Experiência de uma sessão de autógrafos na Feira do Livro

Foi no dia 02.06 de 2007.
Pavilhão 169, da Universidade Católica Editora, que convidou os autores dos seus mais recentes livros (Marketing Inovador e Marketing de Serviços) para uma sessão conjunta.
18horas, canícula no pico máximo, 36º graus centígrados...A selecção portuguesa jogava na Bélgica pouco depois...

Contrariando algumas expectativas, a afluência de amigos, conhecidos e compradores foi muito interessante e estimulante. Bom ritmo de autógrafos, boas conversas, muita gente gira.

Aliás este ponto é deveras curioso. Mas sem dúvida que o público tipo da Feira do Livro tende a ser giro, relativamente jovem e feminino... um atractivo suplementar, sem dúvida...!

Defronte a nós a sexóloga Marta Crawford dava também autógrafos, em outro Pavilhão... A sua fotogenia e o título de seu livro ("Sexo e tudo o mais") levou alguém a prognosticar que iríamos sofrer uma goleada...Mas assim não foi... Apesar do seu mediatismo a nossa "opositora" não conseguiu gerar um volume de tráfego superior ao que aconteceu no Pavilhão da Universidade Católica Editora! Assim se vê a força do "Marketing Inovador" (e, também é justo reconhecê-lo, do Marketing de Serviços do nosso amigo Luís Saias).

As fotos estão, como não poderia deixar de ser, no www.marketinginovador.com

Sessão de autógrafos na Feira do Livro

No próximo Sábado, dia 02 de Junho, estarei a partir das 18horas no Pavilhão 169 da Feira do Livro (Universidade Católica Editora) autografando o livro e recebendo os amigos.

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos

www.marketinginovador.com

Jardim Gonçalves tem poder a mais?

No Diário Económico de hoje o seguinte título:

José Miguel Júdice diz que Jardim Gonçalves já tem poder que chegue
Novas regras criticadas por todos, incluindo a própria consultora do BCP

BMW Z3 e 007: uma aposta na osmose: artigo DE de 23.05.07

O link para o meu artigo mensal, saído hoje, no Diário Económico (sim, tem uma irritante gralha no nome…)

http://diarioeconomico.sapo.pt/edicion/diarioeconomico/opinion/columnistas/pt/desarrollo/997209.html

Comentários no site são bem vindos!

Boas e favoráveis recensões do livro Marketing Inovador

O que tem o jornal Público de especial?

Talvez o facto de ser o jornal de referência diário, sem rival cada manhã, seja parte da resposta…

Claro que o facto de na passada sexta-feira (18.05.2007) ter feito uma recensão elogiosa sobre o Livro Marketing Inovador (www.marketinginovador.com), também ajuda…

Depois do Expresso, das Revistas Prémio, Marketeer (mês de Maio) e Flash (16.05.07), do Jornal OJE, da Revista do ICEP ou da Presspectivas (do Grupo de Comunicação YoungNetworks), o distinto Público fez uma recensão.

Ecofin conclusions on hedge funds

Main results of the Council

The Council adopted conclusions on three interlinked issues relating to financial markets:

• it acknowledged that hedge funds have contributed significantly to fostering the efficiency of the international financial system, and called on creditors, investors and national authorities to remain vigilant and to adequately assess the potential systemic and operational risks that hedge funds present. It emphasised the need for a better understanding of the characteristics of hedge funds and for adequate investor protection;
• on asset management, the Council called on the Commission to present a proposal for revision of the directive on UCITS (undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities), so as to cater for the growth of the investment industry and to enhance its potential for further growth.
• as regards the financial consequences of ageing, the Council called on the member states to work for increased participation and contribution levels of households in non-statutory pension schemes, and asked the Commission to consider work on the development of a single market for retirement products.

Results for Hedge Funds and Financial Stability

The Council adopted the following conclusions.

The Council:

• EMPHASISES the importance it attaches to an integrated, dynamic and competitive financial marketplace in supporting growth and job creation through proper allocation of capital, including via hedge funds, and financial stability;
• ACKNOWLEDGES that hedge funds have contributed significantly to fostering the efficiency of the financial system, but also STRESSES the potential systemic and operational risks associated with their activities,
• NOTES that the so-called 'INDIRECT supervision' approach, through close supervisory monitoring of credit institutions' exposures to hedge funds and progress in upgrading their internal risk management systems, has so far enhanced resilience to systemic shocks; and RECALLS the need for creditors, investors and authorities to remain vigilant and to adequately assess the potential risks that hedge funds present. In this context creditors and investors should also examine whether the current level of transparency of hedge funds' activities is appropriate. In the exercise of their 'indirect supervision', relevant supervisory authorities should monitor developments and cooperate among themselves;
• STRESSES the need for a better understanding of hedge funds characteristics for proper monitoring of the financial stability impact of hedge funds' activities, and therefore ENCOURAGES all relevant institutions to develop and apply an analytical and evidence-based approach in this area;
• NOTES that concerns have been expressed regarding increased retail distribution of hedge fund products in some Member States and RECOGNISES the need to ensure adequate investor protection;
• INVITES therefore the Commission to take all relevant regulatory and market developments into account, in assessing the case for and against providing a Single Market framework for the retail-oriented non-harmonised fund industry, which might include some funds of hedge funds; and LOOKS FORWARD to the Commission's report thereon.

Entrevista no Expresso: 14.04.2007 - Autores Marketing Inovador

‘Marketing Inovador - Temas Emergentes’ (Universidade Católica Editora, 165 páginas, €19,50) é uma obra onde “tentamos apresentar ideias e conceitos que não sejam apenas uma moda. Isto é, que já tenham passado o teste do tempo”, diz Paulo Gonçalves Marcos, um dos autores deste livro, referindo-se a ideias que podem ser aplicadas em economias como a portuguesa.

Segundo este autor, licenciado em economia (UCP), mestre em Gestão (UNL) e doutorando em Ciência Politica (UCP), nesta obra entende-se por Marketing Inovador “as formas inovadoras de fazer marketing e não o marketing das invenções”.

Para o outro autor, Bruno Valverde Cota, também professor e doutorado em Gestão de Empresas (Universidade de Évora), a razão de lançamento do livro é simples: “Eu julgo que havia uma oportunidade clara: nós temos vários manuais de marketing - e, temos alguns livros de casos práticos nesta área - e no fundo o nosso desafio foi conseguir integrar aspectos académicos e teóricos com uma componente mais pragmática”. O livro, dividido em duas partes, apresenta na primeira conceitos teóricos; na segunda ilustra e retira ilações sobre os mesmos. Entre os casos apresentados, destaque para o marketing das ONG, para os casos da Harley Davidson, do filme ‘A Paixão de Cristo’ ou até do Sporting.

Mafalda Avelar

O beirão de quem todos gostam...artigo do DE de 11.04.2007

O Beirão de quem todos gostam…

À burocracia e às dificuldades, [...] ao tom cinzento e sisudo, opôs o Montepio o humor com uma assinatura.

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos

A utilização do humor na comunicação empresarial portuguesa não é fenómeno recente. Em plenos anos quarenta, o famoso Licor Beirão glosava com a situação política, com uma velada alusão a António Salazar, dizendo de si próprio enquanto bebida: “o Beirão que todos gostam...”. Talvez novidade seja a intensidade com que se recorre ao humor e a mediocridade dos resultados atingidos, em que notoriedade e vendas pouco se entusiasmam com tais tentativas. Quase que se pode dizer que poucos casos ficaram na memória dos consumidores: Vodafone e o par de roucos, Pedro Tochas e a água Frize, talvez Manuel João Vieira e o renovado Licor Beirão, Nuno Markl (que desta vez não morde o cão...) com os cafés Delta e Ricardo Araújo Pereira (”eles falam, falam e eu não os vejo a fazer nada...”) e o Montepio...

