As an Interior Designer I have a very creative mind and love all things art, I also have this crazy obsession with looking at what works in business no matter what their focus is (that’s that left side of my brain working). You could say I am a bit of an info geek!
So lately I have been reading this amazing blog series written by Jay Deragon http://www.relationship-economy.com/?p=8880 that a good friend, who is a brilliant financial business consultant, sent me and I got totally hooked!
Also having a deep relationship with the interior design world, I am always trying to think about ways all this business information might be able to translate to help grow the industry of design since it is very unique and steeped in the world of creativity and art and not typically run as a corporation.
The truth is, that business is business and the interior design world, in my opinion, needs to adapt a more “fortune 500″ way of thinking. We have never felt this more than during this crumbling economy.
The first sentence in Mr. Deragon’s blog series caught my eye immediately. “Those who do extraordinary things change the game for those that don’t. Changing the game for others means you do something which changes the rules of the game before those following the old rules know it.”
He sites just a few game changers like Apple, Google and even Barack Obama on how he leveraged the internet to raise contributions and take his message to millions of internet users.
He also wisely says: “Jumping from one technology to another there is a frenzy of tactical maneuvers, creative uses and all indicative of a race with no clear end in mind”.The limelight of tactical and creative attempts to get the audiences attention are but for a moment”.
“Strategy is What Changes the Game Not Tactics”
Mr. Deragon, couldn’t have said it better myself!
So where does Pepsi fit into all of this, and what can the interior design industry learn?
For years, we have done “BUSINESS AS USUAL”. It has totally effected our industry from interior designers to vendors to showrooms to design centers. The real definition of trickle down. It’s just not working anymore, we need to change it up.
Pepsi is doing just that. For years they took the traditional road of marketing through magazines and television ads. I am sure we can ALL think of an amazing Pepsi ad that cost millions of advertising dollars for the soft drink giant and worked for years.
Well, I don’t know if you know, but they did NOT have one single ad this year during the Super Bowl, when most would say the “super bowl” of audiences is the Super Bowl, right? Wrong, not for Pepsi!
Instead they are using SOCIAL MEDIA as their marketing vehicle. They are launching a huge initiative which you can read about here: http://www.relationship-economy.com/?p=8880.
It’s a totally new way of conducting business and one that the interior design industry needs to incorporate in a smart and strategic way. As Mr. Deragon (and I) say, let’s not just jump into this new technology, we need a strategy!
OLD WAY – CHASING NEW WAY- ATTRACTING
That’s exactly why I do what I do and love it. I work with and teach businesses in the Interior Design Sector think DIFFERENTLY. (that’s that geeky, left brain side!) When companies are financially troubled, they call me. And, shockingly (although, not to me) it works every, single time! However I do not ever throw the baby out with the bath water. I just have them think about a different approach that is strategically and carefully thought out.
That’s also why I began lecturing, teaching workshops and the latest, teaming up with another Interior Design alumnus who knows all about Social Media and internet promotion, to give a workshop on incorporating Social Media into your business strategy.
My mission is to see this industry grow stronger, but one that will be able to weather any economy. I have done this with businesses and will continue to do this in any way I can.
Let’s learn from Pepsi, Apple, Google, Ford and many other THRIVING businesses(including some achemm..Interior Designers)..while others are crumbling in this economy. Let’s start to change our business strategy and rise to the top again….where we all belong! Let’s stop doing business as usual when it just does not work anymore.
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