Thursday, December 8, 2016

AMiable Solution #213: Mass Production

I admit it: during the week leading up to Thanksgiving, I fell for a network’s hype and watched a number of made-for-tv Christmas movies.  And I realized something pretty quickly: they all started to look the same. 

Some of the actors or actresses appeared in more than one of the movies.  The plots were pretty similar and predictable (troubled Christmas town/business looks doomed but is saved in the end by a seemingly unlikely source and love interest).  And three of the movies I watched ended the exact same way: the camera gave a soft-focus shot of a lit Christmas tree and then panned up.

The television network these movies aired on proudly boasted having 19 new Christmas movies this year, but I felt duped.

How often do we see organizations do this: repackage the same product or service or campaign with a slight tweak and hope that we, the consumers, don’t notice the lack of originality or value?  We believe it makes financial and strategic sense to build new things based on proven formulas, but at some point someone has to realize that consumers need more.


Are your “new” products or campaigns reruns or truly unique and beneficial offerings?  Will your market tune you in or out?   If you’re repackaging the same old story, your ending might not be as cheerful.

No comments:

Post a Comment