A última década do século XX e os primeiros anos da primeira década do século assistiram à expansão do Montepio, passando a corresponder a um verdadeiro banco de cariz universal. De uma presença física nas principais cidades e capitais de distrito, o banco passou a estar presente nos locais mais dinâmicos da economia e sociedade portuguesa. Internet e Centro de Atendimento Telefónico vieram complementar os canais de distribuição tradicionais. Apesar de uma tradição centenária de especialistas em crédito habitação, o Montepio estava a ser ultrapassado pela agressividade dos bancos concorrentes. Mais grave, os jovens casais e os compradores de casa com recurso a crédito não colocavam o Montepio na sua “lista de compras” como entidade financeira a considerar. Foi neste contexto que o Banco resolveu lançar uma nova campanha de crédito habitação, visando reforçar o seu posicionamento como especialista em produto tão complexo quanto o crédito habitação. Este, ‘quiçá’ o produto financeiro mais complexo de entre a gama de produtos financeiros destinados a particulares, tem uma série de exigências de cariz jurídico (contrato de mútuo, registos provisórios e definitivos, escritura de aquisição e de hipoteca, garantias pessoais, autorizações de preenchimento, etc) ou técnico (planta de localização do imóvel, caderneta predial, avaliação da fracção, vistoria de obras, etc) cujos sentidos escapam ao comum dos clientes. E foi neste contexto que o Montepio se resolveu posicionar como a antítese: à burocracia e às dificuldades, a especialização e a reputação. Ao tom cinzento e sisudo, opôs o Montepio o humor com uma assinatura. A graça que Ricardo Araújo Pereira foi capaz de transmitir ao seu personagem aliado ao ineditismo do centenário Montepio adoptar um registo de comunicação humorístico fez com que Portugal inteiro esperasse avidamente pelos blocos publicitários na televisão e na rádio. A oportunidade de ver ou ouvir mais uma vez fazia calar conversas nos cafés e restaurantes. Os ‘blogues’ encheram-se de comentários, o YouTube foi inundado de excertos dos anúncios televisivos e a Comunicação Social noticiou e glosou repetidamente com o tema. Enfim, o burburinho do passa-palavra a funcionar em toda a sua plenitude e o Montepio a conseguir a campanha mais eficaz e eficiente da sua história: o disparar da notoriedade e o aumento quase exponencial das vendas (de crédito habitação), com a quota de mercado de novos contratos a mais que dobrar face aos períodos homólogos do ano anterior. Ou seja, fartos de campanhas de bancos que procuravam submeter o cliente a uma enxurrada de informação (muito centrada na taxa de juro...) o Montepio ofereceu aos cidadãos portugueses uma alternativa bem melhor: boa disposição e humor. Sem surpresa, os concorrentes imitadores não têm conseguido repetir o sucesso do Montepio, que usufrui da ‘first mover advantage’ e do facto de ter capturado um posicionamento difícil de ser desalojado.

paulo.marcos@marketinginovador.com www.marketinginovador.com
____

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos, Economista, ‘marketeer’ e professor universitário

O beirão de quem todos gostam...artigo do DE de 11.04.2007

O Beirão de quem todos gostam…

À burocracia e às dificuldades, [...] ao tom cinzento e sisudo, opôs o Montepio o humor com uma assinatura.

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos

A utilização do humor na comunicação empresarial portuguesa não é fenómeno recente. Em plenos anos quarenta, o famoso Licor Beirão glosava com a situação política, com uma velada alusão a António Salazar, dizendo de si próprio enquanto bebida: “o Beirão que todos gostam...”. Talvez novidade seja a intensidade com que se recorre ao humor e a mediocridade dos resultados atingidos, em que notoriedade e vendas pouco se entusiasmam com tais tentativas. Quase que se pode dizer que poucos casos ficaram na memória dos consumidores: Vodafone e o par de roucos, Pedro Tochas e a água Frize, talvez Manuel João Vieira e o renovado Licor Beirão, Nuno Markl (que desta vez não morde o cão...) com os cafés Delta e Ricardo Araújo Pereira (”eles falam, falam e eu não os vejo a fazer nada...”) e o Montepio...

A última década do século XX e os primeiros anos da primeira década do século assistiram à expansão do Montepio, passando a corresponder a um verdadeiro banco de cariz universal. De uma presença física nas principais cidades e capitais de distrito, o banco passou a estar presente nos locais mais dinâmicos da economia e sociedade portuguesa. Internet e Centro de Atendimento Telefónico vieram complementar os canais de distribuição tradicionais. Apesar de uma tradição centenária de especialistas em crédito habitação, o Montepio estava a ser ultrapassado pela agressividade dos bancos concorrentes. Mais grave, os jovens casais e os compradores de casa com recurso a crédito não colocavam o Montepio na sua “lista de compras” como entidade financeira a considerar. Foi neste contexto que o Banco resolveu lançar uma nova campanha de crédito habitação, visando reforçar o seu posicionamento como especialista em produto tão complexo quanto o crédito habitação. Este, ‘quiçá’ o produto financeiro mais complexo de entre a gama de produtos financeiros destinados a particulares, tem uma série de exigências de cariz jurídico (contrato de mútuo, registos provisórios e definitivos, escritura de aquisição e de hipoteca, garantias pessoais, autorizações de preenchimento, etc) ou técnico (planta de localização do imóvel, caderneta predial, avaliação da fracção, vistoria de obras, etc) cujos sentidos escapam ao comum dos clientes. E foi neste contexto que o Montepio se resolveu posicionar como a antítese: à burocracia e às dificuldades, a especialização e a reputação. Ao tom cinzento e sisudo, opôs o Montepio o humor com uma assinatura. A graça que Ricardo Araújo Pereira foi capaz de transmitir ao seu personagem aliado ao ineditismo do centenário Montepio adoptar um registo de comunicação humorístico fez com que Portugal inteiro esperasse avidamente pelos blocos publicitários na televisão e na rádio. A oportunidade de ver ou ouvir mais uma vez fazia calar conversas nos cafés e restaurantes. Os ‘blogues’ encheram-se de comentários, o YouTube foi inundado de excertos dos anúncios televisivos e a Comunicação Social noticiou e glosou repetidamente com o tema. Enfim, o burburinho do passa-palavra a funcionar em toda a sua plenitude e o Montepio a conseguir a campanha mais eficaz e eficiente da sua história: o disparar da notoriedade e o aumento quase exponencial das vendas (de crédito habitação), com a quota de mercado de novos contratos a mais que dobrar face aos períodos homólogos do ano anterior. Ou seja, fartos de campanhas de bancos que procuravam submeter o cliente a uma enxurrada de informação (muito centrada na taxa de juro...) o Montepio ofereceu aos cidadãos portugueses uma alternativa bem melhor: boa disposição e humor. Sem surpresa, os concorrentes imitadores não têm conseguido repetir o sucesso do Montepio, que usufrui da ‘first mover advantage’ e do facto de ter capturado um posicionamento difícil de ser desalojado.

paulo.marcos@marketinginovador.com www.marketinginovador.com
____

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos, Economista, ‘marketeer’ e professor universitário

Imagem da capa do Livro Marketing Inovador

O livro Marketing Inovador está nas bancas

Foi lançado na pretérita quinta-feira, dia 29 de Março, em Lisboa, no Palácio Belmonte.

www.palaciobelmonte.com

Num cenário inebriantemente bonito, com uma vista impressionanente sobre o rio Tejo, o Castelo de São Jorge, a Sé, o bairro da Graça...

