Now on Wordpress!

It’s been a year and a half since I started this blog, as a way to share news and analysis about new trends in marketing, technology and sustainability. I’ve had great comments, on and off-line about my posts since then, but Blogger.com is too limited for the look and feel that I want for a project I’m so passionate about.

Please visit my new Wordpress site: www.alicemchacon.wordpress.com. Enjoy!

International Marketing: Harnessing innovation in developing countries

The greatest recession since the great depression has taught us many lessons, not the least of which is the strength and potential of developing economies, where so much management innovation is taking place. I recently read a special report on The Economist about business innovation in developing countries. The article talks about the way companies in countries like China, India and Brazil are becoming the new hotspots for R&D and for rethinking business practices. This is no surprise for me. Having spent the first years of my career in Venezuela, one of the strongest economies of Latin America and a particularly attractive market in the region, I have seen first hand how obstacles like poor infrastructure and politics, as well as promising growth can make innovation a priority for companies there.

With mature economies showing slow growth and consumption especially hit because of the recession, global companies are depending more and more on developing markets as a source of growth. Some markets are especially attractive because of increasing income levels. Venezuela, for example, was an especially attractive market earlier this decade because of increased oil wealth and a drive to consumption that is common in that culture and also common sense, as inflation is so high that saving money in a bank account means losing money. Chavez has increasingly made business harder for companies there in the past few years.

But despite the attractiveness of emerging markets, there are also many challenges, and a section of this report does a good job of pointing them out. First of all, infrastructure can make distribution and operations almost impossible. From poor roads to deficient communications or utilities, being able to distribute products or establish supply chains can be extremely difficult. There’s also the subject of autocratic governments, corruption and bureaucracy. This has been the biggest challenge in Venezuela in the past 11 years, as Chavez’s government has seized factories, buildings and inventory from local and foreign companies, with no compensation in sight.

Another important issue, that is particularly interesting for me as a marketer, is how poverty and poor distribution of wealth can affect consumer behavior, and consequently product development, pricing, distribution and marketing communications. As I mentioned in my previous post, though Venezuela has been one of the richest countries in South America because of its oil wealth, corruption and a decaying education system has led to increasing poverty levels, which some say is as high as 80%. But what is particularly striking is how people living in with different income levels can have such different ways of spending money and obtaining goods. Values and lifestyles can vary strikingly between people living in the middle class and those in the lower income levels, as researchers from a poverty research center (Proyecto Pobreza) at Andres Bello Catholic University (UCAB) have discovered. I had a sociology professor that said that in Venezuela instead of social classes, we had parallel universes. He referred to the fact that people start families earlier and have many more children when they have lower incomes and that even making priorities in life can be very different depending on income levels. Though this is clearly an exaggeration, marketers have to understand that consumer behavior can be very different depending on your target segment.

Marketers in that country have discovered that people who live on low incomes usually live in the moment, making do with what they have in their purses. Unlike the middle class, which spends a big part of income on private schools and housing, the lower income groups often live in shacks or poorly constructed homes, which they may have built themselves on land that they invaded. Decaying public education means that children may not grow with the ambition or the academic level to enter a university, even though some of the best in the country are public and tuition is free. Tomorrow is uncertain, so when they have a little money left over, they are happy to spend it. This makes them an important target of some high-ticket items like BlackBerry handsets and expensive athletic shoes, both which are indispensible items for social acceptance. While the middle class may splurge on a car as a means to protect their money from inflation (which last year was over 30%), someone with low income may scratch to buy a smartphone legitimately or get one from a black market of stolen phones and then pay a cheap, prepaid plan to make use of the BlackBerry Messenger service instead of paying for SMS packages. Without a home computer or phone line, smartphones become an important source of communication.

Household items are also bought and used differently. Middle class families may buy goods at wholesale stores like Makro, but lower class groups often buy from a local “bodega”, which is a tiny shop that sells food in small amounts. For example, Coke can be bought by the glass, poured from 2 L Coke bottles. Shampoo can be bought in 1-portion bags, which are sometimes packaged by the store owner. And when it comes to marketing communications, it is important to understand their Carpe Diem philosophy.

