Spain, the new outsourcer

August 27th, 2005 • 3 comments To be filed

The Sept 5 issue of Business Week has an article declaring how Spain is becoming the next hotspot for huge corporations. Companies like Citigroup, General Motors, Hewelett-packard, Agilent technolgoes have already set up shop in Barcelona.

Wages in Spain have climbed 36% in since 1998– impressvive?

Experiencing Urban Outfitters

August 20th, 2005 • To be filed

I recently finished reading this very fascinating book about Managing Customer Expereince, by Bernd Schmitt. I had siad once that Design was the only differentiating factor– but I think Customer Experience will soon be replacing that. From the experience offered in low-cost carriers to stores–so many customers rely on their friends, family and colleagues to tell them about their experience with a certain product or company before trying it themselves.

Two stores that offer avery good experience (to me!) are Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters. Owned by the same company, everytime I walk into these stores– I never know what I’m going to find in there. There’s always an element of surprise. Esp. at Urban Outfitters, they position sexy Puma sneakers right next to a metallic pair of closed platform heeled punk-rock boots! It;s like a Treasure Hunt in that store—since the last few weeks, (that I’ve started earning not-so-embarrasingly-low-salary) I’ve been going to UF a few times a week and I walked out thrilled with the deals I find in them… The sales people are usually nice… ready to help… there’s always a bad apple when it comes to that though.

But all in all, I walk in that store sometimes, simply for the experience.

Product Placement to Another Level

August 18th, 2005 • To be filed

Is this off-limits? Would people actually pay to see their name in a Stephen King of a John Grisham novel? For one– I applaud the genious marketers who came up with this idea, product placement in books! But on a more conscious level– isn’t it stretching it a bit too far !

Actually I take that back. What would be stretching it far would be Company wars over nameing the recently discovered 10th planet. IgorInternational’s blog has a fine take on that.