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Market Research

Market Strategy

Bread and Circuses

Andrew Penny, July 23 2024

2000 years ago, the satirist Juvenal coined the phrase ‘Bread and Circuses’ to chastise the Roman populace. He observed that they were being distracted from their civic responsibilities by a steady diet of food and entertainment. The gladiatorial displays the government put on are a good example of this. In a strange twist, today's politicians...

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Market Strategy

Cupid for Business

Andrew Penny, February 13 2024

Personalization and Matching.  Dating apps use algorithms to match potential partners based on interests, behaviours, likes and dislikes* (see the last newsletter for more of these dislikes).  B2B marketing can leverage market research to determine the same sorts of criteria and create the best possible match between buyer and seller....

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Market Strategy

Opportunity Research vs Market Research

Andrew Penny, January 23 2024

Depending on who you ask, Market Research can mean focus groups, data analysis, demographic studies, customer surveys and any number of things. But no matter how it’s defined, it typically looks at a group of potential buyers and tries determine if they could be convinced to buy your product or

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Market Strategy

Kingsford’s Custom Market Research Service

Andrew Penny, December 5 2023

Are you: We have all heard the term Market Research and most often associate it with one of those bloated, generic reports that are tirelessly marketed on line. I will admit that even we succumb, occasionally, to their lure – only to be disappointed by the lack of applicability to the specific subject of interest. No matter what industry you...

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Market Strategy

Consider the Lobster

Andrew Penny, October 10 2023

Some companies soar to greatness while others plod along, slow and steady; steady that is until the world shifts and they become obsolete… Consider the lobster. The lobster has a tough exoskeleton that protects it from predators. It lets it live a relatively safe and steady life. However, that safety comes with a big downside - it can't grow. As...

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Market Strategy

No One Wears Shoes

Andrew Penny, September 19 2023

Many years ago, a shoe-maker sent his best sales-person to a developing country to see if there was a market for shoes. He reported back, “The market is terrible – no one wears shoes”. Not being sure if this was true, the shoe-maker sent a consultant to double check, “The market is fantastic”, he reported, “No one wears

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Market Strategy

Wedge Categories

Andrew Penny, August 15 2023

Standing out and capturing attention can be difficult, especially when you're introducing a new product in a market where there are dozens of similar offerings. How do you find the right buyers and how do they find you. The larger the number of buyers, the more competitors you’ll have to face. A great way to solve this problem is to use a Wedge...

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Leadership & Management

The Problem with Echo Chambers

Andrew Penny, June 20 2023

The Chagres River feeds 2 billion gallons of fresh water each day into the 82km Panama Canal to move the immense cargo ships through the channel. The canal carries about 6% of the worlds trade. It’s forecast that a 6-foot drop in its water levels is likely by the end of July. This means that the vessels can only carry 60% of a full load and sail...

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Market Strategy

New Products to New Markets

Andrew Penny, May 23 2023

We’ve helped hundreds of companies take new products into new markets and when I say new products, I don’t mean a slightly better ‘me too’ product, but ones that completely change the way things have been done up till then. This includes tomato bio-char, de-pyrolysis of used tires, smart home grids, GPS farming, and many

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Market Strategy

Launching New Products

Andrew Penny, May 9 2023

I recently met with two CEOs who shared that one of their worst mistakes was hiring a senior sales executive to help them launch their new products. Seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it? New product, new market – hire a really good salesperson to lead the way. Unfortunately, it never works out

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