E uma afluência de amigos, colegas e alunos que excedeu as melhores expectativas. 220 pessoas, que transbordavam da Sala Nobre do Palácio para as salas anexas, pelas escadaria abaixo...

A fila de automóveis que procuravam atingir o Palácio, cerca das 19h30, foi tal que chegava às imediações da Sé Catedral de Lisboa, numa parada de várias centenas de metros.

Como diria o Professor Carlos Zorrinho, um dos apresentadores da obra, "nunca tinha visto tantas pessoas no lançamento de um livro".

Tendo a recepção aos visitantes começado pelas 18h30, os autores resistiram com imensão paixão e estiveram até cerca das 22h a dar autógrafos!

Brevemente publicaremos fotografias (www.marketinginovador.com)

Entrementes o livro está em comercialização nas principais livrarias do país: Fnac, Bertrand, Bulhosa, Notícias, Almedina e universitárias.

Também pode ser adquirido via internet para os sites das livrarias supracitadas ou para o site da Universidade Católica Editora, directamente ou via o site do Marketing Inovador (http://www.marketinginovador.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=16).

A todos os que nos ajudaram, os nossos agradecimentos!

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos

Lançamento livro "Marketing Inovador"

Mui excelentes leitores

Será no próximo dia 29 de Março, quinta-feira, pelas 18h30-20h00 que eu e o Doutor Bruno Valverde Cota lançaremos o livro "Marketing Inovador".

No Palácio Belmonte, em lugar de eleição.

www.palaciobelmonte.com

Páteo Dom Fradique,14
1100-624 LISBOA

Teremos um BusShuttle para levar os interessados entre o parque de estacionamento (Portas do Sol) e o Palácio.

Reservem na vossa agenda.

Faremos da ocasião uma oportunidade para nos revermos e convivermos.
Dois ilustres amigos (Professores Doutores Carlos Zorrinho e João Borges Assunção) farão uma alocução a que se seguirão tb breves intervenções dos dois autores e a habitual sessão de autógrafos.

Cumprimentos afectuosos e todos estão convidados para se juntarem a nós no dia 29.03.2007 em Lisboa.

The halo effect and other managerial delusions, McKinsey Quarterly article

The halo effect, and other managerial delusions

Companies cannot achieve superior and lasting business performance simply by following a specific set of steps.

Phil Rosenzweig

2007 Number 1

The quest of every high-quality corporate executive is to find the keys to superior performance. Achieving market leadership is hard enough, but staying at the top—given intense competition, rapidly changing technology, and shifting global forces—is even more difficult. At the same time, executives are under enormous pressure to deliver profitable growth and high returns for their shareholders. No wonder they constantly search for ways to achieve competitive advantage.

But many executives, despite their good intentions, look in the wrong places for the insights that will deliver an edge. Too often they reach for books and articles that promise a reliable path to high performance. Over the past decade, some of the most popular business books have claimed to reveal the blueprint for lasting success, the way to go from good to great, or how to craft a fail-safe strategy or to make the competition irrelevant.

At first glance, many of the pronouncements in such works look entirely credible. They are based on extensive data and appear to be the result of rigorous analysis. Millions of managers read them, eager to apply these keys to success to their own companies. Unfortunately, many of the studies are deeply flawed and based on questionable data that can lead to erroneous conclusions. Worse, they give rise to the especially grievous notion that business success follows predictably from implementing a few key steps. In promoting this idea, authors obscure a more basic truth—namely, that in the business world success is the result of decisions made under conditions of uncertainty and shaped in part by factors outside our control. In the real world, given the flux of competitive dynamics, even seemingly good choices do not always lead to favorable outcomes.

Rather than succumb to the hyperbole and false promises found in so much management writing, business strategists would do far better to improve their powers of critical thinking. Wise executives should be able to think clearly about the quality of research claims and to detect some of the egregious errors that pervade the business world. Indeed, the capacity for critical thinking is an important asset for any business strategist—one that allows the executive to cut through the clutter and to discard the delusions, embracing instead a more realistic understanding of business success and failure.

As a first step, it’s important to identify some of the misperceptions and delusions commonly found in the business world. Then, using these insights, we might replace flawed thinking with a more acute method of approaching strategic decisions.

Beware the halo effect

Many studies of company performance are undermined by a problem known as the halo effect. First identified by US psychologist Edward Thorndike in 1920, it describes the tendency to make specific inferences on the basis of a general impression.

How does the halo effect manifest itself in the business world? Imagine a company that is doing well, with rising sales, high profits, and a sharply increasing stock price. The tendency is to infer that the company has a sound strategy, a visionary leader, motivated employees, an excellent customer orientation, a vibrant culture, and so on. But when that same company suffers a decline—if sales fall and profits shrink—many people are quick to conclude that the company’s strategy went wrong, its people became complacent, it neglected its customers, its culture became stodgy, and more. In fact, these things may not have changed much, if at all. Rather, company performance, good or bad, creates an overall impression—a halo—that shapes how we perceive its strategy, leaders, employees, culture, and other elements.

As an example, when Cisco Systems was growing rapidly, in the late 1990s, it was widely praised by journalists and researchers for its brilliant strategy, masterful management of acquisitions, and superb customer focus. When the tech bubble burst, many of the same observers were quick to make the opposite attributions: Cisco, the journalists and researchers claimed, now had a flawed strategy, haphazard acquisition management, and poor customer relations. On closer examination, Cisco really had not changed much—a decline in its performance led people to see the company differently. Indeed, Cisco staged a remarkable turnaround and today is still one of the leading tech companies. The same thing happened at ABB, the Swiss-Swedish engineering giant. In the 1990s, when its performance was strong, ABB was lauded for its elegant matrix design, risk-taking culture, and charismatic chief executive, Percy Barnevik. Later, when the company’s performance fell, ABB was roundly criticized for having a dysfunctional organization, a chaotic culture, and an arrogant CEO. But again, the company had not really changed much.

The fact is that many everyday concepts in business—including leadership, corporate culture, core competencies, and customer orientation—are ambiguous and difficult to define. We often infer perceptions of them from something else, which appears to be more concrete and tangible: namely, financial performance. As a result, many of the things that we commonly believe are contributions to company performance are in fact attributions. In other words, outcomes can be mistaken for inputs.

Wise managers know to be wary of the halo effect. They look for independent evidence rather than merely accepting the idea that a successful company has a visionary leader and a superb customer orientation or that a struggling company must have a poor strategy and weak execution. They ask themselves, “If I didn’t know how the company was performing, what would I think about its culture, execution, or customer orientation?” They know that as long as their judgments are merely attributions reflecting a company’s performance, their logic will be circular.

The halo effect is especially damaging because it often compromises the quality of data used in research. Indeed, many studies of business performance—as well as some articles that have appeared in journals such as Harvard Business Review and The McKinsey Quarterly and in academic business journals—rely on data contaminated by the halo effect. These studies praise themselves for the vast amount of data they have accrued but overlook the fact that if the data aren’t valid, it really doesn’t matter how much was gathered or how sophisticated the analysis appears to be.

