Market Verb Newsletter 21 (Mar 06-Mar 14)

Part 1 — Marketing Tip / Style

 The Signboard Technique

I travel quite a bit, and every time I go somewhere, I get hungry fast. Once, my sister had some chewing gum and ended up with a stomach ache. By now, I’ve adapted to almost every kind of food — so I survived!

We were looking for a petrol pump, but we couldn’t find one. I was starting to get hungry too. The second we saw a hotel, we stopped there — not because of its cozy look, but because of the sign underneath the hotel’s name:

“Washroom!”

I bet more than half the people there walk in just for the washroom.

This is actually an excellent strategy. There are very few washrooms and hotels along highways. So when a hotel clearly advertises “Washroom,” it becomes an immediate stop.

Sometimes, what pulls the customer in is not your main offering — but the small, practical need you solve first.

Part 2 — Brand Story

The Story of Smartwatches

In the beginning, watches were simple machines used only to tell the time — nothing more.

As technology evolved, watches evolved too. There were early trials in the late 1990s and 2000s. But in the past few years, smartwatches have truly progressed.

Today, they can track health, count your steps, monitor your heart rate, and much more. Brands like Apple, Samsung, and Garmin have transformed watches into wearable health companions.

I have one myself — though it kind of broke!

Technology doesn’t just upgrade products. It upgrades expectations.

Part 3 — Two Great Books

How to Launch a Brand – by Fabian Geyrhalter

A practical playbook for turning a brand idea into a market-ready identity through positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategy.

ZAG – by Marty Neumeier

A sharp, strategic guide to creating brands that stand out by choosing a clear point of difference in crowded markets.

Part 4: Two Great Voices

“You start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology — not the other way around.”— Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple Inc

“Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.”— David Packard ,co-founder of Hewlett Packard ( HP)

Part 5 — This Week’s Actionable

If you are a brand that posts unevenly — like three posts one week and nothing the next — don’t do that.

Post at least once a day.

Consistency builds memory. Memory builds brands.

That’s this week’s marketing actionable.