"BOARD" and Orvis

We've discussed our BOARD framework.

• B = E-Commerce in a Box.
• O = Omnichannel E-Commerce.
• A = Amazon.
• R = Recurring E-Commerce.
• D = Different E-Commerce.

Now let's pretend we were a classic "O" as in Omnichannel E-commerce ... a company like, say, Orvis. We all know this is not the place we want to be, noooooooo way. Government chose winners and loser and Government chose Target and Walmart. Your Orvis store might have been told to close. And even so - your stores were destined to crumble anyway, that's where apparel-based retail was headed. Don't believe me? Ask Macy's or J. Crew.

But you can't just place somebody in a bucket ... maybe it doesn't work that way. If I were an Executive at Orvis, I'd fight back.

• They sell on Amazon (click here).
• They clearly have a marketing team that views e-commerce, in part, as an "E-Commerce-In-A-Box" solution ... do a CTRL / SHIFT / I if you don't believe me, you'll see Bazaarvoice / Adobe / Google / Doubleclick / Coherent Path / Criteo / Rakuten ... among many 3rd parties. 
• They'll tell you they have a form of recurring income via Orvis Visa (click here) ... they get monthly interest from the customer.
• They'll tell you they are different ... go to a fly fishing school event in Beaver Creek, CO or dozens of other locations (click here).

You can make a credible argument that they approach business from every aspect of BOARD.

The anchor of their situation, of course, is the "O" in omnichannel (a stifling catalog/retail history based on what is currently happening, with many benefits under perfect circumstances). It dictates "how" they market. It dictates "what" they market". It dictates "who" they compete against. It dictates the "choices" they make if they decide to be Different or to employ Box-based solutions.

So if you have Goals and Objectives for 2021, how would you craft them?

How would you lead your Organization, knowing you are saddled with a legacy "O" but have enough other components to demonstrate you might be able to see the future, or adapt to the future? 

Where would you invest resources?

Where should marketing focus?

In upcoming posts, we'll talk more about Goals and Objectives, especially as they relate to the BOARD framework. It's going to be important to craft a plan for 2021 that is flexible while Leading your company toward a viable, growth-oriented future in a world where forces are attacking you from all angles.

It's time to go on offense ... enough playing defense. Become a predator! You don't have to be prey, even if you are saddled with a heritage in "O".