This reliance on questionable data, in turn, gives rise to a number of further errors in logic. Two delusions—of absolute performance and of lasting success—have particularly serious repercussions for business strategists.

The delusion of absolute performance

One of the most seductive claims in business best sellers is that a company can achieve success if it follows a specific set of steps. Some recent books are explicit on this point, claiming that a company hewing to a certain formula is virtually sure to become a great performer. On closer inspection these studies rely on sources of data (including retrospective interviews, articles from the business press, and business school case studies) that are routinely undermined by the halo effect. Whereas a given set of factors may appear to have led predictably to success, the reverse is more likely—it would be more accurate to say that successful companies tended to be described in the same way. The direction of causality is wrong.

Following a given formula can’t ensure high performance, and for a simple reason: in a competitive market economy, performance is fundamentally relative, not absolute. Success and failure depend not only on a company’s actions but also on those of its rivals. A company can improve its operations in many ways—better quality, lower cost, faster throughput time, superior asset management, and more—but if rivals improve at a faster rate, its performance may suffer.

Consider General Motors. In 2005 GM’s debt was reduced to junk bond status—hardly a vote of confidence from financial markets. Yet compared with the automobiles GM produced in the 1980s, its cars today boast better quality, additional features, superior comfort, and improved safety. Owing to myriad factors, including the increased prominence of Japanese and South Korean automakers, GM’s share of the US market keeps slipping, from 35 percent in 1990 to 29 percent in 1999 and 25 percent in 2005. Its declining performance must be understood in relative terms. Paradoxi-cally, the rigors of competition from Asian automakers are precisely what have stimulated GM to improve. Is GM a better automaker than it was a generation ago? Yes, if we look at absolute measures. But that’s little comfort to its employees or shareholders.

The delusion of absolute performance is very important because it suggests that a company can achieve high performance by following a simple formula, regardless of the actions of competitors. If left unchecked, executives may avoid decisions that, although risky, could be essential for success. Once we see that performance is relative, however, it becomes obvious that a company can never achieve success simply by following certain steps, no matter how serious its intentions. High performance comes from doing things better than rivals can, which means that managers have to take risks. This uncomfortable truth recognizes that some elements of business performance are beyond our control, yet it is an essential concept that clear-thinking executives must grasp.

The delusion of lasting success

The halo effect leads to a second misconception about the performance of companies: that they can achieve enduring success in a predictable way. These studies typically begin by selecting a group of companies that have outperformed the market for many years and then gather data to try and distill what led to that high performance. Regrettably, however, much of the data come from sources that are commonly contaminated by the halo effect. What the authors claim to be the causes of long-term performance are more accurately understood as attributions made about companies that had been selected precisely for their long-term performance.

In fact, lasting success is largely a delusion, a statistical anomaly. As McKinsey’s Richard Foster and Sarah Kaplan showed,¹ corporate longevity is neither very likely nor, when we find it, generally associated with high performance. On the whole, if we look at the full population of companies over time, there’s a strong tendency for extreme performance in one time period to be followed by less extreme performance in the next. Suggesting that companies can follow a blueprint to achieve lasting success may be appealing, but it’s not supported by the evidence.

High performance is difficult for companies to maintain, for an obvious reason: in a free-market economy, profits tend to decline as a result of imitation and competition. Rivals copy the leader’s winning ways, new companies enter the market, best practices are diffused, and employees move from one company to another. Of course, it is always possible to pick out a handful of enduring success stories after the fact. Then if we study those companies by relying on data that are suffused with the halo effect, we may think we have discovered the keys to success. In fact, we have only managed to show how successful companies were described—an entirely different matter.

The delusion of lasting success is a serious matter because it casts building an enduringly high-performing company as an achievable objective. Yet companies that outperform the market for long periods of time are not just rare but statistical anomalies whose apparent greatness is observable only in retrospect. More accurately, companies that enjoy long-term success have probably done so by stringing together many short-term successes, not because they somehow unlocked the secrets of sustained greatness. Unfortunately, pursuing a dream of enduring greatness may divert attention from the need to win more immediate battles.

Clear thinking for business strategists

These points, taken together, expose the principal fiction at the heart of so many popular business books and articles: that following a few key steps will inevitably lead to greatness and that a company’s success is of its own making and not often shaped by external factors.

The simple fact is that no formula can guarantee a company’s success, at least not in a competitive business environment. This truth may seem disappointing. Many managers would like to find a formula that can be easily applied—a tidy plug-and-play solution that ensures success. But on reflection, the absence of a simple success formula should not be disappointing at all. Indeed, it might even come as a relief. If success could be reduced to a formula, companies would not need strategic thinking but could rely on administrators to tick the right boxes and ensure that formulas were followed with precision. What makes strategic decision making so difficult, and therefore so valuable to companies, is precisely that there are no guaranteed keys to success. The ability to make the sorts of difficult, complex judgments that are pivotal for a company’s fortunes is, in the last analysis, a business executive’s most important contribution. Here are some approaches that may help.

Recognize the role of uncertainty

Rather than search in vain for success formulas, business executives would do better to adjust their thinking about the context of strategic decisions. As a first step, they should recognize the fundamental uncertainty of the business world. Doing so does not come naturally. People want the world to make sense, to be predictable, and to follow clear rules of cause and effect. Managers want to believe that their business world is similarly predictable, that specific actions will lead to certain outcomes. Yet strategic choice is inevitably an exercise in decision making under uncertainty. Another source of uncertainty involves customers: will they embrace or reject a new product or service? Even if a company accurately anticipates what customers will do, it has to contend with the unpredictable actions of new and old competitors.

A third source of uncertainty comes from technological change. Whereas some industries are relatively stable, with products that don’t change much and customer demand that remains fairly steady, others change rapidly and in unpredictable ways. A final source of uncertainty concerns internal capabilities. Managers can’t tell exactly how a company—with its particular people, skills, and experiences—will respond to a new course of action. Our best efforts to isolate and understand the inner workings of organizations will be moderately successful at best. Combine these factors and it becomes clear why strategy involves decisions made under uncertainty.

See the world through probabilities

Faced with this basic uncertainty, wise managers approach problems as interlocking probabilities. Their objective is not to find keys to guaranteed success but to improve the odds through a thoughtful consideration of factors. Some of these are outside the company—including industry forces, customer trends, and the intentions of competitors. Others are internal—capabilities, resources, and risk preferences. On the foundation of that analysis, the role of the business strategist is to make decisions that improve a company’s chances for success while never imagining that a company can simply will its success.

Rather, the goal should be gathering accurate information and subjecting it to careful scrutiny in order to improve the odds of success. As former US Treasury Secretary and Goldman Sachs executive Robert E. Rubin wrote in his memoirs,² “Once you’ve internalized the concept that you can’t prove anything in absolute terms, life becomes all the more about odds, chances, and trade-offs. In a world without provable truths, the only way to refine the probabilities that remain is through greater knowledge and understanding.” Wise managers know that business is about finding ways to improve the odds of success—but never imagine that it is a certainty.

Separate inputs from outcomes

Finally, clear-thinking executives know that in an uncertain world, actions and outcomes are imperfectly linked. It’s easy to infer that good outcomes result from good decisions and that bad outcomes must mean someone blundered. Yet the fact that a given choice didn’t turn out well doesn’t always mean it was a mistake. Therefore it’s important to examine the decision process itself and not just the outcome. Had the right information been gathered or had some important data been overlooked? Were the assumptions reasonable or were they flawed? Were calculations accurate or had there been errors? Had the full set of eventualities been identified and their impact estimated? Had the company’s strategic position and risk preference been considered properly?

This sort of rigorous analysis, with outcomes separated from inputs, requires the extra mental step of judging actions on their merits rather than simply making after-the-fact attributions, favorable or unfavorable. Good decisions don’t always lead to favorable outcomes, and unfavorable outcomes are not always the result of mistakes. Wise managers resist the natural tendency to make attributions based solely on outcomes. They avoid the halo bestowed by performance and insist on independent evidence.

Our business world is full of research and analysis that are comforting to managers: that success can be yours by following a formula, that specific actions will lead to predictable outcomes, and that greatness can be achieved no matter what rivals do. The truth is very different: the business world is not a place of clear causal relationships, where a given set of actions leads to predictable results, but one that is more tenuous and uncertain.

The task of strategic leadership is therefore not to follow a given formula or set of steps. Instead it is to gather appropriate information, evaluate it thoughtfully, and make choices that provide the best chance for the company to succeed, all the while recognizing the fundamental nature of business uncertainty. Paradoxically, a sober understanding of this risk—along with an appreciation of the relative nature of performance and the general tendency for performance to regress—may offer the best basis for guiding effective decisions. These complex decisions, made without any guarantee of success, are ultimately the main contribution of business strategists. If a set of steps that could guarantee success did exist, and if greatness were indeed simply a matter of will, then the value of clear thinking in business would be lower, not greater.

About the Author

Phil Rosenzweig is a professor of strategy and international management at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), in Lausanne, Switzerland.

This article is adapted from The Halo Effect: . . . and the Eight Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers, New York: Free Press, 2007.

Notes

¹ Creative Destruction: Why Companies That Are Built to Last Underperform the Market—and How to Successfully Transform Them, New York: Currency/Doubleday, 2001.

² Robert E. Rubin and Jacob Weisberg, In an Uncertain World: Tough Choices from Wall Street to Washington, reprint edition, New York: Random House, 2004.

Harley Davidson e os cabelos ao vento: os videos

Para todos os leitores que me fizeram chegar mensagens de encorajamento e apreço pelo texto publicado no Diário Económico, sobre a Harley Davidson a pretexto do Marketing Inovador, deixo aqui o links para uma selecção de videos do YouTube alusivos ao tema:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=14C271A4A145630B

The Trouble with Lack of Marketing Expertise in Leading Banks

Location: New York
Author: Shahin Shojai
Date: Wednesday, February 21, 2007

These days the U.K. press is inundated with commentaries about how the banking industry is abusing its powerful position to overcharge the U.K. citizens. And, it seems that the banking industry is very good at helping ensure bad news stays in the public domain, through trickling of announcements about new charges.

It is astonishing just how bad our industry is at marketing itself and managing how announcements are managed. Very few banking institutions take time to think about how their actions might be perceived in the marketplace and work to ensure that their message gets across effectively to the public at large.

The real problem started when credit card companies, mostly part of the major banking institutions, were accused of charging very hefty fees for late payments, something they should have been able to defend had they taken the time to prepare an adequate response.

Instead, they waited until they were attacked by the regulators and were subsequently forced to reduce their fees. The perception in the market was that they knew they were overcharging their customers but just waited till the last minute before they reduced them.

As a result of the cut in penalty fees, the banking institutions started treating their retail customers just like many of their U.S. peers used to treat their corporate customers subsequent to the departure of the Japanese banks from the U.S. markets.

The way the U.S. corporate bankers dealt with their customers was to suggest a basis point figure that they needed to be covered in order to deal with a company, for example 90 to 100 basis points was one that I had heard a lot while advising major U.S. corporations. Of course, bigger corporations were able to reduce this figure, but their negotiating positions were weakened by the shrinking number of banks they could deal with, especially if they wished to bank with two or three banks on a global basis.

The retail banks are now behaving the same way. They are telling their retail clients that they have set themselves a target for profitability growth, and judging by today’s announcement by Barclays Plc it seems to be huge, and that it is their responsibility to help the banks achieve it.

If they cannot cover this target by the penalty charges for late payments or unapproved overdraft charges then they have to pay for basic banking services, such as having a current account. Now, the fact that most other European banks charge for basic banking services should mean that such a decision would not cause too much negative publicity.

But the way this has been managed has placed the banks in a very awkward position. They wish to do something to make up for the shortfall in penalty fees but they just do not know how to, so instead of taking an industry wide initiative to ensure that any announcements are taken in tandem, each bank announces a different kind of fee each week.

The fact is that as far as the customers are concerned they do not differentiate between which banks are introducing which fees, what they hear is that with each announcement a member of the banking community is introducing new charges, including a recent announcement by a card company that they wish to charge £10 for credit balances.

I believe that the banking community needs to wake up and realize that they are now a much more integral part of the retail world than they think they are. They are members of the retail community as far as most of their clients are concerned, and not just the backbone of the process through which their customers make payments for goods and services.

It is time that the banking industry realizes there is a reason that the value of their brands is so low. Looking at the Interbrand ranking of the top 100 world brands in 2006, which I must admit I am not so sure about their methodology, one finds that no financial institution is in the top 10 and that the combined value of the brands of the 9 banks that make it into the top 100 is less than the combined value of the top two global brands (Coca Cola and Microsoft).

In fact, if you remove the names of the world’s leading investments banks – namely, JP Morgan (although Chase is the owner, JP Morgan is more associated with the name of the investment bank than the retail bank), Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch – the 5 remaining banks have a brand market capitalization which is less than Coca Cola.

There is no doubt that the world’s leading banking institutions need to do a lot more to increase the value of their brands. They need to realize that they need to spend as much time as their retail peers in increasing their exposures and how they manage the messages that come out of their marketing departments. Weekly announcements of new charges in such a competitive environment is just not the way to go about building a reputation for a bank.

Three Mile Island in Retrospect

Location: New York
Author: Ken Silverstein, EnergyBiz Insider, Editor-in-Chief
Date: Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Nuclear energy's potential comeback may spawn another kind of resurgence -- the types of protest that occurred in the aftermath of Three Mile Island, the most significant nuclear incident in American history.

By nearly all accounts, the accident in March 1979 is one of the primary impediments to a nuclear renaissance. While the thought of radiation escaping into the atmosphere is well-appreciated, it is the function of policymakers and utility officials -- and the reporters assigned to cover them -- to effectively communicate their message so as to properly inform the public.

Fears of a "hydrogen bubble" in which radioactive material could devastate the surrounding Pennsylvania towns were palpable. But neither government nor industry could organize a response to quell the unease. Reporters, meantime, gravitated toward those with the most hyperbolic views.

"There was so much speculation and it was all fueled by people who didn't have a background in nuclear technology," says George Koodray, who managed a radio news station near the plant. Koodray, who now is a communications pro in New Jersey, says he has since spent years trying to "undo the damage" that he helped create.

"There were dramatic images of corporate conspiracies -- all supported by events within a time period in which there were oil interruptions and a blockbuster movie called `China Syndrome,' Koodray adds. "Reporters back then were exposed to atom bombs and mushroom clouds and they felt that the plant could go off like a nuclear bomb."

Three Mile Island has made an indelible mark on American energy policy. While 103 nuclear reactors are operating here, none have been ordered in the United States since the 1970s. Even before the scare, India successfully tested a nuclear device in 1974 and gave rise to fears over global nuclear proliferation.

The same trepidation is around today. But, there is now a strong emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions while trying to diversify the nation's energy mix. That's why the U.S. government is offering billions in incentives to expand nuclear energy, which has resulted in the consideration of about 30 such plants.

Real Panic

Before that would occur, the industry must explain what went wrong in Unit 2 on March 28, 1979 and what it has learned in the intervening years. Around 4 a.m. that day, following a loss of feedwater flow, a primary coolant system relief valve lifted and failed to shut. This resulted in a loss of primary coolant, uncovering the reactor core and causing a partial core meltdown. While the matter took 14 years and $1 billion to clean up, the second of the two units, Unit 1, remains operational today.

Faulty equipment meant to detect the malfunction is partially to blame. But, a lack of emergency training along with disparate communications compounded the whole mess. By 7 a.m. that same morning, panic had arisen over a "hydrogen bubble" that could explode.

The terror only escalated when the facility's owner, Metropolitan Edison, told the public it didn't feel as if it had to report every nuance of the situation. Pennsylvania's governor also complained that he was unable to get answers, all of which led to five frightful days in which areas as far as 300 miles away from Harrisburg were advised they might need to evacuate. Calm would not prevail until President Carter came to reassure the people.

"There was a clamor to get out of D.C.," says Jeff Dennard, president of his own consulting firm in Warwick, R.I. In 1979, he headed media relations for a former congressman from New Mexico before going on to run a communications division for the parent of Three Mile Island. "It felt like every person for themselves."

The fright was no doubt bona fide. But the reality is that hydrogen in the core could not congeal and explode; rather, it would safely combine with oxygen. And while state leaders and utility officials can be faulted for not having emergency preparedness plans, many in the media failed to ensure knowledgeable sources were given a proper forum -- experts, who from day one, were saying radiation levels were not harmful.

The press, unfortunately, is often behind the curve. It's a problem partly of its own making as many organizations are more intent on focusing on the sensational instead of matters of real substance. In the case of Three Mile Island, more journalists should have departed from the herd. Reporters should have been talking not just to activists but also to nuclear scientists and engineers who could separate fact from fiction.

The goal is to get to the truth, not obscure it. Conflicting messages from a variety of sources contributed to the public's fear. And while radiation was released from the plant, it never presented any dangers to the surrounding areas -- all confirmed after endless environmental investigations and legal challenges. Despite the melting of about one-third of the fuel core, the reactor vessel contained the damage and no one was hurt or killed.

The PR Battle

Winning the ongoing PR battle is atop the nuclear industry's agenda. To do so, companies such as General Electric, Areva NP and Westinghouse are developing state-of-the art reactors that have multiple safety measures and are designed to cope with any sudden loss of cooling. And over the last 25 years, the industry has performed well and implemented a number of new safety standards, all of which has harnessed increasing public support.

The nuclear industry is known for its technicians and not its media savvy. It must continue to evolve and work toward a culture of openness and accessibility. It must allay legitimate worries and plan for the "unthinkable." While no company can replicate a potential disaster, preparing and practicing for them can mitigate damages. Those at the top must demonstrate empathy and communicate all known facts to address concerns.

"There's a natural tendency when we talk about things that are potentially catastrophic to hide the bad news," says communications expert Dennard. "If there is bad news, get it out as fast as you can and as factually as you know at that moment. Don't get out anything if you do not know."

Three Mile Island taught the nuclear industry, along with the rest of corporate America, to disseminate information during a crisis in a coherent and forthright manner. That apparent inability coupled with the preconceived ideas that reporters had toward nuclear power helped to increase the emotional intensity in March 1979. Now, nearly 28 years later, those powerful feelings are subsiding and giving the industry and the public a chance to reason with one another.

The dangers of unfavorable regulatations in a globalized economy

Author: Shahin Shojai
Date: Tuesday, February 20, 2007

In recent months many have been debating whether the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has been even more damaging to the U.S. financial services industry than the Interest Equalization Tax, which literally handed over the Eurobond markets to London on a platter.

The debates about whether London has, or is about to take over New York City as the world’s leading financial centre has been circulating around the world for a few months now. There is no doubt that London has benefited hugely from international listings by companies who no longer wish to list in the U.S. in order to avoid falling under the auspices of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Now, whether that means that London is now the world’s leading financial centre is another matter. But, what is clear is that unpopular laws can be quite costly to a financial centre or a country.

Similar to the discussions about how London is gaining at NYC’s expense, many are now debating the implications of a socialist victory in France and how some of their tax policies might benefit London. Many are suggesting that should Mme. Ségolène Royal win the French Presidential elections in May and remain true to her word and increase taxes for the high earners and major corporations that many of the best minds in France might leave the country and move to London.

The areas of special concern seem to be financial services and biotechnology sectors, industries in which London has a special strength. According to a recent senate finance committee report, France has lost €2.2bn of taxable assets in 2005 as a result of people leaving the country to avoid paying the wealth tax. This figure is expected to swell should the Socialist party win the election and introduce further tax hikes.

Losing talented individuals to neighbouring countries is nothing new in the world of macroeconomics. The U.S. has prospered mainly as a result of being able to attract the best minds from not only its neighbours to the north but also from most of the rest of the world.

However, what makes today’s world somewhat different from the past is that due to the greater concentration of wealth when countries introduce unfavourable regulations they not only lose many of their most talented individuals, but they also lose a huge chunk of their wealth as well.

Unlike the recent joiners to the European Union, whose citizens seem to be highly mobile, labour mobility among the more established and wealthy members of Europe has historically not been very high. Consequently, countries have not been too successful in attracting the best minds from their neighbours when they introduce regulations that would seem to induce an exodus. As a result, unfavourable regulations have not been too costly.

However, unlike the working or middle-class, the wealthiest members of the society are extremely mobile, and they seem to be in control of ever greater proportion of national wealth. Consequently, when they leave, a greater share of national asset values leaves with them than was the case in the past.

In fact, the wealthiest European are behaving more and more like major global corporations which move their headquarters around Europe in order to benefit from more conducive taxation. Very soon the U.K. might also find itself on the receiving end of the attacks from Europe that Switzerland is currently facing for attracting many U.S. corporations to move their European headquarters there.

If the exodus that many in France are predicting does in deed take place, the U.K. is bound to face huge criticism for having a too lenient a tax system; one that places other European countries, especially France in this case, at an unfair disadvantage.

Now, the fact that the U.K., similar to Switzerland, is only trying to make life easier for her citizens by having a more flexible tax system is obviously beside the point and U.K. will certainly be attacked should the tax hikes result in a loss of wealth to France. The perception is that if we do something that causes our citizens to leave and they do, it is not our fault but the fault of the country to which they are going.

No one in Europe is thinking about maybe reducing their own taxes to become more competitive. They simply view Switzerland as the problem because it has more attractive tax rates, even though as discussed in a previous bulletin, there are many countries in the E.U. that have lower taxes than Switzerland.

Until countries realize the dangers of introducing unfavourable regulatory policies in a world where wealthy individuals and their ever more concentrated capital are highly mobile they will continue to make decisions that makes other countries look more attractive and attack those same countries for not introducing regulations that match the mistake that they have made. France seems to be enroute to proving that point yet again.

Marketing Inovador: Harley e os cabelos ao vento

Artigo do Diário Económico, página 40, de 16.02.2007

Harley e o valor de comunidade

Mesmo comercializando um produto de nicho, a Harley Davidson está regularmente entre as marcas mais conhecidas nos EUA.

