Adjusting to Major Market Changes调适重大市场变化

Marketing Adjusting to Major Market Changes调适重大市场变化 What entrepreneurs can learn from America’s potential breakup with car buying 创业家能从美国民众购物车意愿下降的现象当中学到什么 Recent General Motors layoffs may signal the beginning of the end for America’s love of the automobile. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise. According to research from Ohio State University, Americans especially millennials, are buying fewer cars now. Self-driving cars are on the horizon and ridesharing is popular. The signs have appeared for years, but many automakers were slow to react to shifting market trends. Americans have also been breaking up with retailers like Toys "R"Us. Such "breakups"between individuals and once strong brands offer valuable lessons for entrepreneurs. Here are some things you should do if you want to stay successful and maintain customer loyalty for the long haul. 通用汽车近几次的裁员可能预示着美国对于汽车的热爱已经开始走向终点。也许这不该令人感到意外。根据俄亥俄州立大学的研究，美国民众，尤其是千禧世代，买车的数量已经降低。自动驾驶车辆即将出现，共享出行的做法也深受欢迎。这样的征兆已经出现多年，但许多汽车制造商对于市场趋势的变化却反应缓慢。 美国人也已经扬弃了像玩具反斗城这样的零售商。个人消费者与一度名声响亮的品牌之间的此类“分手”现象，为创业家提供宝贵的教训。如果你想要保持成功，并且长期维系顾客忠诚度，以下是几件你应该做的事情。 Listen actively and closely Most brands claim they’re listening to their audiences. But many haven’t mastered the art of really paying attention. It’s easy to jump to simplistic conclusions based on what you think you know or heard. In many cases, what felt like an “overnight breakup” with customers was actually more of a gradual falling apart. Tesla is a prime example of effective corporate listening. Last year, Elon Musk tweeted right back to a customer who suggested a change to vehicle features. It shows immediate acknowledgment from a brand and a willingness to consider what customers want. If you’re not listening this actively, you may be falling behind. Make sure you’re monitoring customer opinion and sentiment diligently, whether it’s through in-person interaction or social media listening tools. 主动并且仔细聆听 大多数的品牌企业都声称自己会聆听顾客的声音，但许多品牌企业尚未精通真正关注动态的技巧。我们很容易根据我们认为自己知道或听到的消息，而直接得出过分简化的结论。在许多案例当中，顾客与品牌企业之间看似“一夕之间的分手”，其实都是渐行渐远的结果。 特斯拉是企业有效聆听的绝佳例子。去年，埃隆·马斯克在推特上直接回复一名针对车辆功能提出改变建议的顾客。这项举动体现了企业对顾客存在的立即认知，也表明这个公司愿意考虑顾客的要求。如果你没有如此主动聆听，就可能会落后。确保自己勤于关注顾客的意见与感受，无论是通过亲自互动还是通过社交媒体聆听工具都一样。 Don’t ignore global trends that affect everyone Another mistake brands make is paying attention solely to trends related to their industries. Instead, look at the bigger picture, including any environmental, social, political and economic factors that might impact your customers or even competing brands. Automakers are dealing with several emerging trends that dramatically impact their businesses. According to a Gallup survey, people are increasingly working from home, part-or full-time, instead of commuting. The number rose from 39 percent in 2012 to 43 percent in 2016. Research shows that more people are shopping online for the holidays instead of hitting the local mall. They’re also starting to live more in urban centers where they can use bikes and scooters or just walk. These trends, as well as environmental concerns, are on the minds of every auto executive as they make business decisions. Adidas is an example of a company that leveraged a global environmental trend to its advantage. The shoemaker partnered with Parley to manufacture athletic gear and shoes from plastic found in the ocean. Executives wanted to be seen doing social good by tackling pollution, which they knew is a priority for customers. Adidas says it sold one million of the shoes. The point is, understanding what’s going on in the world influences whether you deliver relevant products to people. 