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What were you doing 40 years ago (if you were even alive)? It’s hard to believe (for me) that a few days ago marked the 40th anniversary of Rush’s Moving Pictures album. A very influential album for its musicianship, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs – I think I wore it out listening so much!
Give this classic song a listen with me as we ‘get on with the fascination’ and ‘the underlying theme’ of the past week:
Segmentation is ‘In’ Again!
At times like these it’s dangerous to look too broadly for business opportunities. Instead it’s better to be very thoughtful about where to point your marketing and sales dollars. Now is the perfect time for a strategic rethink of which sets of customers are most likely to respond, despite – or as a result of – the ongoing crisis engulfing most countries around the world.
Crossing the Chasm was such an influential guide for me and many other high tech sales and marketing professionals. I loved the thoughtful process of segmentation and target market selection to help build awareness and move successfully through the Technology Adoption Life Cycle.
Chasm Group offers key guidelines for successfully targeting markets in today’s business environment:
- Become the default choice for a specific set of customers.
- Target a market segment that is big enough to matter.
- Delve deep to identify a micro-vertical.
- Think carefully about the issues/use cases you can serve better than others.
- Less is generally more – the deeper you go, the more likely you can succeed.
- Turn deals into references!
Check out the details here.
Concert Bubbles and Gilded Cages
Living on a lighted stage must certainly approach the unreal when your audience is inside 100 futuristic looking ‘space bubbles!’ The Flaming Lips have staged a unique pair of gigs recently in Oklahoma, with both the band and their audience inside individual inflatable balls. Each show accommodated 100 bubbles, holding up to three people each, with the band inside their own capsules.
Is this the future of live music?
Inside each bubble was a high-frequency speaker – which helped prevent the sound from being muffled – as well as a water bottle, a small fan, a towel, and an “I gotta go pee/hot in here” sign. If it got too hot, the bubble was refilled with cool air using a leaf blower, and fans who needed the bathroom were escorted by venue staff once they had put on a mask and stepped outside their cocoon.
I’m intrigued by the concept and look forward to seeing what other innovative ideas will be used by musicians and venues this year. How does this impact B2B? What will we start seeing at tradeshows?
A big part of any live event (music, B2B) is the ability to make connections with others. Other members of the audience, other business attendees, etc. Digital events seem to fall short on this front – but will our adapted event strategy be able to put aside the alienation and build that real connection that we crave?
Webinar – 2021 Demand Gen Strategies
We’re hosting another What Do B2B Marketers Do Now? event this month! Join me and Forrester SiriusDecisions as we discuss sales and marketing efficiencies and the best marketing strategies to hit your 2021 numbers!
As always, if I can help you out, let me know! Don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello.
(If you’re interested, here is a great explanation by Rick Beato on what makes “Limelight” by Rush such a great song – enjoy!)
Looking forward,
Rick
Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat