For manufacturers and marketers of products and/or services, this, along with how to reach them, would seem to be key questions. This is not a new issue, but with the advent of Covid-19, considerably more complex.
More than 100 years ago, John Wanamaker reportedly said, ” half of your ad money is wasted”. More recently, Steve Jobs has been widely quoted as having said, “customers don’t know what they want until we’ve shown them”.
Now, with the arrival of Covid-19 and the movement towards working and learning at home, businesses have to respond to an entirely new dynamic. One example, for retailers, the question is, home delivery, curbside pickup or traditional in the store shopping?
The issue for investors is, assessing which managements best understand what their customers want, and have the most effective approach to meeting those desires.
All comments and suggestions are welcome.
Walter J. Kirchberger, CFA