The ZenMango Blog

{If Marketing Ran the Airline World vs. If Operations Ran the Airline World}

2011-08-05T13:06:00.000-06:00

If Marketing Ran the Airline World: As passengers board the plane, marketing would love to create “a moment” to start the experience. The moment could include a video where employees or the president of the airline thank customers for choosing the airline, then present a feel-good section where happy customers and employees showcase the cities around the world that the airlines connects to. At

{Angelina Jolie Teaches a Marketing Lesson!}

2011-06-16T10:33:00.000-06:00

Ever wonder why some retailers or restaurants put on their coupons, "Valid at participating locations only"? It is a very glass-half-full way of saying, “Some locations may not take this coupon, but go ahead and try it anyway.” Based on this, three questions come to mind: Why do marketers want to promote an offer that is not being accepted in all units? Is it an example of semi-deceptive

{Beginnings - Lane Cardwell, President, P.F. Chang's China Bistro}

2011-05-26T10:19:00.000-06:00

Written for and distributed at the Marketing Executives Group, Chicago, May 19, 2011; Published in Restaurant Marketing Group's MEG Consumer Talk Lane CardwellPresident, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro I have had a lot of beginnings lately. In the past two years I have doubled the number of restaurant companies that I have worked for in the past 32 years. I was recently the CEO of Boston Market,

{The Start of Marketing and Operations Divide}

2011-05-12T09:50:00.000-06:00

As we work in the area of Marperations, it is important to understand the origin of the marketing-operations divide. This understanding will help us figure out why operations cares so much about efficiency and why marketing has an eye single to effectiveness. A look back in history shows that the 18th and beginning of the 19thcentury marked the rise of production. Producers focused their energy

{Operations Focused Marketing: A Marperations First?}

2011-04-06T22:40:00.003-06:00

Ever since the inception of the Marperations concept, I have been searching for examples where operations completely defines a brand and marketing simply must reflect the differentiated operations. Last weekend I found an example where I would have least expected it.I was in the Cherry Creek area of Denver waiting for a meeting. To kill time I looked for a place to get a cup of coffee. To me,

{Focus on the "real people" of your brand}

2010-11-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Pizza Hut goes for slices of real life with employees in ads By KAREN ROBINSON-JACOBS / The Dallas Morning News In an era when ordering a pizza doesn't necessarily involve human contact, using workers in ads reinforces the message that "these are genuine human beings who are making these pizzas," said Arjun Sen, president of the Colorado-based Restaurant Marketing

{The Price-Value Equation and Golf}

2010-11-04T13:14:00.001-06:00

Arjun Sen was featured in the November issue of PGA Magazine as the expert source on price and value in Don Jozwiak's cover story article. The article keenly applies to industries outside the golfing realm and is well worth the read. Click here to jump to the article. "Given the current economy, pricing is a hot topic across the golf economy. Knowing what value a golfer expects a given offering

{Does Sports Marketing Really Work?}

2010-09-20T13:41:00.002-06:00

It was a pleasure and honor to moderate a Sports Marketing panel at Dine America hosted by QSR Magazine. We had a great team of panelists that included Tracy White, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, and Chief Sales Officer for the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers and Philips Arena; John Kittredge, Fabri-Kal; and Bruce Skala, VP, Taco Mac. Based on the lively discussion among

{Arjun Sen Published in AdvertisingAge: Keep an Eye on the Back Door}

2010-09-02T13:34:00.003-06:00

Understanding Why Customers Leave May Be More Important Than Understanding Why They Comeby Arjun Sen Published: September 01, 2010CMO Strategy Column, AdvertisingAge The cost of acquiring new customers can easily add up to five times that of retaining current customers. In the new world of marketing, where CMOs are more cost conscious than ever, a focus on customer retention is a

{Airline Industry: Moving from Hospitality to Utilitarian Retail}

2010-08-11T10:59:00.002-06:00

As I sit in a USAir flight from Charlotte to Denver, it dawned on me that the airlines are going through a transition from a hospitality industry to that of retail. Earlier it was all about hospitality. Hospitality included a greeting at the door, assisting the elderly to their seat, getting the customer a pillow and blanket, and of course offering refreshments that included food or snacks and

{What do You Need to Provide Wow Customer Service?}

2010-07-27T07:40:00.000-06:00

After I boarded the flight and sat down in my seat, the flight attendant brought me a glass of cold water. The water hit the spot. She saw me with my Taco Bell bag and came to me and asked, “Can I have it?” My immediate reaction was, “No it is mine.” She smiled at me and said that since I was in the first row I could not have stuff on my lap or in front of me. She then took my salad and

{Store Closing Time: For Customers or Employees?}

2010-07-23T10:24:00.007-06:00

In today’s tough economy, every store is trying to find ways to increase its guest count. Sometimes, the smallest of gestures or actions makes a customer walk away. What is worse is there are times we set an expectation to the customer and then disappoint the customer. A disappointed customer of course is very unlikely to return. Think about the store hours that are posted outside any store

{The New Apple iPhone and Brand Insistence}

2010-07-06T09:34:00.001-06:00

My daughter, my niece, and I woke up at 5:30 in the morning to get to Cherry Creek Mall on June 24th because the new iPhone came out. Of course as a dad I did not want to miss the opportunity to get the first iPhone on the first day just to make my daughter smile. We got to the mall at 6:15 and to my utter surprise, we were sitting in a line behind at least 100 people. There were other

{How a Lose-Win Strategy Can Help You Win Customers}

2010-01-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

In the classical business model, we all say we want a win-win relationship. But is there such thing as a true win-win relationship? Isn’t there always an ending where one party feels that he/she could have gotten more? But traditional marketers and operators as well finance team in organizations reject the concept of lose-win immediately. Recently, when I was helping a few restaurant

{Happy Team Members Make Happy Customers }

2009-12-08T23:00:00.003-07:00