不要忽略会影响所有人的全球趋势 品牌企业常犯的另一个错误，就是只注意与自己的产业相关的趋势。实际上，你应该关注大环境，包括任何可能会对你的顾客甚至是竞争品牌造成影响的环境、社会、政治与经济因素。汽车制造商正在应对若干剧烈冲击其企业的新兴趋势。 根据盖洛普的一项调查，越来越多人开始在家里工作——兼职或全职——而不再通勤。此数据从2012年的39％上升到2016年的43％。研究显示越来越多人都上网买圣诞节礼物，而不再前往当地的购物商场。也有越来越多人开始住在市中心，而利用自行车与轻型摩托车，或者就用走路穿梭各地。这些趋势以及环境上的顾虑，是每个汽车业高层主管在做商业决策时都会考虑的事情。 阿迪达斯就是把全球环保趋势转化为对自己有利的企业例子。这家鞋子制造商与“海洋会议”合作，利用从海中收集而来的塑料制作运动装备与鞋子。阿迪达斯高层主管们希望呈现出借着处理污染问题而裨益社会的形象，因为他们知道这是顾客优先关注的事。阿迪达斯表示，该公司已卖出了100万双这种鞋子。重点是，了解世界的现状会影响你是否能为大众提供相应现状的产品。 Think like a disruptor Disruptors shake things up and create change through turbulence. This [has] occurred with some of today’s most widely used services, like Google and Amazon, as well as more maligned brands like Facebook. However, automakers long appeared to be anything but innovative, continuing to roll out the same internal-combustion engine vehicles. Rather than blaming the economy, politics or technology, stagnating brands should embrace new approaches. It’s how Apple, Uber, Amazon and others have done it. It works across multiple fields and industries, and it can help you avoid going the way of corporate dinosaurs who never learned the lesson of “adapt or die”. 以颠覆者的方式思考 颠覆者会大幅改变现状，利用混乱制造改变。这些情形曾经发生在当今有些最广泛使用的服务上，例如谷歌与亚马逊，还有像是Facebook那些比较受到非议的品牌。 不过，汽车制造商长久以来都显得毫无创新，一直不断推出使用同一种内燃机的车辆。与其怪罪经济、政治或者科技，陷入停滞状态的品牌不如采用新做法。这是苹果、优步、亚马逊以及其他公司都已经做的事。这种做法在各种领域和产业中都有效，也能够帮助你避免步汽车企业的后尘——永远学不会“不适应就灭亡”的教训。 How to be market disrupter First, examine your current beliefs and question whether they still add the same value they once did. Next, determine what beliefs are in direct opposition to your current, stagnating ideas. Then examine these opposing beliefs. How might they add new value to your target audience? Incorporate them into a product you can test on that audience, and seek their feedback. Do your users think the new product adds value? Keep revising the product this way until you reach a level of sustained value that works for customers. This way you can create a new business model to accompany the rollout of that product. Before you know it, your mindset has changed, and you are disrupting the market. 如何成为市场颠覆者 首先，审视你当前的信念，并质疑它们是否仍能像过去那样带来同样的价值。接下来，确定哪些信念与你当前停滞不前的想法完全相反。然后检查这些对立的信念。他们如何为你的目标受众增加新的价值?将它们整合到一个产品中，你可以对这些用户进行测试，并寻求他们的反馈。你的用户认为新产品会增加价值吗?以这种方式不断修改产品，直到达到为客户服务的持续价值。通过这种方式，您可以创建一个新的业务模型来配合该产品的推出。在你意识到之前，你的思维方式已经改变了，你正在扰乱市场。 More Information the long haul /hɔːl/ （idiom）很长的一段时间；长远地； an extended period of time leverage /ˈliːvərɪdʒ/ v.借助（某力量）带出影响，或得到想要的； to use power to influence and get the results you want turbulence /ˈtɜːbjələns/ n.骚乱；动荡，混乱 a great deal of motion causing confusion, disruption or disorder maligned /məˈlaɪn/ adj. 诽谤的，污蔑的，中伤的 harshly and possibly unfairly criticized Specialized Terms General Motors n.通用汽车 Gallup 盖洛普，从事全球分析与提供建议的公司 internal-combustion engine /kəmˈbʌstʃən/ 内燃机 sentiment /ˈsentɪmənt/ n. 感情，情绪；情操；观点；多愁善感 innovative /ˈɪnəveɪtɪv; ˈɪnəvətɪv/ adj. 革新的，创新的；新颖的；有创新精神的 以上文章翻译及讲解有刘凯老师完成 作者简介：刘凯，男，蒙古族，黑龙江省齐齐哈尔人。本科为哈尔滨师范大学英语系，硕士为华中师范大学汉语言文学。美国亚利桑那大学访问学者，澳大利亚新兰威尔士大学ESL研修。2018年加州理工学院语言学双学位获得者。北京市优秀青年教师，北京市级重点高中示范校骨干教师，多年高中一线执教经验，高三年级把关教师，多次参与东城区模拟试题命题工作，教学理念先进，教学成果突出，多篇教学论文获市区级奖项。教育部课题研究员，参与国家十二五课题计划，并作出突出贡献，参与初中、高中各年级区级试题的命制，多次承担区级和市级研究课任务。