One Day One Idea : use offbeat humour to sell your stuffs

The marketing idea in brief

Sometimes in worthwhile to be “offbeat”, i.e. not to follow the rules (especially the marketing ones). Look for instance at the example of this store I came across while in Barcelona on Passeig de Garcia. Pitty I can’t remember its name. It was just crowdy, full of people looking for the latest gadget to buy in this modern bric-a-brac. Even if you had already everything on earth you’d find something to buy here: from iPod speakers to kitchen accessories for the most demanding amateurs, through wooden toys made in Germany, there was something to please even the most demanding ones.

Advice for your market research and your business plan (be it in Brussels, Belgium or elsewhere)

An important aspect of your business plan is about the attraction of future customers. This part is often neglected (because it’s a difficult one and because it’s also one of the last) and more often than not I read laconic description of how social media will help attract millions of customers. Let be honest. This is bullshit. Stop thinking that social media will solve your problems; stop believing those who say so. This is not true and especially not for SMEs and startups. There are a few exceptions of course but I encourage you to look in the dictionary for the definition of the word exception.