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos

A Harley Davidson Motor Company trabalhou em exclusivo para o exército dos EUA, durante a II Guerra, produzindo milhares de motociclos que iriam demonstrar o seu carácter nos campos de batalha da Europa. Associadas aos vendedores, as Harley tornaram-se elas também objecto reverenciado num lado e do outro do Atlântico. Assim começou a construção do mito… Trinta anos mais tarde, rodeada de agressivos concorrentes japoneses, a empresa foi acossada por problemas na qualidade de construção e por um reduzido investimento tecnológico. No espaço de dois lustros, apenas, a quota de mercado minguou para um quarto. As firmas japonesas pareciam avassaladoras demais para não ser vaticinada a falência previsível da empresa...

A década de oitenta, contudo, marca o início do renascimento da marca Harley. Este assentou em dois eixos: recuperação da excelência mecânica; reposicionamento como produtora de ícones culturais e de ostentação de uma peculiar forma de vida. Para isto jogaram um papel instrumental o Harley Davidson Owners Group (HOG) e a Posse Ride. O HOG, oficialmente um instrumento de estímulo aos proprietários para partilha de experiências e paixões, depressa revelou o seu verdadeiro fito: contributo para o esforço de reposicionamento e de credibilização social da marca. Esta estava, desde meados da década de 60, associada a espíritos demasiado livres que percorriam sem lei nem ordem as estradas. Inúmeros filmes de Hollywood retratam magistralmente esta realidade marginal. Actualmente o HOG tem mais de um milhão de membros, sendo a maior organização deste género no mundo do motociclismo. Personagens singulares, pertença de uma América profunda, masculina, branca. Os membros encarnam o espírito dos pioneiros americanos: ao cidadão respeitador da lei e engravatado, durante a semana de trabalho, sucede o cidadão espírito livre, suavemente rebelde e amante da liberdade, ao fim de semana.

A Posse Ride é, na sua essência, uma excursão de alguns dias, geralmente em percurso de milhares de quilómetros. Mas o que a distingue é a forma metódica como os gestores da Harley e do HOG aplicam subtilmente sofisticadas técnicas de ‘marketing’. Onde gestores e consumidores se juntam e convivem. Num contacto, não intermediado, estimulando a manutenção do espírito gregário Harley. A Posse Ride é também uma oportunidade ímpar de falar de novos produtos e conceitos, criando excitação em torno deles... a uma audiência cativa, maravilhada por estar a ser como que “ungida” pela revelação…quais disseminadores de novidades junto de seus amigos e familiares... A participação dos quadros de topo da Harley contribui para reforçar a sensação de pertença a uma grande família, estabelecendo laços de lealdade potencialmente perduráveis no tempo.

A Harley não tem produzido as motos de maior excelência mas tem, de longe, uma marca mais forte que lhe permite licenciar produtos a mais de 100 diferentes empresas produtoras de acessórios diversos. Isto possibilita-lhe uma tremenda exposição, potenciada pela Posse Ride qual comboio de publicidade gratuita. Assim, mesmo comercializando um produto de nicho, a Harley Davidson está regularmente entre as marcas mais conhecidas nos EUA, ombreando com outras marcas lendárias como a Coca-cola ou a Disney.

O exemplo da Harley ilustra uma marca que reclama legitimamente um “Valor para uma Comunidade”, em muito excedendo as marcas com valor apenas comercial. Para este desiderato ela detém alguns atributos singulares: ilustra valores e objectivos dos consumidores e possui um elevado valor cultural; serve como identificador e símbolo de pertença; e é usada de forma notória e muito pública.

Como corolário, o gestor de ‘marketing’, no sentido de criar valor, deve tentar capitalizar no “Valor de Comunidade” que a sua marca desejavelmente possui. Empenho e espírito podem derrotar concorrentes mais apetrechados financeiramente.

www.marketinginovador.blogspot.com
____

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos, Economista, gestor e professor universitário

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Comentários Júlia Pacheco (julia_pacheco@iol.pt) Sem dúvida o criar Valor de Comunidade é uma das formas mais credível e duradoira de criar a fidelização junto dos consumidores. Estes sentem-se parte de uma família única. A exposição do tema foi de uma simplicidade e compreensão de louvar. Antonio Moreira Parece-me que o artigo está excelente, como é habitual neste colunista. Interrogo-me se as empresas portuguesas não deverão quanto antes apostar no Valor da Marca para a Comunidade, antes que a Globalização as venha a tornar irrelevantes. vg Tem o caso da Ferrari e dos VW "carocha".No caso português,estou convencido de que se poderiam criar "clubes " do vinho do Porto em todo o mundo( e na área das "massas",do chamado vinho, "Mateus Rosé"..) NapoLeão Não tivessem as Harley's qualidade e...o mito "esvaziava" ! É esta característica que transforma os produtos...em marca ! Só que ainda lhe falta "estaleca" para vir fazer o Paris-Lisboa-Dakar. Então sim...teríamos máquina universal como a Parker, Mercedes, Lacoste ou Coca Cola ! Jorge Estêvão Amigo Paulo, parabéns pelo artigo. Como fã das motas conhecia os meandros e partilho plenamente o que está escrito. noutra escala deste valor para uma comunidade, encontramos os clubes de futebol. Uns melhores (alguns ilustres ingleses e espanhois) e outros piores (os nossos "grandes"), os cromos dos "Pokemons" e outras manias que ocupam a juventude,... O que acontece é que é intrinsicamente muito difícil de encontrar este ponto. Tens por exemplo marcas que invocam excelentes produtos e cujo nome extravaza de longe a propria marca (ex. Mercedes, Coca-Cola, ...) mas que não chegam ao ponto máximo atrás exemplificado. Penso que aqui o marketing entra largamente dentro da psicologia/sociologia das massas, em que claramente o consumidor identifica-se com um grupo de pertença. Experimenta tentar fazer isso com papel higiénico Renova... Maria Jesus Chapelle o valor de Comunidade e o valor de nostalgia, neste caso. A vitória da Harley sobre a Honda e afins marca tb a recuperação da corporate america contra a Japaninc Bruno Valverde Cota O caso da “Harley Davidson” é um bom exemplo. Apesar da dimensão da empresa, os seus empregados, patrões e colaboradores, funcionam todos como “peças” de um grande puzzle, quase quebrando as hierarquias entre departamentos. Neste momento, existem mais de 1.300 pontos de vendas oficiais da Harley Davidson, espalhados por 60 países, e cada um deles é mais do que apenas um local onde se podem comprar motos. São pontos de partida e destinos, lugares para encontrar ou até fazer novos amigos e conhecer outros fãs da marca. Este sentimento de família, união e pertença, é fortemente passado para os seus clientes através do Harley Owners Group (HOG).

Harley e o valor de comunidade: artigo do Diário Económico de 16.02.2007

Harley e o valor de comunidade

Mesmo comercializando um produto de nicho, a Harley Davidson está regularmente entre as marcas mais conhecidas nos EUA.

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos

A Harley Davidson Motor Company trabalhou em exclusivo para o exército dos EUA, durante a II Guerra, produzindo milhares de motociclos que iriam demonstrar o seu carácter nos campos de batalha da Europa. Associadas aos vendedores, as Harley tornaram-se elas também objecto reverenciado num lado e do outro do Atlântico. Assim começou a construção do mito… Trinta anos mais tarde, rodeada de agressivos concorrentes japoneses, a empresa foi acossada por problemas na qualidade de construção e por um reduzido investimento tecnológico. No espaço de dois lustros, apenas, a quota de mercado minguou para um quarto. As firmas japonesas pareciam avassaladoras demais para não ser vaticinada a falência previsível da empresa...

