6 Marketing Lessons From The Chat Room.

(click here to enlarge...... the picture).
Many of the key innovations of the online world have been led by the adult industry, so naturally my first reaction on seeing this image (courtesy of Marcus) was to consider the numerous marketing insights it provides.

1) Scarcity Of Attention - traditionally the scarcity has come from the potential customer, but here we see the provider rationing her attention and thus stimulating a huge pent-up demand.

2) Trading Up - traditionally it's been felt that you have to provide your customer with an enthusiastic greeting and rewarding experience in order to increase their expenditure, but here we see the indifference strategy forcing customers to the paid rooms.

3) Power Naps - human capital is your key resource in this ultra-competitive world, but here we see what happens when you don't ensure your staff are well rested. Providing sleeping facilities at the office is not the answer.

4) Free Is The New Pricing - some would have you believe that the future lies in giving away your offering and reaping the benefit via ancillary services, but here we see the provider reminding us that you really do get what you pay for.

5) Markets Are Conversations - traditionally it has been felt that conversation is two way, but here we see that in a modern one to one business model, the provision of the mechanism is enough. Guest 705 is quite happy to do it alone.

6) Visual Literacy - traditionally marketing messages were direct, unimaginative and assumed nothing of the intelligence of the customer, but here we see a provider fully confident that we will recognise this as the homage to the Comcast guy that it is.

I'm sure there are many others - feel free to add them in the comments.