What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas or goes out on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, ….especially when it talk about SxSWV2V! This isn’t contained to Las Vegas, but is being spread out all over the world via social and digital media.
Let the so-called social graph and wor(l)d-of-mounth do it’s work, but content wise this V2V version had a huge message regarding digital and online media/business! Get out there and be real, be appealing or don’t be!
Both yesterday and today keynotes addressed the fact that building a website never sold a real problem! It’s the value offer regarding that problem that is appealing for customers. And those customer live in a real (off-line) world, with real problems they want to get solved.
The Shinola story is a true example of this off-line revamping era. Shinola is re-introducing industrialized manufacturing into the US (supported with online sales tools), but from the bottom build as a manufacturing company. This is quite the opposite of what silicon valley service-minded start-ups are doing, but holds enormous possibilities for (local) communities. Instead of being in front of your screen, go out, and connect with that customer through unique flag-ship stores which bundles every (brand or product) experience you want for your local customer/community.
Making industrial manufacturing appealing for workers might seem hard, but Shinola choose Detroit as their home base due to the easy fact that building watches is also about building engines (only on a smaller scale). This meant local Detroit community was eager to welcome Shinola in Detroit and started working for and cooperating with them. Eventually they did a cross over with College of Creative Studies where they host the manufacturing plant. This creates a vibrant atmosphere both for students, and Shinola (workers) to be part of.
Although Shinola started there 2.0 version with manufacturing and selling classy watches, they did not want become a one-shot brand. So they invested in product differentiation and the diversification of the Shinola brand, with the introduction of leather balls (produced in New York) and bicycles. All within the design and the storytelling ideology which Shinola wants to transfer both to its customer, and it’s workers. High design, with high quality (life-time warranty) glued together by a story of openness, honesty and transparency!
Thank you Brian Solis fort his great interview with Jacques Panis showing that entrepreneurship in 2014 is not only about digital or online, but can also be about – let me call this with a lot of respect – old school secondary economy products and services (glued with a digital sauce).
flatworldbusiness.wordpress.com 
Leave a comment