In my experience, local companies and foreign companies who understand these challenges have only been able to succeed when adapting to these changes. From careful segmentation and changes in their supply chain, marketing communications and product lineup to courting governments and rethinking their relationships with local stakeholders, taking advantage of these markets means rethinking the business. It means thinking on your feet. Working in a country like Venezuela means being eternally flexible and inventive. Some say Venezuelan doctors are highly coveted abroad because they learn to work with such difficult conditions (hospitals may have poor technology, constant interruptions in energy supply and usually need patients to buy and bring in materials like gauze, gloves, blankets, syringes and medicines). As a former journalist in a time of political violence (particularly against reporters) and political upheaval (coups, nationwide strikes and massacres all in just a few years), it has also taught me to think quickly and accept and adapt to change easily. It is clear that an increasing amount of companies is understanding this. The results will likely be innovations in marketing and business management, which we will be learning more of in the future.

Human vs. Environmental Sustainability: Can we reduce poverty while protecting the environment?

Does reducing our impact on the environment conflict with feeding millions of people living in poverty around the world? As sustainability becomes an increasingly important issue around the globe, one fear is that changes in food production taken to protect the environment could only worsen or simply result unfeasible in a planet where such a large percentage of people live in poverty. For example, the use of fertilizers, pesticides and the economies of scale achieved by growing food in large plantations (which often means clearing forests) allow farmers to produce cheaper foods for people who live on just cents a day. But harmful chemicals and clearing native plants harm soils and local ecosystems.

However, when local species are combined with an understanding of local culture and consumer demand, opportunities arise to tackle both problems. I had the opportunity of learning about a project that did just that in the jungles of Venezuela, for an article that I wrote for VenEconomy magazine.

Though Venezuela is one of the top producers of oil in the world and therefore one of the richest and most powerful in Latin America, corruption, poor governance and a crippled education system have led to a poor distribution of wealth and high poverty rates (around 50% according to the World Bank, though other sources say that it’s as high as 80%). In that country, the poorest communities are the native tribes, who generally live in secluded areas with little access to energy, clean water, health and education, and food. Besides poor infrastructure, the fact that many tribes choose to continue with their nomadic traditions also makes it difficult to supply them with food or teach them to harvest their own foods. But a local foundation called Fudeci, that is part of the country’s Academy of Sciences, has designed solutions that thrive despite these obstacles.

In their Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems (SIPRAS in Spanish), scientists have been able to teach tribe members about plants that are native to the Amazon jungle and provide nutritious fruits, which can be consumed by humans or fed to livestock. Because the plants are adapted to the soils, climate and thick tree covering of the Amazon, the tribe members don’t need to worry about the labor-intensive or expensive tasks of clearing forests, using fertilizer or constantly watering the crops. These qualities also make the impact of this food production minimal on the environment. The group has also taken advantage of the close ties among tribe members to teach them how to make small shelters for Royal Ducks, which are native to the Amazon and can be sold for high prices in countries like France. Instead of paying workers, the tribe works together to build the shelter and is taught how to care for the ducks. The foundation also works with university students in different fields, who are studying Amazonian fruit to see if they are apt for sale outside the jungle, as a way to provide more income to these communities. Engineering students are considering simple technology like fruit peelers that would make it easier for the tribes to process the fruit in order to turn them into feed for livestock.

Despite the fact that there has been success with a few tribes, large-scale rollout is difficult. Like so many innovations in sustainable agriculture around the world, limited budgets and political barriers have kept the projects working on a small scale. But projects like this prove that reducing hunger and protecting the environment don’t necessarily have to be rivals.

Deciphering the ‘How-To’s of Social Media Marketing

Social Media is the hot topic of marketing these days. As a recent MBA graduate specializing in Marketing Management, I’ve followed dozens of webcasts, webminars, white papers, news stories and how-to lists online and at offline events. When it comes to a new, and promising trend like this one, there are two profiles of people that spur the buzz on. On one hand, you have the people who feel baffled about it and are looking for information everywhere they can. On the other you have the dozens of people (startups, independent consultants, established agencies, you name it) that say they know it all.

But after hearing so many self-termed experts telling people what to do, I continue to feel that the conversation is based on tactics (like: On Twitter, leave enough characters for a retweet of your post, i.e. RT@yourname) and not enough is being focused on high-level strategy.

