Lesson from the Internet’s Gold and White Dress

I often view the internet “news” with amusement. Things that trend on social media tend to be more silly than serious. Then comes along an occasional story that makes me think.

The blue & black dress, or the gold and white dress as the rest of my family sees it, is one of those things. If you are not familiar with the story, the image of the dress appears to be one of two completely different color combinations. Some view it as blue and black, others as white and gold.(for more on the science of this, http://www.wired.com/2015/02/science-one-agrees-color-dress/).

Put on the marketing hat and consider the phenomena.

People can have very different views of the same thing. I am not talking about their opinion of something, but very literally how they see it. This speaks to the need of marketers to understand our customers. As we dive further into promotional marketing, we have the ability to tailor our gifts literally to individuals. To do this, we need to be in close touch with our key clients.

As we evolve our promotional marketing efforts and leverage the personal nature of the medium, marketers need to partner with the sales and customer service teams in their organization that are in touch with the clients every day. They know better how the clients perceive the company and the potential programs that may be implement. In other words, sales and customer service people know if the customers see the dress as “Gold and White” or “Blue and Black”.

Marketers must leverage the insights of the sales and customer service teams within the organization.