Business Marketing Lessons From Spaghetti Sauce?

by ProfitEngineer on July 15, 2010

spaghettiMalcolm Gladwell is the best-selling author of The Tipping Point and Blink, two of my favorite books on human behavior and how it applies to business.

Gladwell talks about his friend Howard Moscowitz, a consultant in the food industry, who is credited with the reinvention of spaghetti sauce.

Note: Click on the blog post title (in bold red) above, if you don’t see Gladwell’s video on the left.

Executive Summary

  • Do not make any assumptions about what your market wants (the “culturally authentic” platonic dish)
  • Market research is CRITICALLY important …
    • Do not act on what people SAY, instead
    • Cater your business to what people DO
  • Move away from the universal one-size fits all product
  • Identify the multiple niches within your market (horizontal segmentation), and
  • Select the niche market you want to become known for (extra chunky spaghetti sauce)
  • Learn to embrace the diversity of human beings

What about you? What have been your experiences or challenges in market research?

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