I want to use this post to summarize the three most valuable lessons I’ve learned in the past year about Social Media Marketing, from all those online and offline sources. This is BY NO MEANS a “how to” of social media, and I am not an expert, but an interested follower of how SM can change or at least add to marketing strategies. If you’re a marketer, a lot of this language should be familiar, because after all, though SM Marketing is a sign of large changes in the way consumers are relating to companies, products and issues around them, a lot of the marketing basics apply and add to the way we can use SM.

1. Is Social Media Marketing a paradigm shift? Yes and no. There are two different levels to this question. On one hand there is the medium itself. Unlike offline (and some online) forms of marketing communication, it is interactive, immediate and doesn’t have the regional limitations that, say, an event or print campaign may have. However, it is still a medium, or several forms of media, if you consider how different one social network can be from another. As such, there are particular ways to create content for it, as well as limitations. Adapting to a new medium is not easy. Do you remember how the importance of TV changed things at the advertising firm in “Mad Men”? But some changes are easier than others. Static websites were easy for print media firms because they resembled printed pages, but the constant, immediate feedback of Social networks can be very difficult for companies who are used to keeping full control of communications and just putting out the occasional fire if a reporter had something negative to say about their brand.

This two-way communication has led so many of the people I’ve heard to say that this is a whole new world, and that marketers should scrap what they knew about marketing before. In my opinion, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. As my Internet Marketing professor, Paul Cubbon, reminded us, a lot of the Marketing basics apply in eMarketing, and even in Social Media. It is more important than ever to do proper segmentation and positioning; to understand your customer’s needs, which customers you are looking for and how you can add value. In a world where so many things are free and finding a competing product is as easy as opening a browser or using a mobile app, it is more important than ever to know the customer well enough to create true value for them.

But there is a second and more fundamental level of change. It is in the way that we as marketers relate to our customers. In traditional marketing, a marketing research firm presents information about the customers, their habits and the media they consume. These insights influence (or at least should influence) the four Ps: the product itself, pricing, communications and distribution. With the proper customer service center set in place, complaints come in through an 800 number or a “Contact us” page on the website. Maybe a salesperson will come in with some feedback. But many times all these sources of information are handled by different people and few reach the marketing managers. If there is a big issue or a new product, a news release or press conference would be organized.

But now, customers are becoming involved in all of these steps. I remember when a press release was a document that took days (maybe weeks) to be finished, while it passed from the agency to the corporate client, who passed it on to its marketing departments, legal, HR, etc. Now, the viral spread of information necessitates an immediate response, and not all companies are prepared or see the negative potential of that, as United Airways learned with its United Breaks Guitars issue. Confronting an issue like this and the other implications of an ongoing conversation with customers requires a level of training that not all current marketers have, and that some executives say could turn them into a “lost generation” of marketers.

2. A new relationship: This new relationship is far more direct, immediate and demanding than ever before. It is a change in the way consumers (or even business customers) relate to a product, brand and company and how they relate to each other. People who rant online about an experience expect a response, and really soon. They know the power of spreading negative reviews about a company, especially if they do it in a catchy way, like the writer of “United Breaks Guitars” did. So companies that don’t respond can find themselves in terrible trouble, difficult to contain and expensive to respond to (advertising and PR expenses). But companies that react fast can become legends. Virgin Atlantic has become a great example, but catching complaints made in midair by customers on Twitter and sending a flight attendant to respond immediately, or having a representative waiting for the customer just after landing.

SM Marketing means a change in all the 4Ps and related disciplines, like market research, operations, post-sales service and sales. Clever companies are using social networks as a way to gain insights about their customers. I recommend the examples used in the book “Groundswell”, which is by far, the best book I’ve read on the subject. SM can be a different form to communicate with and receive instant feedback from customers about ideas and products. Customers are happy to give ideas, help each other and spread the word about ideas, products and news that they like, which can have a surprisingly attractive ROI (“Groundswell” includes several ROI calculations). This new way of relating to each other can be a great way of spreading the word about a product, but also a new form of behavior that should enter your calculations of how to reach customers, what their life is like and how you should create value.

Apart from the actual conversation itself and the technical details, there is one very important lesson to learn on this subject. Transparency is crucial. The web has given customers more tools than ever to research about your company, product, etc., and SM gives them the tools to share what they find in very short amount of times. I’d recommend beginning a SM project by addressing these issues and preparing your team (and all your company) for honest and transparent conversations, rather than just paying big bucks to an agency for a pretty site and running to the PR agency for conflict management when it’s too late.

