Knowledge@W. P. Carey -- Marketing and Services Leadership

The New Frugality: Will It Last or Languish?

Wed, 27 May 2009 15:23:34 EST

Parsimony is a little like dancing, according to marketing Professor John Lastovicka. It's something anyone can learn, but some have more talent for it than others. What's more, the truly penny-wise take pleasure in their penny pinching. But, he adds, frugality is a tough road to walk, one he believes will be "difficult to make popular during times of plenty." Lastovicka is one of the few researchers who's examined lifestyles of those who scrimp and save -- work that's especially timely during a recession.

Arizona Cardinals' Super Bowl Trip Provides Timely Boost for Phoenix Economy

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:34:21 EST

"Victory is contagious, and food always tastes better when you win," says Ray Artigue, the former senior vice president of the Phoenix Suns, who is now a professor of practice in the marketing department at the W. P. Carey School of Business and director of the W. P. Carey MBA Sports Business Program. With the Arizona Cardinals playing in this weekend's 43^rd Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers, merchants will be selling a lot of food, beer, wine and other beverages this weekend in Phoenix. Fans are also snapping up truckloads of Arizona Cardinals caps, jerseys, t-shirts and other memorabilia. Although it's hard to measure the impact of the game on the Cardinals' home town, the extra cha-ching at cash registers couldn't have come at a better time.

Sending Clear Messages: Communicating the 'Core Idea'

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:34:21 EST

People who know Mike Figliuolo likely were unsurprised when he founded a training and development firm called "thoughtLEADERS, LLC" in 2004. Up to that point, every stage of his career led seamlessly to the next, as he groomed himself in teamwork, delegating, structure, strategy and leadership. "My background is critical to the firm," he explained. "I spent so much time in meetings, listening to presentations that were poorly communicated and left me and other participants unsure of what the message was, what the next step should be and how their research backed up their hypothesis." Figliuolo was a speaker at the 19th Annual Compete Through Service Symposium, sponsored by the Center for Services Leadership at the W. P. Carey School.

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh: Customer Focus Key to Record Sales During Retail Slump

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:42:48 EST

Wearing faded gray jeans, a gray striped shirt and black sneakers, Tony Hsieh hardly looks the part of a $1 billion company's CEO. But as Hsieh addressed a session of the 19th Annual Compete Through Service Symposium sponsored by the W. P. Carey School of Business, those in suits and leather shoes took notice of the witty but reserved 34-year-old with an uncanny business sense who a decade ago built a $265 million Internet advertising company and then sold it to Microsoft. Hsieh now is head of Zappos, an online company founded in 1999 to sell shoes, which has since expanded into clothing, housewares, cookware and even electronics. But more than merchandise, Zappos is selling customer service and corporate culture.

Podcast: Persuading Nervous Customers to Buy

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:42:48 EST

With the economy continuing to falter, consumer product and service companies are looking for every edge to bring in business. Robert Cialdini, a professor of marketing at the W. P. Carey School and author of "Yes: 50 Scientifically-Proven Ways to be Persuasive," talks about the psychological tendencies that determine whether you or your company can persuade a customer to buy your product. In uncertain times, people want to know what the experts say, and what other people like them are doing.

Geek Squad: Best Buy's Corporate Mythology

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:42:48 EST

We all know the Best Buy brand -- the big-box stores have been around for 30 years, populated by employees wearing blue shirts, selling products emblazoned with the yellow tag. Around 10 years ago, services began taking center stage -- derailing some industry leaders and empowering others. It was time to do something different. Best Buy leaders "started looking at how to get closer to our customers," said Sean Skelley, senior vice president of services for Best Buy Co., Inc. They came up with the concept of "relatable mythology," a story that connects the business to its customers. Skelley was speaking to customer-service leaders attending the Compete Through Service Symposium, an annual event hosted by the Center for Services Leadership at the W.P. Carey School of Business.

Dave Lewis: Creating the Creativity Economy

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:27:51 EST

In Canada, a group of Nike employees meets once a week in the same place at the same time for a creative brainstorming session. But there's an element that keeps the sessions from going stale. The meetings are on a Toronto subway car. "Gray Formica meeting spaces lead to Gray Formica thinking," Dave Lewis told an audience at the Center for Services Leadership at Arizona State University's 19th Annual "Compete Through Service" symposium. The mission of Lewis' company, ?What if! The Innovation Company, is to shake folks out of stale thinking. But Lewis knows that there isn't necessarily a fast train that takes companies to a more innovative and creative place. Creativity that leads to innovation, Lewis said, tends to be more a habit than a destination.

Podcast: Framing the Issue -- Did 'Bailout' Label Skew Debate?

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:46:56 EST

Secretary Hank Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke learned a lesson from Media Relations 101 the hard way when they introduced a plan of action to stem the financial crises and did not suggest a catchy name for it. Left without a headline phrase, the media came up with its own: "Bailout." The negative connotations associated with "bailout" contributed to its initial defeat in the House of Representatives. Management professor Gerry Keim, who studies the relationship between business and government, uses the episode to talk about the importance of choosing words carefully when framing an issue.

'Sway' Answers the Age-Old Question: 'What Was I Thinking?'

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:54:52 EST

Brothers Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman followed different paths in life, but they decided to collaborate on a book when they realized that Ori, with his MBA, and Rom, with a Ph.D. in psychology, kept running into the same dynamic puzzle through their work: What makes smart people make irrational decisions? In "Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior," the brothers Brafman attempt to explore several of the psychological forces that derail rational thinking. Some of the questions they address include: How do these forces creep up on us? When are we most vulnerable to them? How do they affect our careers, businesses, personal relationships? When do they put our finances, or even our lives, at risk? And why don't we realize when we're getting swayed?

"OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder": Has Branding Jumped the Tracks?

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:51:21 EST

In his book "OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder," Lucas Conley asserts that branding has gotten out of hand. At it's worst it is deceptive, he writes, and it diverts companies away from real product improvement to focus on superficial details. "Branding offers the satisfaction of a sense of change without the hard work," Conley writes.

China's Planned Entry into the Service Sector

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:55:07 EST

The Chinese don't do things halfway, as anyone who's visited Beijing in the run-up to the Olympics can attest. So when China's economic planners decided recently to begin shifting the foundations of the Chinese economy from manufacturing to services, you might expect the country would embrace the shift with similar single-minded enthusiasm. And on the surface, it has. But as Chinese government policymakers and businesspeople are learning, decreeing a service sector into existence doesn't necessarily make it so. China's move from manufacturing to services was the topic of a panel discussion at the Fifth Annual Shanghai National Accounting Institute-Arizona State University Executive Forum.

Bottlemania: When the Best Things in Life Are No Longer Free

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:55:07 EST

A bottle of water is a simple thing -- unless it isn't. In the 15 or so years since we began spotting celebrities toting their bottles of designer water, Americans have taken up the habit, whether for health reasons or the desire to be seen with the newest exotic label. But a strange new trend began cropping up in recent years. New eco-consciousness in the form of climate change awareness and the privatization of water sources has begun to chip away at bottled water chic. Investigative journalist Elizabeth Royte set out to find the real story behind the bottled-water phenomenon in her book, "Bottlemania: How Water Went On Sale and Why We Bought It." The result is a fascinating story of one of the greatest marketing coups of the 20^th century, as well as a powerful environmental wake-up call.

Eat, Drink and Go Shopping: Why Thoughts of Death Whet Consumers' Appetite for Stuff

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:55:07 EST

In the days and weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, millions of Americans came to grips with one undeniable fact: They were going to die. As documented in various media reports, Americans in the wake of those attacks began doing all of the things they had always wanted to do. That included, apparently, a whole lot of shopping. They bought pricy luxury items -- Rolex watches, Mercedes Benz automobiles, high-end clothing -- and stocked up on food and supplies like never before. In her most recent paper, W. P. Carey marketing Professor Naomi Mandel explains how "mortality salience" -- that is, the awareness that one will die -- can directly impact the way we eat, drink and shop.

No Secrets Here: 'Inspired Marketing!'

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:59:37 EST

Joe Vitale's latest book talks about the marketing power of making emotional connections with buyers. Fans will find an assortment of time-honored marketing principles wrapped up in New Age feel-good. But haven't we heard them before?

Ushering In China's Service Revolution

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:49:41 EST

China is no stranger to revolution, so it's hardly surprising that the country's business leaders and academics are talking about an approaching service revolution that will transform the manufacturing behemoth into a leading global services provider. "The future of China is services," said Gary Bridge, senior vice president of Cisco Systems, to a packed and enthusiastic Shanghai audience at the recent inaugural "Creating Value Through Service" symposium organized by the Center of Service Marketing and Management at Fudan University and the W. P. Carey School's Center for Services Leadership.

Enjoy the Ride: Harley-Davidson's User Community

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:49:14 EST

User communities, usually associated with technology products, help customers connect with each other and the brand. User communities are not just for computer products, however. An exceptional example of developing and sustaining an active, dynamic user community is Harley-Davidson Motorcycles. Harley Executive Ron Hutchinson outlined the motorcycle company's user community and its role in entering the China market at the recent "Creating Value through Service" symposium in Shanghai. The event was organized by the W. P. Carey School's Center for Services Leadership and the Center of Service Marketing and Management at Fudan University.

Building Loyalty through Customer Experience

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:48:45 EST

While most companies agree on the importance of a loyal customer base, it remains an elusive goal. Many companies that track customer satisfaction quickly become frustrated and sometimes abandon loyalty efforts, according to Dr. Larry Crosby, Chief Loyalty Architect at global research and consultancy Synovate. "I'm happy to say there is a new loyalty management concept in town and that's the notion of the customer experience," said Crosby at the recent "Creating Value Through Service" symposium in Shanghai. The event was organized by the W. P. Carey School's Center for Services Leadership and the Center of Service Marketing and Management at Fudan University.

Employees First: Strategies for Service

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:48:58 EST

The customer is king, an old service mantra says. But today a few industry leaders argue the employee, not the customer, is most important. "Take great care of your employees and they will take great care of your customers," said Mike Jannini, Executive Vice President of Marriott International, at the "Creating Value Through Service" symposium. The event was organized by the W. P. Carey School's Center for Services Leadership and the Center of Service Marketing and Management at Fudan University.

Economic Impact Study: Phoenix Scores Big with Super Bowl XLII

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:10:01 EST

Arizona brought its "A" game to the Super Bowl -- both on the field and off -- with a winning coordination of events at Glendale's University of Phoenix Stadium. A memorable week of Super Bowl festivities generated a record $500.6 million in direct and indirect spending by visiting fans and organizations, according to the newly released Super Bowl impact study produced by the W. P. Carey MBA Sports Business program.

Stickiness Is Powerful: Making Your Message Count

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:10:01 EST

Books touting ways to improve business communication skills command acres of shelf space in local bookstores, mostly in the Bargain Bin section. They're literally "a dime a dozen." Then there are the true classics that take pride of place in front of the store, year after year. "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die" is destined to be one of the latter. Chip and Dan Heath have taken an old topic which has vexed generations of communicators and given it new energy and ease of application.