Comments on: global microbrands 10/19/05

By: Sean

Sean — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 17:49:54 +0000

I couldn’t agree more.

By: olivier blanchard

olivier blanchard — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 09:38:26 +0000

Perfect name for a sweet concept. Don't mind if I quote you from time to time. http://thebrandbuilder.blogspot.com/2005/10/microventures-global-microbrands.html

By: Andrew Toomey

Andrew Toomey — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 21:48:07 +0000

Yes me too, thanks Hugh. I got a whole bunch of traffic from your link.
–AndyT13

By: Herme Garcia

Herme Garcia — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 05:07:33 +0000

Hugh,
Thanks a lot for the mention !!!

By: Adrian Lee

Adrian Lee — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 22:56:31 +0000

Point taken, good example.
I think I’m getting at least some of the difference between a ‘niche’, which would be a tightly focussed product/service, as opposed to a GMB which would be more a small scale operation spreading it’s message as wide as possible (conversing with as many people as possible) and ignoring as many physical boundaries as possible.
Which is made a lot easier with tools, like blogs (as the overheads are much reduced compared to more traditional means), to communicate.

By: hugh macleod

hugh macleod — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 17:23:58 +0000

Adrian, I think making GMBs and “niche businesses” synonymous is too simplistic. There are a lot of GMBs that don’t make any money, that aren’t even businesses. Gapingvoid, for example.

By: Adrian Lee

Adrian Lee — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 16:17:30 +0000

“My point is with the internet (and especially with a blog) a GMB is easier and cheaper than ever to build.“
Fair point, I’d certainly agree with that considering the tools around these days.
I’m guessing ‘niche’ doesn’t cause the ‘market disruption’ you like, it’s a term people are familiar with and so doesn’t illicit the same response as a new name for the same thing Or maybe I’m just cynical there, heh.
If Stormhoek were to grow, and unlike with EnglishCut which is all about Thomas, I imagine there’s the possibility there for them to do that, would they stop being a GMB?
I’m sure Jacob’s Creek were a lot smaller when they started, so given the ability to sell globally they could’ve been a GMB as well.
Not critisising the idea, I like it Just trying to work out how you are defining it. A small player in a much larger industry, making the most of itself to sell around the world, seems to be along the right lines?

By: shtikl

shtikl — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 13:35:49 +0000

Didn’t IBM talk about this kind of marketing in their TV-ads back in the Dotcom boom? I remember images of some kind of italian producer selling their classy and very loal stuff worldwide thanks to their IBM software. (I don’t know if the ads are still on, it’s some time that I had a TV.)
In any case I am wrecking my mind on how to turn my cartoon site http://www.shtikl.com into a GMB, actually gaining more than lots of compliments — and maybe leaving the beaten path of the usual Cafepress-Attempts.
(I came to like Hugh’s manierism of ending sentences with an “etc”. I hate the “…”, but “etc” is good. Seriously considering plagiarizing the “etc” )
Keep it up etc.

By: Andrew Macfarlane

Andrew Macfarlane — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 01:31:00 +0000

This is astonishing — there I was (I’m the above mentioned of English Cufflinks) quietly checking the comments on this post when one of our customers from some time back remembers us and showers us with glowing praise (thankyou Mr Lechner). This is really what Global Micro Branding is all about and what the self regulating blogosphere is at too. If I had treated my customer badly (perish the thought) it could easily have come back to haunt me. GMBs therefore have to build a reputation of trust. And if one treats people…well, like people then this trust builds, Globally. It also helps me sleep at night.

By: Eric Lechner

Eric Lechner — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 00:47:23 +0000

English Cufflinks has both a great product and great customer service. I’ve purchased a couple sets from them. They’ve got some stunning cufflinks.
When one set arrived scratched (they fell out of the holding elastic in the mail), they offered to ship them back and replace them, all at their cost, to pay for having them repolished, or whatever else would work out for me. I wound up taking them to a local goldsmith in Santa Cruz, Thomas Mantle, who polished them up at no charge and sent me on my way.
And then, Mr. Macfarlane (of English Cufflinks) sent me a free pair of cufflinks. No warning or anything; they just showed up in my mailbox. Nice!
(If it weren’t for the british postage, I’d never know that I was getting personal service from someone 6000 miles away.)

By: Atelier de Beaut

Atelier de Beaut — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 23:34:44 +0000