Commoditizing Products >> Commoditizing Customers

Dang, I wish I’d said this …

“… when you start turning your products into commodities, you start treating your customers like commodities.”
-- Hugh MacLeod | gapingvoid --

Comments

[Jodee Bock]

Head 'em up, move 'em out ... what results does that produce? Brings to mind lemmings off a cliff. Hmmmmm....

[Niti]

And to add one link and line, when design becomes a commodity?
http://www.frogdesign.com/inside/news_press/index.html

is it any wonder that products are commodities, much less the user?

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johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy) adds:
In case the link Niti provides becomes outdated, here is the Business Week article Niti refers to:
http://yahoo.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_12/b3925609.htm

[Sivaraman Swaminathan]

So true and a very lovely quote. I would like to add -you also commoditize 'customer experience' which today is only tangible differentiator for brands

[Thomas]

I have not dealt with Dell for a long while so I can't judge; but I can you that we went to the Mac store at the mall yesterday to try to get an iPod repaired: Wow, what a total disaster. After getting a few Bambi-in-the-headlights stares and "huh?" from a few fashionably hip-looking but poorly trained staffers, we went to the counter boldly named "Genius Bar". Nope, no geniuses there, not even close, they had no idea what to do. So, giving up, we left, and will try to figure out where else we can get the thing fixed. Total disappointment. This makes me wonder: When you have a brand generally known for "wow", but it fails to deliver when it really counts most, isn't the net result exactly the same or even worse than a less "wow" brand who still manages to get the job done? My broken iPod and Mac store hassles have me looking for other alternatives now, I'm sorry to say.

[Rich...!]

Yup, killer quote, one his best.

PS. See you in a few weeks...!

[Niti]

I'd rather not say what you have me saying than what I originally said. Thanks.

[Jordan Whight]

Reminds me of the post from Big Picture, Small Office about customers as commodities a while back.

He's living the experience!