Great article in Ad Age today about the spiral of Retail Advertising by the one and only Al Ries Retailers Make Same Marketing Mistake as Airlines . I love Al. He talks about brands that zagged when most zigged. The my price is lower than your price is sustainable only so long. And all the 'we can't be beat' mantras! How about a little differentiation in the merchandise? How about a pleasant shopping experience. My Kohls experience on Black Friday had to be one of the worst retail experiences I've ever had. Awful. But hey, they had the Scene It DVD Game for 24.99! I guess thats worth a couple points on my blood pressure.
I have to admit though, even though they all suck - I do like looking through the 40-50 inserts each retailer had in the newspaper. I like laughing at their suckiness and over my coffee wonder how they hell they think people really care about the shit they have in their preprints. Trust me, I have made a few of those in my advertising days and care to forget the experience. It is the most expensive and narcisstic experience that a retailer goes through month after month.
The only brand that I feel does it right on discounting is Old Navy. Why? Because they make it fun, they make it cool and their store makes you feel like you are having fun. Their clothes are trendy but still cheap. Their identity is integrated not only in look and feel, but in attitude. They get it.
No wonder why retail results lag every year. When are they going to get it? I mean even Wal-Mart can't get it right. If you remember, last year they didnt discount as much and they didnt have any advertising in the printed paper in December. This year, they discounted, advertised in December but moved away from their core audience with higher fashion apparel. I think that is a cop out. Their apparel is not "higher fashion" by the way. What makes them think that people that make lower incomes dont want to look cool?
Remember this, there is always an excuse for the retailers. Where do I get the job as CEO making millions and year after year I can just crank up the excuse-o-rama machine and explain the Wall Street why we missed our forecasts. I can hear them now: Warmer than expected weather, Gas prices rose, The Salvation Army guys rang their bells too loud, Julie Roehm was sleeping with her direct report and on and on.
