2008: A Love/Hate Relationship with the “Unexpected”

As marketers, we love the unexpected. And nothing thrills us more than “disruption”.  Then along came 2008. Suddenly being disrupted and experiencing the unexpected was completely void of any of the delight we associate with those terms.

It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. Back in January several economic panels forecast the market would end the year up over 12,700. And though 35% of of leading economists thought we’d experience a recession, it would be shallow and short-lived. In fact, prospects for the second half of the year were downright rosy. Liquidity was predicted to rebound. And growth would chug along at 1-2%.

Of course, we all know what happened. Subprime mortgages. Credit derivatives. Billion dollar bailouts. All unexpected.

Enough already. It’s time we marketers reclaim what is rightfully ours and take back the true meaning of unexpected. 2009 represents the perfect opportunity to do it. Here are four notable “disruptions” you can implement that will have an immediate and delightful business impact.

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Tags: acquisition, customer service, Morale, positive business impact