Differentiation

NJ Wine Shop Thrives on Marketing Differentiation

Harvey Chimoff 1 Comment

Amanti Vino is different than its competitors, and that means special benefits for customers.

The Montclair, NJ retailer (wine, spirits, and specialty microbrew) is led by Sharon Sevrens, a former investment banker turned sommelier and wine educator.

Sevrens and her store generate significant earned media coverage. She’s been featured on CNBC and CBS (New York) television, profiled in The Wall Street Journal, and is a Huffington Post blogger.

Taste the Action: 3+ Marketing Differentiation Examples

Amanti Vino. Montclair, NJ. Credit. Amanti Vino.

Amanti Vino – Montclair, NJ. Credit. Amanti Vino.

Hand-Selected Wines

“We taste thousands of wines each year so that I can identify the very best for each region, varietal, price point, etc. We taste the bad wines so you don’t have to!”

CONTINUE READING

Marketing is Fun, Differentiation is Hard. Part 3 of 3.

Harvey Chimoff Leave a comment

This is the final post in a three-part series this week on marketing differentiation.

Part 1 highlighted New York City wine retailer Taste Wine Company (User Experience Innovation Creates New Kind of Wine Store). The innovative idea propelling this new venture: shoppers can taste every bottle before buying!

Part 2 featured European hotel brand Mama Shelter, and their USA launch in Los Angeles (Redefining the Boutique Hotel Experience for an American Audience).

In this final installment, we’ll take a look at the Jewish National Fund (JNF). Why did a nonprofit best-known for planting trees in Israel participate at this year’s South by Southwest® (SXSW®) festival?

Kosher Carne - JNF at SXSW 2015

“Meet Me at My Place” or Create Experiences Where Your Customers Are

It’s a common marketing desire:  How can we broaden our reach and attract new customers? Continue reading →

Marketing is Fun, Differentiation is Hard. Part 2.

Harvey Chimoff 2 Comments

This is part two of a three-part series on marketing differentiation.

Part 1 highlighted New York City wine retailer Taste Wine Company (User Experience Innovation Creates New Kind of Wine Store).  The innovative idea propelling this new venture:  shoppers can taste every bottle before buying!

Today, in Part 2, we take a look at global hotel brand Mama Shelter, and how its founders are putting a different spin on the US boutique hotel business.

Credit: Mama Shelter.

Credit: Mama Shelter.

 

 

Redefining Boutique Hotel Experience for an American Audience

The Mama Shelter hotel brand is an example of both marketing differentiation and a global-brand applied geographically. Continue reading →

Marketing is Fun, Differentiation is Hard. A 3-Part Series.

Harvey Chimoff 2 Comments

Marketing is fun – and hard work.

It’s the latter part that’s not always so obvious.

I remember a former colleague who sought a cross-functional transfer from technical product management into global marketing.  I asked why.  Her response:  marketing is more fun.

Yes, marketing can be fun, but like the rest of business, it’s also a serious challenge.  Non-marketing observers may not realize all the hard work and preparation required to achieve success.

Which leads to the focus of this post – marketing differentiation.  It’s hard to do.

To stimulate your thinking, I have three new examples to share.  Note how the idea of “customer experience” is central to each marketing story.

And, I’m experimenting with something different myself to provide a better reader experience:  short, one-example posts on three consecutive days.

Part 1:

User Experience Innovation Creates New Kind of Wine Store

https://twitter.com/TasteWineCo/status/616788732751032320 Continue reading →

Texas Bus Company Caters to Fed-Up Air Travelers

Harvey Chimoff 2 Comments

You might think the bus transportation business – and bus operator marketing – are boring.

That’s the wrong answer in Texas, where a new company offers a unique transportation option to fed-up Lone Star State travelers.

Credit: Vonlane.

Credit: Vonlane.

Vonlane puts a smart-differentiation twist on the old-fashioned bus ride.  It’s a reminder that when you think like an end-user, you may find a path toward commercially successful differentiation.

Vonlane demonstrates, at least sometimes, that what appears to be a commodity product or service doesn’t have to be the same as everyone else. Continue reading →