Why you ask? Well, first they send in a spy to check out the bar and to sample the food and drinks. In my case I look at the website and evaluate. They figure out why the bar is losing money, re-design the space and fix the deficiencies. Very similar process for me but I don’t get as angry as the host of Bar Rescue. (Most of the time)
I was watching an episode the other day. The bar owner had sold his previous bar. He then opened a new place across the street. This particular bar was in New Orleans which means it is one of the few places in the US where you sell drinks to go. Instead of coming up with a new concept, he copied the plastic to-go cup in color and looks. (the old bar had a green hand grenade shape at the bottom, the new one had a turtle motif on the bottom, but both looked identical) The result? They got sued for copyright infringement and spent $100,000 defending the suit. His bar ended up a cheap copy of his old place and the result was a cheap imitation that was easy to miss. So easy in fact, that the spies which were sent in actually walked by the place!
So, this made me think in terms of new websites and new business branding. Often times clients will look at their competitors and want to copy what they see. Now competitive analysis is a great first start when you are in the process of getting a new business venture going. But copying what they’re doing is never a good idea. You want your own original branding strategy. Readers to my blog will remember I spoke about names in my last post. You also want to think very carefully before you name your new business. If you choose a name which there are already five or six other companies with the same name, chances are you will not get a great domain. And even worse, you actually drive traffic to those sites.
Bottom line: Be original in your name, your design and everything you do so that you establish your own brand and company identity. You want to differentiate yourself, not copy others. Do your competitive analysis, but think of ways you can be better than the existing competition. As the web world is ever changing, chances are your website is a good place to outdo your competition as you can have the most up to date website with the latest technology.
Being original in branding, business name, design, and everything you do is crucial for several reasons:
1. Differentiation: In a crowded marketplace, originality helps you stand out from the competition. It enables you to establish a unique identity and create a distinct brand image that sets you apart. Originality helps consumers remember and recognize your business, leading to better brand recall and differentiation from competitors.
2. Brand Identity: Originality allows you to develop a strong brand identity that aligns with your values, mission, and target audience. It gives you the opportunity to craft a narrative and personality that resonates with your customers. By being original, you can communicate your brand story effectively and build an emotional connection with your audience.
3. Authenticity: Originality promotes authenticity, which is crucial for building trust with your customers. People are drawn to genuine and original brands that have a clear purpose and offer unique value. By being true to your vision and expressing it through your branding, you can establish credibility and foster long-term relationships with your audience.
4. Memorable and Impactful: Originality helps create memorable experiences for your customers. When your branding, business name, and design are original, they have a higher chance of leaving a lasting impression on people’s minds. Memorable branding leads to word-of-mouth referrals, increased customer loyalty, and a positive brand reputation.
5. Competitive Advantage: Originality gives you a competitive edge by allowing you to offer something different and innovative. By introducing fresh ideas and unique approaches, you can attract customers who are seeking novel experiences or solutions. Originality can help you disrupt traditional markets, capture attention, and gain a competitive advantage over rivals.
6. Intellectual Property Protection: Being original helps you protect your intellectual property, such as trademarks, copyrights, and patents. By creating original designs, logos, and names, you reduce the risk of infringing on existing intellectual property rights. Protecting your original assets ensures that your business remains distinct and legally safeguarded.
In summary, originality in branding, business name, design, and all aspects of your business is vital for differentiation, brand identity, authenticity, memorability, competitive advantage, and intellectual property protection. By being original, you can create a strong foundation for your business and attract the attention and loyalty of your target audience.
HealthCare.gov – Huge roll out tainted by performance problems, and defects. Now while there is plenty of blame to go around, to me it comes down to some basics. Someone had to signoff on the website, with the knowledge about the remaining open bugs, as well as the performance issues. Every big company does performance testing, including longevity tests, capacity, etc. Someone high up had to say “GO”.
What you can take away: No matter how good your website developer is, typically websites have defects. As a website owner, you can do your own user acceptance testing. Don’t go live until to are happy with your website. Do not allow your website to be launched with bugs you deem to be high severity.
Chevy Nova – This may be more urban myth than reality but its still a good lesson. The story goes that Chevrolet tried to sell their car in Mexico but failed due to the name. No Va translates to ‘No Go’ which is obviously not a great selling point!
What you can take away: Names are important. In terms of websites, when picking your name, consider competition. Don’t choose a name that there are 100s with the same name. For one thing, you won’t get a good domain name, and you will have people finding your competition when searching by name in search engines.
AAA – This is story defies common sense. I had Triple A for many years. I then bought a car that had free roadside assistance and my insurance company offers it as well. So I didn’t need AAA. But with a daughter in college, I wanted the added protection. Here is the amazing thing. They won’t let me get Triple A Plus, which is MORE money. I wanted plus as it includes 100 miles towing. Truthfully the 3 mile towing you get with basic is useless. So here is what they said, you have to have basic coverage for 2 years before upgrading no matter how long you were a member for. So they won’t let you pay MORE. In this economy they are turning away money and worse, lost a potential customer since I will now go elsewhere. The dumbest part of this? This is a regional club rule specific to Southern NE AAA. They even send me their rule book. Horrible customer service.
What you can take away: In this economy do everything you can to meet the needs of your customers. NEVER refuse your customer’s needs and wants. If your website restricts users from actually upgrading their order, fix it. Fix it fast. And customer service means the customer is always right (remember that old adage?). You may not be the biggest company but you can have the best customer service.
BlackBerry – This was the single device you had to have as a business person. They lost their way and tried to compete with iPhones and other touch screen devices and lost their core audience. Now they can’t get back the business user and is a company in free fall.
What you can take away: Stick to what works. if something is selling on your website, or if your informational site does well, don’t get away from what is working. A new site isn’t necessary better and getting away from selling what people have bought from you is business suicide.
Western Union – Western Union had a shot to buy the patents from Alexander Graham Bell for $100,000 but said no. This is considered the worst mistake of an American CEO.
What you can take away – Be open to new things. Especially on the web. It wasn’t that long ago that we had no such thing as responsive design. Now it is almost mandatory building a website. Flash was a staple, now it is rarely used. Things change, be nimble and accept that this industry is always evolving.
Bottom Line: Fortunately small business errors aren’t under the microscope and publicized like the larger companies and agencies above. But to a small business an error can be crucial and mean the difference before survival and being forced to close.