3. Rethink the funnel: The biggest change of SM and the internet is that they change the customer touchpoints from the biggest part of the funnel (awareness) to purchase intent, to the purchase itself. It can change everything, especially pricing, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts about the iPad and eBooks. The question is, how can we use these tools to our advantage? And remember that SM is just one element of your company’s Integrated Marketing Communications. So think that even though a person may find out about a product or service from a friend’s Facebook profile, other elements like events, a well-built website for your product/company and search engine optimization are ways to move the person down the funnel, making their lives easier and adding value to them. In a time when a person can scan a barcode and compare products and prices, you can’t take chances. Mobile and location-based applications also have huge potential and will continue to be merged with SM applications to create even more possibilities (like Foursquare has already done).

In conclusion, both of the extremes that I mentioned above are partly right. SM has great potential and harnessing it right can lead to great success, by spreading the word, containing negative word of mouth or getting better ideas for better products. But as a relatively new form of communication, it is still tricky and the rights and wrongs are only starting to be understood. The key is to remember that marketing basics like segmentation, positioning and integrated marketing communications planning are still essential, but that customers have started a new way to relate to products, brands and the world around them, and that this two-way conversation is here to stay.

Where to find more:

§ Books: “Groundswell” and “Grown Up Digital”. “The Long Tail” has some key ideas about niches which can be applied to Search Engine Optimization and SM initiatives.

§ Webcasts: The AMA has good podcasts on the subject, and their Webminar earlier this year was one of the most useful events I’ve attended –online or offline. AdAge has good case studies.

§ Twitter: I share ideas I find interesting on my feed @alicemchacon, and feel free to look at some of the people I follow. Quite a few write a lot about SM Marketing and eMarketing in general.

§ Blogs/Websites: Mashable is a great resource. There are also great groups to follow on LinkedIn with discussions on the subject. There are lots of great blogs out there. One way to find new ones is to see the ones posted by SM fans on Twitter. They are my best RSS feed.

iPad & publishers: The pricing dilemma… and what a dilemma it is

I have to make a confession. Though my background is in Communications, the P that most fascinates me when it comes to eMarketing is Pricing. And I’m especially interested in seeing how tablet-like devices like the iPad, eReaders and smartphones will change the pricing game on the internet, which is dominated by free content and applications.

The internet has changed the rules for pricing, and not necessarily in a way that benefits companies. Ironically, one of the industries that has suffered the most in these past 15 years, since the Internet became increasingly mainstream, is also the industry that set the rules in the first place: The media/publishing industry.

When the internet began to become mainstream, the average, not-very-technologically-savvy user used the internet to look for information. Content was king. So companies that already produced content found it easy to become some of the most visited sites: Newspapers, magazines and television stations. Media companies have long relied on what economists call two-sided markets. On one hand, there are the readers, who usually pay a low, subsidized fee to read the content via newspaper subscription, cover price, etc. In the case of public TV, no fee is paid by viewers at all to view content. The media companies make the lion’s share of their profits from advertisers.

The biggest mistake made by the media conglomerates was to believe that the internet was just another media channel. (Of course, it is hard to blame them for not having seen the possibilities of the medium, which still surprises us with its possibilities). These companies tried to beat each other and gain as many readers as possible by giving the content away for free, seeing display advertising on the web as the next big thing.

Clearly, a lot has changed. In the age of Web 2.0 (some even say we’ve moved onto Web 3.0), users are less interested in just reading content online, and are increasingly seeking interactive experiences like creating content themselves and interacting with each other on Social Media sites, chat applications and games. Offline, media and entertainments have suffered, as more people entertain themselves online. Last year, during the recession, media and entertainment companies especially felt the blow. Popular magazines like BusinessWeek and Forbes have made headlines for nearly going out of business, and other niche magazines have been shut down completely. As readership and viewership of traditional media channels fall, advertisers have found new ways to engage users, and more and more of their campaigns consist of communicating with them directly, and not through ads, but in the form of web-based and mobile apps, email coupons and interactive campaigns.

A fresh start?

Media companies and book publishers are hoping that the increasing popularity of mobile devices like the iPad will give them a fresh new start. Even before the iPad had been launched, some publishers even had demos of tablet versions of their magazines and websites. Their hopes are based on two assumptions: that more and more users will be reading content through reading applications on mobile devices like tablets and eReaders, and less and less through browser-based services; and that the revenue model adopted on these mobile devices will be more like eReaders, where users pay for almost all the content they use, as opposed to browsing on the web, where they usually read for free.

