3 Leaders Who Follow the Signs
By Rebel Brown
Market leaders follow the signs.
Leaders are always on the alert for Signs of shifting markets. When they sense a subtle shift in their audiences or their own value, they respond and keep moving forward. When there's a sign of a major shift, they throw their status quo beliefs to the wind, focus forward-and adapt. Many point to Apple and Google and Amazon as innovators who follow the signs. But there are so many more great companies out there. Here are three of my favorite leaders who follow the Signs. These companies trust their intuition, signs and the facts, evolving to intercept opportunities for growth!
NU SKIN:
NuSkin is growing in a bad economy. Why? Nu Skin ignored traditional higher-end skin care market approaches. They saw an emerging market niche and pounced on it, focusing heavily on product innovation to create momentum. Baby Boomer women were flocking to plastic surgery. We all want to stay young and vibrant, yet many women can't afford the $10,000 or more to maintain a youthful appearance. Today's economy makes surgery even less affordable. Nu Skin has the answer. It's unlike any other skin care option in the market. Introduced in 2008, their Galvanic Spa and ageLOC product systems are an affordable alternative to a facelift. And they work. For under $100/month we can get rid of the lines and sag and wrinkles that age us. All in the privacy of our own home. No pain, no downtime, no recovery. How's that for following the Signs?
Fruit of the Loom hit the wall prior to its acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway. Now, Fruit of the Loom is accomplishing a tough transition: they are evolving a company brand, changing the perception of a global marketplace and entering new markets - without dramatically changing their product fundamentals. That's following your intuition! They saw the signs of the underwear shift - create primarily by Victoria's Secret and designer brands. Yet there's a huge market of folks who don't want to pay designer prices for, well, underwear. Fruit of the Loom followed those Signs.
- They expanded their offerings for men's underwear by simply adding colors and new styles.
- They broke into the women's market, specifically, the Victoria's Secret market - by adding comfie yet sexy and colorful designs for active women.
- They also brought comfortable and sexy underwear to full-figured gals who want to have fun too! Talk about an under-served market. And they grabbed at it.
- They expanded to include fun kids designs and colors.
Fruit of the Loom saw the signs. There are many of us don't want to pay expensive prices and/or who don't look great in the Vicky's Secret world of underwear models. Today, they are capturing new markets thanks to Victoria's Secret marketing dollars. Now that's a great way to follow the Signs!
SC Jonson:
SC Johnson understands the need to evolve with changing markets. Their Glade brand has evolved from sprays to Plugins to fancy Plugins and more. Recently SC Johnson saw a Sign. Those popular scented candles we all love were expensive. That meant there was a segment of the market that might not want to pay the higher prices. So Glade offered their signature scents in candles, available at a much lower price point than boutique candles. We can buy them at the grocery store, the pharmacy, and even some 7-Elevens. SC Johnson mapped the value of Glade-great scents at affordable prices-to a newly emerging market for candles. Then they segmented a portion of the growing candle audience to serve, and they served it well.
SC Johnson makes a practice of following the Signs across their brands. Ziplocs were a lot less expensive and easier to use than the bulky Tupperware containers, and we didn't have to wash them! We just tossed them away. So easy! Ziploc enhanced that product through the years: the bags became stronger and freezer ready, the closure mechanism was supercharged. Then global warming became a big consideration in our lives.
We all began to see the impact our plastic addiction had on planet Earth. Suddenly those bags didn't look so great anymore. SC Johnson responded, taking their market full circle-back to the days of Tupperware, but with a new face; light, flexible food-storage containers that we can use and reuse. Yet, they are so inexpensive we can send one home with our friends or to school with our kids. SC Johnson follows the changing Signs to evolve their products, and just look at their brand power!
These leaders prove it! Following the Signs isn't difficult.
It simply takes a commitment to pay attention - to our markets, our customers and most importantly - our own business intuition. Are you ready to follow the Signs?
Rebel Brown consistently challenges the status quo whether it be in her personal life, or to deliver optimum solutions and high velocity growth for her clients and readers. She combines the lessons learned from over 20 years as a global Corporate Strategy, Launch and Turnaround Expert, along with the strategic expertise, tactical savvy, leadership and motivational skills needed to get the job done.
Check out Rebel's new business book, Defy Gravity, where she shares proven strategies and tactics for growing your business even in a down economy.
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3 Leaders Who Follow the Signs
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