High on Conversations

It’s tough for corporate leadership to accept that most products and services have little (if any) competitive differentiation that truly matters to customers.

There may be slight feature set and functionality uniqueness, yet most offerings that survive past the launch phase address customer needs just fine. And pity the poor professional services providers as they are relegated to the “difference is our people” cliché.

This is why marketing, and corporate positioning through public relations and social media are so critical. People buy products and services that they perceive are different and special, and typically rely on companies they know and trust.

I think the New York Times’ new video-based viral marketing campaign called “Conversations” is a real home run. It presents well known celebrities, athletes and actors in a creative and unexpected way discussing their favorite section of NYTimes.com.

Plus, the newspaper has promoted the campaign through traditional channels such as advertising and public relations, as well as in social media circles. This has helped make the campaign a story in itself.

Good show, New York Times. You’ve got me as a reader!