But both assumptions are big questions marks. It seems very feasible that mobile devices will continue being increasingly popular, especially in developing countries, where mobile phones are becoming the main channel for internet connection, especially among a new generation with more disposable income in India and China. But most mobile devices include a browser, which has become an indispensable feature on smartphones and even on the new generation of eReaders. While apps can restrict the source and type of content used, browsers (and especially search engines) open a world of possibilities for news, videos and images (much of which is free). And GenYers and those large, promising emerging markets really love free stuff. They’re also increasingly technologically savvy and better at finding content on the web.

The second assumption may be even shakier. The Kindle has become the model for eBook distribution. Though Amazon and its competitors offer free books, most of the content is not free. Amazon has two sources of revenue (as will Apple with its iBooks): the revenue from the hardware (the eReader) and from the content (the eBooks). The second is shared with the publishers. With more users on mobile devices, publishers are hoping that iBooks will be to content what iTunes was for the music industry. But there are some key differences that will make this very difficult. First, music is pretty cheap on iTunes, with singles around $0.99, enticing users to download quick, quality-guaranteed tracks on iTunes, rather than risk viruses and long download times on pirate applications. But eBooks will be a lot more expensive. Even if iBooks tries to compete with Amazon on book price, books would be around $10. This might not seem much if you’re an avid reader with an income that allows you to spend on books continually. But consider that a huge portion of iTunes users are price-sensitive students who buy as many used things as they can… including books. Second, eBooks have a series of barriers to adoption that are hard to overcome, as I mentioned in a previous post. News articles have an even tougher challenge: there’s so much of it free online. And like I mentioned, two key markets in the coming decade for devices (and content) like this are very price sensitive: the now twenty-something GenYers and the booming middle class in emerging markets.

What to do?

The truth or fallacy of these assumptions will be proved in the next few years as mobile adoption increases, and especially as devices like tablets and eReaders, which are still niche products, break into the mass market. But if publishing companies really do think that the iPad and eReaders are the only salvation for their industry, then it’s likely that we’ll continue to see more cities without a paper newpaper and the great names of the media industry disappear.

Jumping on the iPad wagon is one great way to innovate. But it can’t be the only one. These companies will have to reconcile free and paid content, which is not an easy job to do. The New York Times is a perfect example, with its confusing attempt at price discriminating for its content beginning next year. News sites will also have to find a way to create original content, which they can better control, if they don’t want readers to jump on the web and find some other source reporting on the same event. And like so many companies in the age of social networking, media companies will have to find new ways to relate to audiences and distribute and receive information, to avoid becoming one of 3,000 search results on Google.

iPad: a New Hope for Marketers?

It’s a great time to be a marketer, especially if you’re a young and digitally-savvy GenYer like myself. Though advertisers and publishers are concerned about an increasingly fragmented audience and the “death” of traditional media, technology is putting tools in our hands that we’ve never had before, and allowing us to be creative in new ways.

The iPad is seen as a ray of hope by analysts and executives of the media business. Even though the gadget hasn’t been distributed to reviewers yet and we know little about its capabilities and limitations (much less how it will be received when it goes on sale in March), publishers have already been creating tablet editions of magazines and newspapers, with the hope of finally recovering the lost revenue of the last decade, when news has been given out for free on the net.

What does the iPad mean for marketers? I’ll focus on two issues: Mobile marketing and pricing.

Mobile Marketing

In past blogs, I’ve written about opportunities in mobile marketing and how mobile advertising, content and applications will become increasingly important as smartphone adoption increases. This will be even more important in developing countries, where mobile phone penetration is growing at much faster rates than PCs, especially among lower income and price sensitive groups.

Mobile marketing is not just about SMS and smartphone apps. WiFi connections in eReaders and tablets (even in mp3 players like iPod Touch or gaming devices) are changing the way we think of the P of Placement. Shopping is increasingly being done on the go, using the internet or even SMS and Bluetooth. For some companies, like magazine and book publishers, it’s changing the Ps of Product and Price too. The increasingly digitally savvy users are also requiring marketers to rethink positioning and segmentation. And this doesn’t just refer to the GenY smartphone addicts, but to all age groups, including seniors, who were found to be the group that shopped most online, according to a recent report.