A década de oitenta, contudo, marca o início do renascimento da marca Harley. Este assentou em dois eixos: recuperação da excelência mecânica; reposicionamento como produtora de ícones culturais e de ostentação de uma peculiar forma de vida. Para isto jogaram um papel instrumental o Harley Davidson Owners Group (HOG) e a Posse Ride. O HOG, oficialmente um instrumento de estímulo aos proprietários para partilha de experiências e paixões, depressa revelou o seu verdadeiro fito: contributo para o esforço de reposicionamento e de credibilização social da marca. Esta estava, desde meados da década de 60, associada a espíritos demasiado livres que percorriam sem lei nem ordem as estradas. Inúmeros filmes de Hollywood retratam magistralmente esta realidade marginal. Actualmente o HOG tem mais de um milhão de membros, sendo a maior organização deste género no mundo do motociclismo. Personagens singulares, pertença de uma América profunda, masculina, branca. Os membros encarnam o espírito dos pioneiros americanos: ao cidadão respeitador da lei e engravatado, durante a semana de trabalho, sucede o cidadão espírito livre, suavemente rebelde e amante da liberdade, ao fim de semana.

A Posse Ride é, na sua essência, uma excursão de alguns dias, geralmente em percurso de milhares de quilómetros. Mas o que a distingue é a forma metódica como os gestores da Harley e do HOG aplicam subtilmente sofisticadas técnicas de ‘marketing’. Onde gestores e consumidores se juntam e convivem. Num contacto, não intermediado, estimulando a manutenção do espírito gregário Harley. A Posse Ride é também uma oportunidade ímpar de falar de novos produtos e conceitos, criando excitação em torno deles... a uma audiência cativa, maravilhada por estar a ser como que “ungida” pela revelação…quais disseminadores de novidades junto de seus amigos e familiares... A participação dos quadros de topo da Harley contribui para reforçar a sensação de pertença a uma grande família, estabelecendo laços de lealdade potencialmente perduráveis no tempo.

A Harley não tem produzido as motos de maior excelência mas tem, de longe, uma marca mais forte que lhe permite licenciar produtos a mais de 100 diferentes empresas produtoras de acessórios diversos. Isto possibilita-lhe uma tremenda exposição, potenciada pela Posse Ride qual comboio de publicidade gratuita. Assim, mesmo comercializando um produto de nicho, a Harley Davidson está regularmente entre as marcas mais conhecidas nos EUA, ombreando com outras marcas lendárias como a Coca-cola ou a Disney.

O exemplo da Harley ilustra uma marca que reclama legitimamente um “Valor para uma Comunidade”, em muito excedendo as marcas com valor apenas comercial. Para este desiderato ela detém alguns atributos singulares: ilustra valores e objectivos dos consumidores e possui um elevado valor cultural; serve como identificador e símbolo de pertença; e é usada de forma notória e muito pública.

Como corolário, o gestor de ‘marketing’, no sentido de criar valor, deve tentar capitalizar no “Valor de Comunidade” que a sua marca desejavelmente possui. Empenho e espírito podem derrotar concorrentes mais apetrechados financeiramente.

www.marketinginovador.blogspot.com
____

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos, Economista, gestor e professor universitário

Harley e o valor de comunidade: artigo do Diário Económico de 16.02.2007

Harley e o valor de comunidade

Mesmo comercializando um produto de nicho, a Harley Davidson está regularmente entre as marcas mais conhecidas nos EUA.

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos

A Harley Davidson Motor Company trabalhou em exclusivo para o exército dos EUA, durante a II Guerra, produzindo milhares de motociclos que iriam demonstrar o seu carácter nos campos de batalha da Europa. Associadas aos vendedores, as Harley tornaram-se elas também objecto reverenciado num lado e do outro do Atlântico. Assim começou a construção do mito… Trinta anos mais tarde, rodeada de agressivos concorrentes japoneses, a empresa foi acossada por problemas na qualidade de construção e por um reduzido investimento tecnológico. No espaço de dois lustros, apenas, a quota de mercado minguou para um quarto. As firmas japonesas pareciam avassaladoras demais para não ser vaticinada a falência previsível da empresa...

A década de oitenta, contudo, marca o início do renascimento da marca Harley. Este assentou em dois eixos: recuperação da excelência mecânica; reposicionamento como produtora de ícones culturais e de ostentação de uma peculiar forma de vida. Para isto jogaram um papel instrumental o Harley Davidson Owners Group (HOG) e a Posse Ride. O HOG, oficialmente um instrumento de estímulo aos proprietários para partilha de experiências e paixões, depressa revelou o seu verdadeiro fito: contributo para o esforço de reposicionamento e de credibilização social da marca. Esta estava, desde meados da década de 60, associada a espíritos demasiado livres que percorriam sem lei nem ordem as estradas. Inúmeros filmes de Hollywood retratam magistralmente esta realidade marginal. Actualmente o HOG tem mais de um milhão de membros, sendo a maior organização deste género no mundo do motociclismo. Personagens singulares, pertença de uma América profunda, masculina, branca. Os membros encarnam o espírito dos pioneiros americanos: ao cidadão respeitador da lei e engravatado, durante a semana de trabalho, sucede o cidadão espírito livre, suavemente rebelde e amante da liberdade, ao fim de semana.

A Posse Ride é, na sua essência, uma excursão de alguns dias, geralmente em percurso de milhares de quilómetros. Mas o que a distingue é a forma metódica como os gestores da Harley e do HOG aplicam subtilmente sofisticadas técnicas de ‘marketing’. Onde gestores e consumidores se juntam e convivem. Num contacto, não intermediado, estimulando a manutenção do espírito gregário Harley. A Posse Ride é também uma oportunidade ímpar de falar de novos produtos e conceitos, criando excitação em torno deles... a uma audiência cativa, maravilhada por estar a ser como que “ungida” pela revelação…quais disseminadores de novidades junto de seus amigos e familiares... A participação dos quadros de topo da Harley contribui para reforçar a sensação de pertença a uma grande família, estabelecendo laços de lealdade potencialmente perduráveis no tempo.

A Harley não tem produzido as motos de maior excelência mas tem, de longe, uma marca mais forte que lhe permite licenciar produtos a mais de 100 diferentes empresas produtoras de acessórios diversos. Isto possibilita-lhe uma tremenda exposição, potenciada pela Posse Ride qual comboio de publicidade gratuita. Assim, mesmo comercializando um produto de nicho, a Harley Davidson está regularmente entre as marcas mais conhecidas nos EUA, ombreando com outras marcas lendárias como a Coca-cola ou a Disney.

O exemplo da Harley ilustra uma marca que reclama legitimamente um “Valor para uma Comunidade”, em muito excedendo as marcas com valor apenas comercial. Para este desiderato ela detém alguns atributos singulares: ilustra valores e objectivos dos consumidores e possui um elevado valor cultural; serve como identificador e símbolo de pertença; e é usada de forma notória e muito pública.

Como corolário, o gestor de ‘marketing’, no sentido de criar valor, deve tentar capitalizar no “Valor de Comunidade” que a sua marca desejavelmente possui. Empenho e espírito podem derrotar concorrentes mais apetrechados financeiramente.

www.marketinginovador.blogspot.com
____

Paulo Gonçalves Marcos, Economista, gestor e professor universitário