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Tips & Trends: Consumer Currents

Weaving Marketing Magic in Massachusetts

November 09, 2009
Author: Doug Babb | Comments (0)
Related Line of Business: Marketing Communications


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Applying discipline and focus, small companies and individuals may create remarkable experiences for consumers. I learned this during a recent weeklong vacation on the north coast of Massachusetts, otherwise known as the Boston North Shore. A dog in Gloucester, two bed and breakfast establishments in Marblehead and a Harvard bookstore Help Desk clerk provided memorable moments.

The business writer Jim Collins methodically has studied the secrets of great business successes, writing books such as “Good to Great.” There are many reasons good companies evolve to deliver great consumer service. Few, if any, of those transformations are driven by a formula or a change program, Collins writes of large companies.

“In each of these dramatic, remarkable, good-to-great corporate transformations, we found the same thing: There was no miracle moment,” Collins writes about companies on his “excellent” list.

“Instead, a down-to-earth, pragmatic, committed-to-excellence process – a framework – kept each company, its leaders and its people on track for the long haul.”

Small companies, by being focused on excellence, also may achieve a level of quality that is disarming and delightful. Add in a dash of personality and persistence, and you will see marketing magic at work.

The following Massachusetts moments are small businesses, which have rejected the notion of being “just good”, and have carefully, step-by-step, implemented a vision of excellence.

Shaggy dog in Gloucester

The first example is simply the story of a shop owner who knows how to train high-spirited terriers. It takes place in Gloucester (pronounced Glaws-ta), where the real-life drama and film version of the “Perfect Storm” happened.

The Black Swan is a small clothing boutique in the heart of the old shopping district. Strollers on Main Street are likely to run into a Wheaten terrier curled up on the sidewalk inches from the shop’s front door. After accepting pats and praise, the dog calmly strolls into the store, luring potential customers inside. The pup has become an important part of the shopping experience, delighting consumers.

Once engaged in dog talk with the shop owner – the story of the discipline and patience required for good Weaten training, the conversation often is converted into a sale. Everyone goes away with a smile and the dog heads out front again for a nap.

That is not an easy trick to pull off.

“Wheatens jump and bounce. They can leap straight up off the floor and are fond of jumping on people to get attention or display their high spirits,” says the online Dog Owner’s Guide. “Training often takes more than a dollop of patience and a deep commitment to firm but gentle instruction and follow-up.”

The terrier is an example of fun consumer engagement.

Tale of two B&Bs

Immediately southeast of Salem is the historically rich town of Marblehead, a former fishing powerhouse and now a center for yachting. Founded in the1600s by Salem folk tired of Puritan control, there are many fine examples of 1700- and 1800-era homes clustered on the town’s rocky bay. Two very different B&Bs, both guided by visions of excellence and quality, are located in quiet neighborhoods.

The first is Fox Pond, a more traditional, small B&B with three rooms. The grounds are carefully sculpted. Gathering places and bedrooms are distinctively decorated and furnished. All are the results of years of effort by owner Ted Baker, who remodeled a Cape Cod-style home.

Most Marblehead B&Bs market themselves through word of mouth, Baker says. He has used Internet savvy and trade publication placements to position Fox Pond. His architectural and landscaping efforts have gaind national attention in publications such as “Gardening and Deck Design” and Better Home and Gardens’ "Remodel."

“Fox Pond is quite possibly one of the North Shore's most romantic hideaways,” notes FindBedandBreakfast.com. “Each room is furnished with period antiques and oriental rugs…Outside, guests will find over 1,300 sq. ft. of decks or a beautiful brick patio surrounded by gardens. It is both a bed and breakfast as well as a showcase for the owner’s architectural business.”

Half of the fun of the Fox Pond experience is the chance to talk with Ted about his remodeling and landscaping efforts, as well as his insights into tourism marketing.

Getting to know the owners of a second B&B was equally fun and a great example of excellent marketing moments. The one-room Arbor House, located in another section of town, offers a very different B&B stay.

No need to share a breakfast table at a fixed time with strangers. Just amble into the tiny kitchen that is stocked with freshly baked pastries, homemade granola, fresh fruit and juices and many other pleasures. The apartment-like room has a small private patio and is a short walk from the ocean. It is a restful and quiet home away from home for travelers who are as interested in an afternoon nap as visiting shops and galleries that day.

The Arbor House, a restored 1800s home, also is the product of hosts Jennifer and Dave Rich’s life experiences and hard work, coming together to create a distinctive, low-key B&B rest stop. Jennifer is a former pastry chef and starts her day at 6 a.m. in her own kitchen preparing goodies for the guests before going off to her day job. They’ve run other B&Bs. Jennifer and Dave are “foodies” and are eager to share their knowledge of North Shore restaurants. (After leaving Marblehead, we bumped into them in a recommended bistro in Gloucester, more than an hour away.)

Help Desk Guy at the Harvard Co-op bookstore

Harvard Square is a fun tourist stop, even if Car Talk hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi were too busy with their libel lawyers – at Dewey Cheatem & Howe – to visit with us. The next best attraction is the Harvard Coop Bookstore, called the Coop (as in chicken).

Ours was a repeat visit from a year ago. On our way up to the second floor café, we walked past a shelf of audio books. “I remember there was a book there last year I thought about buying,” I said to Susan, my wife.

After lunch, we wandered back to the first floor. A Help Desk clerk approached. “What was the name of that book?” I was surprised he had heard me. I could not remember the title but described it. “It was about all the great writers who lived near Concord in the 1800s.”

Leaving Help Desk Guy behind, we then headed up to the third floor for a quick look. As we entered the elevator to go back down, our new friend greeted us. “This the book?” he asked, handing me a copy of Susan Cheever's “American Bloomsbury,” about Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and other 19th Century intellectuals.

How can you say no to such delightful persistence? “That’s it. I guess I better buy it this time.”

In each case – whether training of a dog, a sales clerk focused on superb service or operators of distinctive inns – memorable consumer moments were created.