The Neiman Marcus Fashion Week Blog

Once you start writing daily blog posts, and earn the right to have an audience, you wonder why companies are SOOOO SLOOOOOW to adopt this form of communication.

So when a reputable company launches a blog, you open your eyes and your mind.

Neiman Marcus is hosting something that resembles a blog, discussing the events transpiring at Fashion Week.

There isn't a social aspect to what is being written. Readers cannot offer their comments. But Neiman Marcus Fashion Director Ken Downing gives his customers a glimpse into an event they can never hope to attend. His writing brings fashion and commerce to life.

Neiman Marcus customers are buying the fusion of the story and the fashion.

Finally, somebody in e-commerce is communicating a story. Somebody is finally romancing the customer.

Downing is channeling Fashion Week to loyal customers, who will spend more than a thousand dollars in a heartbeat based on Ken's writing.

To heck with the ROI of blogging, the IT infrastructure needed to do this, the public relations nightmares that can occur. In fact, to heck with blogging. Why not simply romance your customers for once?

Stop cross-selling and up-selling. Stop trying to avoid shopping cart abandonment. Stop the boring e-mail campaigns. Stop the generic discussion about why your denim jeans are better than twelve thousand other brands.

Start giving your customers something they can't get anywhere else.

Ken Downing is giving his customers insight into an event they cannot hope to attend. He's giving them a reason to purchase something. And that's why we all work for businesses ... we are trying to sell our customers something. Instead of trying to interrupt the customer, give the customer something, SELL them something. Use words, communicate, share your emotion and passion.

Thumbs-up to Neiman Marcus for at least trying something interesting.