articles, she was named one of the top 100 most influential people of the decade by Time magazine and the #1 most creative person by Fast Company magazine. For me, she is like Madonna on steroids.

I recently saw her in a Larry King Live interview (on CNN) and learned that she refers to her fans as little monsters. She was scheduled to open for Michael Jackson's concert series before his death, and there was also an entire episode of Glee, the hit TV show, dedicated to her music.

This past weekend both Lady Gaga and I were in Boston. I decided to experience her energy and music, and to be part of the little monsters. She creates an amazing experience! It is completely staged with precision dancers, lavish sets, and some of the most outrageous costumes I have ever seen. The audience went wild, present company included.

Lady Gaga is all about pushing the envelope, busting out of norms and traditions, and challenging assumptions and beliefs. She will try just about anything to be different and get people's attention. Her music is pretty good too - Bad Romance, Poker Face, and Paparazzi. In tourism, we are trying to climb out of the crevice of the 2008/2009 meltdown. Things are starting to defrost, but there is a lot of money on the sidelines.

What are you doing to convert customers? Are you pushing the envelope? Are you challenging the assumptions or do you expect that business will come back in the same way? Your customers and their tastes will not be the same once they are thawed out! We are definitely moving to a new place and the need to go Ga Ga has never been greater.

The formula for capturing and converting consumers continues to change. Henry Harteveldt, at a recent ATME meeting said, "There is a new era of frugality called "neo-frugal chic." He said, "saving is a point of pride. However, value, reliability and past experience are equally important to price. People also want deals."

If value, reliability and past experience are equally important to price, this creates a big opportunity for savvy marketers. The offer you create must provide value in the mind of your customers. We must create a unique experience that customers will buy and emotionally connect with to generate results.

Ga Ga Opportunities

Are there new and innovative promotional partners that you can collaborate with to get your message out? This summer, the state of Ohio is partnering with Honda and others to do a mobile tour. They are traveling with a Honda Element, gas donated by Speedway, and a craft area for kids by Elmer products. The state is using the vehicle to travel to key customer markets to promote travel to Ohio.

The program is a win for all partners. It creates leverage and gets their products and messages to more markets than if they were going it alone. It also is a great Ga Ga example of thinking differently for Honda, a State Office of Tourism, and their partners.

The airlines have also gone Ga Ga over the past several years. They have freeze-framed every customer service and interaction to shake revenue out of travelers. Even though we travelers hate it, in the first quarter of 2010 fee revenue was up 33% to $769 million, and charges for change fees were another $554 million. This is unconscionable to most folks. However, airlines have completely changed their thinking and ours. Most people have never squeezed so much in a carry-on, and the overhead bins on planes have never been so full.

Now, I am not suggesting more fees for travel interactions, but it was innovative thinking that challenged assumptions to produce remarkable revenue streams for the airlines.

Given the continuous and ever-changing dynamics of the market and customers, who might you approach as a unique or innovative partner? How could you look at your business in a totally new way? Scale your ideas to your desired market segments and geographic target areas, recognizing that consumers who want value are also looking beyond price.

Here is a quick list of questions to consider in order to go Ga Ga and get results:

What are companies outside of travel you have never thought about as a potential partner?
What could you and your organization do to create something different, unique or outrageous?
What would be totally different than you are used to creating for a new product, promotion or partnership?

The market has changed in dramatic ways and as business begins to creep back to 2008 levels, the customers who are coming back are different. It's time to find your inner Gaga to create new and dynamic products, services, and experiences that will generate results for your business!

Good luck, travel monsters!

Opportunities Unlimited
P.O. Box 69-2359
Quincy, MA 02269
Phone: 617-786-9096 Fax: 617-786-1081
E-mail: Joe@opportunityguy.com

www.opportunityguy.com