Tablets like the iPad are considered especially promising, because they continue the trend towards convergence of devices. With the smartphone (and especially since the iPhone), the mobile industry has been on the edge of its seat, waiting for the mythical device that will bring it all together. But after seeing Job’s demonstration of the iPod, I feel like we’re farther from reaching that convergence. And that might actually be a good thing.

Smartphones are currently the most converged device. They can call, send sms, browse the net, use location-based services, play music, games, video… One of their selling points- their portability (small size)-, is also an obstacle for other uses like reading, watching videos on a bigger screen, typing long documents, etc. These are the strengths of a tablet like the iPad and eReaders. But the iPad is too large and heavy to carry around, not to mention the keyboard you’d have to carry with you. And you can’t really use it as a phone. It is also not as comfortable to read from as an eReader like the Kindle. eReaders, who were the stars of CES, use a special ink that make them easy to read, but is still only available in black and white, and don’t play videos. Alas… you get the idea.

Why do I think it’s a good thing? As a consumer, I do like to have to carry the least possible amount of gadgets (especially since smaller purses are coming back in style ;-) ). But there are some features that I’m just not willing to sacrifice to accept a single device. I love smartphones, and own a BlackBerry, but also love apps and have an iPod Touch, which is great with it’s built in WiFi and GPS. I’m not too excited about tablets yet, but I guess it’s too soon. For reading, I really really really want an eReader, but as I mentioned in a previous post, the price point of over $200 seems like to much for a black and white device that really only does one thing.

As a marketer, having a single platform would reduce development costs for apps, advertising and ecommerce, but the different capabilities of each device can be appealing and more suited for different products. The Absolut Drinkspiration app is a great way to engage consumers and take advantage of the GPS of the iPhone, when they are in a bar, showing it off to their friends, while racing apps like the one developed by Audi are more likely to become popular on the iPad. Browsing capabilities on all these devices also allow users to take advantage of links and find common content on websites and social media sites.

In my next post, I’ll look at the implication that the iPad has on one the trickiest P of internet and mobile marketing: Pricing.

I'll be posting iPad and mobile marketing-related news on Twitter @alicemchacon.

eMarketing in Action: Online Marketing Plan for Kafka’s Coffee and Tea

As I mentioned in previous posts, I have been working on an eMarketing plan for a local café called Kafka’s Coffee and Tea as part of my Internet marketing course in my MBA program. The business, which is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2010, is run by Aaron Kafka, a young coffee enthusiast who wants to have coffee shop where the menu is simple, but the quality of the beverages is outstanding.

Like many young entrepreneurs in the business he has several challenges. First, though he is opening in a great location –a central hub of transit and businesses –he has several coffee shops in the vicinity which will mean tough competition. He is opening in the same location as a very well-known neighborhood café called Lugz. This café was damaged by a fire in early November which destroyed nearby buildings and has pushed the opening date of Kafka’s back by several months. Finally, he has resource constraints. Besides a limited budget, he is pretty much running the show on his own. That means he will likely have limited time to Tweet and write blogposts, but even less time to plan the overarching marketing communications strategy.

A fellow classmate of mine, Prasanna Raviraj, and I, began with the basics: what marketing objectives will drive our strategy? The first one is clearly creating awareness for this new brand. The second, inducing trial. Because Kafka is focusing on quality of products and service in the store, this second objective is especially important. Third, customers need to come back for repeat purchase. We also tried to think who our target customers are. Some groups that are likely to be target customers are commuters and people who live nearby. Demographically, we could split them up into students, professionals (workers) and families.

Then, we began looking at some of the eMarketing tools out there. The list was so long, it was overwhelming. To filter down the ideas, we looked at feasibility of resources (time and money) and at what tools would make sense for the type of consumers that Kafka is trying to attract. We came up with a three-phase plan. Creating a roadmap makes it easier for Aaron to plan and execute the communications. It also spreads out investment. Stage one will take place from now and until the first few months after the opening of the café. Stage two will take place in the next 6-12 months. Stage 3 could occur as far out as one year after launch, depending on how the mix of eTools has worked so far. We also recommended that he take on an intern to help him with the workload. A young student will have the technological savvy and time to keep the different forms of communication current.

Aaron still has several months before the store opens. Feel free to make any comments and suggestions on this plan!