I'm a big Tony Bennett fan – I am sure that I own every album and video he has ever produced. Last month, in Vanity Fair Magazine I read an interview with Tony and his son Danny about the release of a new album – DUETS – to celebrate his 80th birthday. It sounded interesting and I made a mental note to look for it the next time I was in a record store.
Yesterday, I received the current issue of Vanity Fair and was really surprised to see a full-page ad for this new album sponsored by Target – yes TAR-JEE! – the department store! Selling CDs???
And not just that – a special limited edition of the album – including bonus DVD content documenting the making of the album – OK, now I am really excited – I LOVE to watch what takes place in the recording studio – I'm buying this ASAP – but… I really don't want to / nor do I have time to – run down to Taget to buy this.
So… this morning I log on to Amazon to order the album – I don't even have the time to get to Tower Records or Barnes & Noble – AND… I want this album now!
Once I am on the Amazon website, I see the reviews for the album – all very positive – and nost of them VERY detailed! Now I find the Target connection – and this causes my dilema. Target is sponsoring a special November 21st broadcast of Tony Bennett's 80th Birthday celebration and the making of this DUET album. ONLY, Target has the exclusive right to sell this Limited Edition of the album with the DVD content included!
My dilema – bite the bullet and go down to Target to get the Limited Edition – AND pay full price? Or, go to a record or bookstore and bring home the album today – and forgo the Bonus DVD content? Hey, I'll just remember to TiVo the broadcast when it airs in November – RIGHT! Or, order it now from Amazon – AND get a nice discount AND buy a special bundle that includes the new Diana Krall album – AND get free shipping!!! What am I to do?
Real world lesson – these are choices that your customers face each day – and challenges for anyone in retailing and manufacturing. Customers have incredible access to information and many choices of how and where to purchase. How do you stand out from the crowd? Can you make your offering unique and compelling? To survive today, you MUST!
Bottom line? I have decided that the bonus DVD content is what I really want the most – and since it is only available at Target – Target gets the sale!
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