How not to win points with bloggers

As someone who writes a weblog that gets thousands of visitors a week, I receive an e-mail like this every few days (the names have been deleted out of politeness): === From: [deleted] Sent: Friday, August 22, 2008 7:56 AM…

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Marsha Keeffer

Harvard Business Publishing: Umair Haque - What Apple Knows That Facebook Doesn’t

Too often, we don’t recognize the power of platforms - even in Silicon Valley. Nilofer Merchant, Rubicon’s CEO, writes frequently on the topic and ties it together with strategy. The piece below by Umair Haque, draws an interesting difference between…

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Fusion may make for good music, but it makes for poor marketing

This morning I heard an ad on the radio for the new Jaguar XF that made me think Ford’s influence at Jaguar is being felt. While Jaguar for years had trouble building cars that actually ran—and Ford has helped immeasurably on this practical front—Jaguar managed to stay true to its niche market: no station wagons or SUVs. Ford doesn’t do niches, however, and is now attempting to broaden the market for the Jaguar line beyond the market for high-powered cars that live in the shop. The high-level strategy is sound, but the execution makes one wonder if everyone is on the same page or if anyone remembers how Jaguar built its brand.

I’m paraphrasing the ad as I was driving, but three statements struck me:

The XF drives like a sports car, but has the interior of a luxury car.

It has the refined lines of a coupe, but with four doors. (Aside: it kind of looks like a second-generation Taurus.)

They used the term “fusion” to describe the XF.

So what’s wrong with this? In a marketing environment where companies are trying to target their wares more narrowly (one-to-one marketing, segments of one ), Jaguar is selling a car targeted more broadly at… I don’t really know. Reminds me of the AMC Eagle, a car that fused AMC’s economical passenger car line with its off-road-focused Jeep line, giving people a rugged, high-ground clearance, 4WD… economy car! Generally, “fusion” is bad marketing as it typically covers up a lack of commitment to a specific target.

This is why contractors use many purpose-built tools rather than relying on a Leatherman Multi-Tool to try to do everything. Good marketing is no different.

Here are some other examples of “marketing fusion.”

“American & Chinese Food, Prime Rib, Seafood” at a place called Bavarian Village