“TF’s NextStage is all about understanding and anticipating the needs
of our customers,” he continued. “And
we’ve studied this segment thoroughly.
We know that because of their stage in
life, the divorce rate, children moved
out, what have you, they are on their
own – they often have no one to go out
and eat with. But they do want to feel
connected. And our society doesn’t accommodate them. Our society – every
restaurant you can think of –has absolutely no provision to make people
feel comfortable eating alone. Think
about it – if you go into a restaurant
alone, you feel so uncomfortable that
it’s a miserable experience. They give
you a little table over in the corner, and
they treat you like a leper. Or else they
put you at a counter like a trucker in a
truck stop.”
“The table is interesting, and the overall notion of appealing to this group of
consumers sounds good in theory,” said
Grossman, “but I’m wondering about
your traffic patterns. What kind of data
can you show regarding shopping patterns for, say, this mall? Do things generally pick up on Saturdays?”
As he approached them, drinks in
hand, Drew listened for the data points
he had written out for Tibal. No such luck.
He sighed. Such was the PR person’s life.
Still, he had to hand it to his boss – Tibal
was nothing if not enthusiastic.
Change of Heart
Just then someone tapped Drew on the
shoulder. It was an older man, half of
the couple who had passed them earlier.
Drew thought for a moment the man
was going to ask him about a price or
where the restroom was, but instead he
asked what the interview was all about.
Trying to keep his voice down, Drew
said it was the company CEO being interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. The
man looked very impressed.
“So if you wouldn’t mind getting back
a little bit,” Drew added.
Seeming surprised at this request, the
man stepped back. “Sorry to bother you.
I’ll just go find my wife.”
He found her in the bedroom section,
opening a tall walnut armoire. The top
rung was attached to a sturdy pull-down
handle, making it easy for her to hang
a jacket.
“I really like this,” she told him. “Nice
idea. What were those people doing over
there?”
“He’s the CEO of this store. He’s doing an interview with the Wall Street
Journal.”
His wife raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? That corporate guy?” She smiled.
“Wonder who that younger man was. He
looks so nervous.” She turned, pointing
to a display bearing several wall and
shelf clocks. “Did you see this clock? It’s
really easy to adjust. And look at these!”
She showed him her metal shopping
basket, containing a dozen soft-handled
kitchen utensils and silicone pot holders.
“Magical, these gadgets.”
“Jenny, can we please go now?” her
husband pleaded. “We have enough
stuff.”
“Why?” she asked, surprised by the upset tone in his voice. “I thought we were
here to look at furniture for the condo.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Since we’ve been
rattling around in this store, I’m starting
to feel trapped. Old. Ugly. All these prod-
ucts are for old people. The whole store
is for old people. It’s like a senior center.”
She patted her husband’s arm. “Well,
we are getting up there, you know.”
“But I don’t want to be constantly
reminded of it,” he said. “I mean, listen
to the music in here. Look at the young
kids behind the counters – this song was
20 years old when they were born! I feel
like everything is pointing to my age.
Like that CEO is trying to make money
off of us because we’re getting older.”
His wife looked at the clocks and
then into her husband’s eyes. “I see what
you mean. OK. Let’s just go get some
coffee.”
Bad Vibes
Tibal Fisher suddenly started squirming as though ants were crawling on
him. Drew knew what it was – his boss’s
phone was vibrating. Tibal was getting a
call or a message and was trying to suppress the urge to look at it.
Please, Lord, Drew thought, don’t
let him look at it – not while he’s being
interviewed.
Distractedly, Tibal asked if the reporter would excuse him for a moment.
He already had the phone in hand by
the time he got to where Drew waited.
Tibal took his glasses out, attacked the
phone’s keyboard with his thumbs, and
peered at the screen.
“That can’t be right,” Tibal said to himself. “That bad?” He looked at Drew. “This
isn’t good,” he said. “I’ve got to get out of
here. Can you get me out of here?”
“I think you have to finish the interview,” Drew said.
“The numbers,” Tibal said. “The reimagining.” The numbers from the CFO
must have showed that the rescue attempt was looking like a flop.
The music was grimly appropriate:
Bob Dylan this time, singing, “People’d
call, say, ‘Beware doll, you’re bound
to fall’/ You thought they were all kid-din’ you.”
Drew understood his boss’s impulse
to flee. He nevertheless told Tibal it
was imperative that he finish the interview. Tibal nodded, though he didn’t
move. His fingers were digging into
Drew’s arm.
Drew noticed the man he had shooed
away earlier, walking out of the store,
empty-handed, with his wife. He wondered what they were thinking.
How can Tibal Fisher Stores improve
its customer research process and
save the brand extension? Four
commentators offer expert advice
beginning on page 34.
Gerald Zaltman ( gzaltman@hbs.edu) is
the Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business
Administration, Emeritus, at Harvard
Business School in Boston. Lindsay Zaltman ( lzaltman@olsonzaltman.com) is
the managing director of Olson Zaltman
Associates in Pittsburgh. They are the
authors of Marketing Metaphoria (
Harvard Business Press, 2008).
