Competitive Positioning

You may be sick of reading about Comcast on this blog, and I guess I don’t blame you.  But the point I am trying to make is that when a company, such as Comcast, constantly has a poor reputation for customer relations, it is not the result of marketplace competition.  It is, in fact, because of self-inflicted wounds.

In Comcast’s case, it is a defensive and inwardly-focused culture that inhibits building positive relationships and transparent conversations with customers. To borrow an often-used phrase, it is an analog corporate culture in a digital world.  Comcast exclusively creates its own external problems that injury the company’s reputation, starting with its Web sites and lack of an interactive blog.

Customers hate Comcast because it consumes hours and hours simply to get the company to fix simple issues. Additionally, it’s so darn hard to find anyone at Comcast with the authority or competence to fix anything.  Simple as that.  

I would like nothing better than to see Comcast change, and here’s why - the company’s Internet and cable TV service is pretty good, other than the fact that Comcast has banned the outstanding HDNet network channels (more about that in a later posting).  

The formula for improving Comcast’s reputation is neither difficult nor time-consuming nor expensive to achieve.  The company could see quantifiable improvements within a few months that would result in favorable buzz and glowing reviews among customers, the media and stake-holders.

While I know the formula, I will not give it away here because such consulting is what I do for a living.  Yet, the essential elements include openness, transparency and becoming more ethical.  Comcast might begin by studying the terrific examples of Apple and Zappos.

Consumers and techies, alike, have been atwitter over the lack of availability of Apple iPhones worldwide. Everyone knows that a new, 3G-capable iPhone will be debuted soon. But, suddenly and without warning, iPhones vanished from Apple stores and Apple.com in early May. There’s been all kinds of speculation on Web sites and blogs that follow Apple, like MacRumors.com, about the reasons but none have gotten to the core, I believe, behind Apple’s reason (catch the pun?!)

Apple is unquestionably the most consumer-friendly company on the planet. If you have a question, they answer it. If you have an issue or problem, they fix it. If you wish to return something, they take it back with a smile and give you a refund. Unfortunately, a lot of consumers have taken advantage of Apple on that last point. Consequently, Apple is being smart about the introduction of the new iPhone.

CEO Steve Jobs will take a stage on Monday, June 9, at Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, and he will unveil the new 3G model iPhone. The date is one month from when iPhone availability officially ended … 30 days and past Apple’s return and refund window.

It’s a brilliant and bold move of great integrity by Apple because it makes for a clean introduction of a refined product. Apple is taking away the chance for controversy, as it has experienced in the past, caused by consumers who buy an Apple product and then demand an exchange or refund when a newer model comes along.

We will be watching to see how it plays out. In the meantime, I love my first generation iPhone.

I make it a rule not to write about politics, and this posting is no exception. It is, however, about a line from Frank Rich’s column in the New York Times on Sunday, March 30, that’s stuck in my mind — about the tactical thinking style of the advisors who surround Mrs. Clinton. The subject falls into the category of how to do competitive positioning and how not to.

Rich referred to the style of Clinton’s advisors as, “…the political perils of 20th-century analog arrogance in a digital age.” It’s a brilliant line, especially in the context of who Mrs. Clinton’s advisors are and the old-fashioned style of PR they represent.