Hoop Dreams....

PJ challenged me to a game of hoops one day this weekend. He reminded me that focus usually wins over raw energy in athletics -- and in marketing.

Actually, before you think I fancy myself an athlete, the game was a tiny plastic "finger free throw" toy. The object of the game is to get as many baskets in 30 seconds as possible.

PJ is fast. He can flick almost 30 attempts in that half minute. When it was my turn. I tried to beat his speed, but could get nowhere near as fast. Then, I realized he made fewer than half his attempts. If I could just increase my precision, I could win. And I did… eventually.

I invested more in each shot and got better results. The same is true in marketing. Some marketers think that by throwing a bunch of disjointed ideas at a marketing problem something will stick. Others think shear force can increase market share and grow sales. Sometimes it can. Often it can't.

Like in basketball, nothing beats focus: an on-target message and clear-cut strategy.

For instance, Apple's iPod is an unqualified success. They own about 70% of the MP3 player market. It's not because Apple is an audio company. They historically are a computer technology company. It's not because they invented MP3 players. The now defunct Rio was on the market in 1998, long before the iPod. It's not because of a huge ad budget. Sony can afford a lot more spending on personal audio.

They’re the leaders because of their tight strategy. They didn't just make a player. They created a whole concept. A fashion statement. An intuitive interface. And a seamless experience including iTunes store -- a place to legally download everything from music to audio books to podcasts, and now movies.

But they didn't just sit back and enjoy their success. They've rolled out a carefully timed series of engineering innovations like the new razor-thin, color screen Nano. They even opened the engineering doors for 3rd parties to share their spoils by creating add-ons.

And there's no sign of the iPod's lead slowing.

So, while I towel off, ask yourself: "How can I better refine my marketing focus?"

- Phil Sasso