New marketing strategies: the tripod (updated!)
I think the tripod (not the official name but I was always disappointed that marketing strategies don’t have cool names like chess strategies so I’m hoping to start naming them) is one of foundations of what I’d call new marketing. It’s based upon the premise that the best way to transform a transactional relationship between two parties is to introduce a third.
In branding this takes the well-understood form of replacing a brand promise or benefit with a shared mission. So rather than being a company that’s all about selling something to someone, you become a partner in working to achieve something bigger with your customers.
But this principle can also be applied more broadly anytime you are faced with a situation in which you are trying to get someone to do something that they don’t already want to do. Instead of simply attacking the problem head-on and forcing or tricking them into doing what you want, The Tripod would suggest identifying a third party who can change the dynamics.
For example, let’s say you are a car manufacturer. Right now, your direct customers aren’t buying. So rather than reducing your margins or creating a host of incentives to lure unwilling drivers, think instead about creating new partnerships. For example, could you do a deal with Zipcar to help them, expand their footprint while taking a cut of new revenues.
An approach like this changes the situation from one where one party has to lose in order for the other party to win, into a situation where all parties can see some gains. While his can’t work all the time, it’s amazing how many different situations can be transformed through this approach.
UPDATE: In the comments, Niko pointed out that I have essentially described a Two-sided market. I initially disagreed but he sent me an email which proved me wrong. So the Tripod can also be defined as the transformation of a transactional relationship between two parties through the creation of a two-sided market. Now that’s starting to sound much more official.
Marketing tripod by Adrian Ho is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at zeusjones.com/blog.
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