This summer I have just finished a small online class on the Market as a Conversation. We used a beautiful Conversation tool called the Sandbox designed and built by my partner Jevon Macdonald.
For our last paper we assumed that each of us was Tom Mahon and looked ahead to 2008 and told the story. Thank you Hugh for getting this powerful idea started - you certainly got the attention of my gang. here is how I set the paper up:-
Here is the scenario for your last paper - 1,000 words please. We are going to explore the world of the small and the personal in the hope that in this case study, you will find some insight that will help you do the same.
Your task is to imagine that you are Tom Mahon of English Cut - the Tailoring Business supported by Hugh Mcleod of Gaping Void and Hughtrain fame. It is 2008 what happened? How did your new approach begin? What was the influence of Hugh. What happened that was differenr from the traditional way of doing this? What is is about the Long Tail that fits? Why did you not grow beyond a certain size? As you became more successful (How) what did others like you do - in other words what was the larger impact of others who made bespoke products. What were the challenges? What were the lessons for you and for others?
Here are some resources:-
* The Long Tail (The Thesis) - Chris Anderson (His blog) shows how much of the new will be the small as helped by the distribution power of the web
* Small is big - Seth Godin The Guru of small
* The Dunbar Number - Why effective organizations are limited in size to a max of 150 and to smaller groups for creative work
I have kept the resource list short but please go deep - there is a ton in all these links. The Dunbar numbers are a new idea for you that we can explore a bit during the week
After a bit of a shock - after all they have spent 4 years being taught what marketing is (Ha ha) - my students got it immediately. My lesson here - if we want to make progress get to the kids. Once they see this they will never go back. If we can help enough to see it - the world will change.
My name is Tom Mahon and I have been in this business a long time now. I am a cutter and I’m finding that there is very little growth right now. I met Hugh McLeod, we discussed my business, and how things are changing in the way information gets around. Mr. McLeod suggested that I start a blog about myself and my business. To put myself out there, to make a connection. So I started, I created English Cut and have been working on it ever since. There I give my personal thoughts and my professional opinion on what is going on in the world of the Savile Row tailors.
From my meeting Hugh McLeod, my eyes were opened to many things. The answers to your business are not to throw money at advertising. The business doesn’t work like that. I am only one cutter, making custom products for my customers. I started the blog as a way to put my name out there and give a voice as to the happens around me. What happened was that people from all over the world found me, and made a personal connection. They read what I post, and look at me as a friend or acquaintance, not a cold, trademarked name.
I make custom tailored suits. I don’t make cookie cutter suits that you see in department stores. The customer base for custom suits is substantially lower than for the big box stores. I can’t make one suit, copy it and sell dozens of it. Each product I make is made especially for that client. There is basically an unlimited selection in what the client wants. I do not have a mould that a client needs to fit into. The client has the power. My product doesn’t attract broad audiences locally. It is just not possible for individuals to pay upwards of 2000 pounds for a suit to be congregated in such a local area. This is the beauty of the Long Tail. I can’t attract a broad audience regionally, but because of the power of the internet, people from around the world who seek my type of product can find me. Substantial growth was virtually impossible because of the old-style business model. The market in my area was not big enough to create the demand for large growth. Things have now changed. As I mentioned above, I’m not limited regionally anymore. Now, my region reaches around the globe.
Another important point is that I didn’t have to break the bank to get all this in motion. The ability to start up my blog was out there, I just had to be pointed in the right direction. I didn’t have to pay an inflated price to a large corporation for the ability to house my weblog. When a big corporation prices a product, your not just paying for the right to use that product, you’re being hit with R&D costs, advertising and goodwill. With the free flow of information on the web I was not only able to setup my blog but also learn how to use it and make it work for me.
As I became more successful many things around me changed. I made the connection with others with the same approach as myself and I spread the knowledge I had gained. As I said on my blog, “the other tailors are not our competition, they are our community.” We are all playing the same game. Treating this business as cut-throat is a no win situation for any of us. We are here to give the customer what they want and we will only be successful if we do. If someone comes to my shop and wants a product I am unable to offer, I will gladly suggest a fellow bespoke cutter. The personal relationships are extremely important. What I do for another tailor will undoubtably be done for me in the future. We are a tightly knit group. We have seen how the business can be “feast or famine.” As I wrote in my blog recently, I was telephoned by a government official asking some questions of the business. When I first received the call I was hesitant to say much in fear of incriminating some of those who work out of the tiny unmarked shops on the Row. Because we are a small group, we all keep an eye on each other. We’re out for each others best interests because if someone goes down, it is bad for the group. We as a community fall under what is called Dunbar’s Number. We stick together because it is in the best interest of the group. We are not tied up by a national company churning out hundreds of suits monthly, we take a great amount of pride in our product and what we do. Since we work together, we continue to make better progress than if any of us tried to make it alone. What is good for one is good for everyone (for the most part).
What we have come to learn from this business and what we are now doing is that “bigger is not better” (Seth Godin). We do not need to be part of multi-million dollar conglomerates or spend seven figures on advertising. These things are working less now than they ever have and are on their way out the door. Big doesn’t matter anymore. Now I can just as easily have a conversation with a tailor in my neighbourhood as I can with one in Canada thanks to the web. Greater connections have been made and our reference group has grown. Not only has the customer base grown but we continue to grow in the ways we can serve them. Big doesn’t mean good, and that is easy to see in this business. Good is going the extra mile for your customers and not giving them what your corporate headquarters decided, but what they deserve.
And here
Tomas Mahon of English Cut has taken a new and innovative approach to an old trade. Both Tom and Hugh Mcleod have recognized that the marketplace is changing and consumers are demanding their voices to be heard. Tom is unique when compared to the other Savile Row tailors. Despite being one of the youngest tailors on Savile Row, Tom maintains the traditions, craftsmanship and expertise of the finest bespoke tailors. However, these traditions have not limited Tom’s entrepreneurial spirit and his desire for change. The blog has added a new dynamic to a trade known for its traditions. It has provided a platform for conversation and communication between Tom and potential customers.
As Tom Mahon, I would continue to work and develop my weblog over the next several years. By 2008, the popularity of English Cut will have spread across the globe. My frequent trips to New York, Paris, Chicago and San Francisco will not be enough to satisfy the demand. The ability for me to continue my hands-on approach to marketing and sales could not be maintained. As Dunbar acknowledges in his theory “Dunbar’s numbers”, a human being is only able to maintain a certain number of stable personal relationships. Therefore, Hugh and I must be able to maintain the personal approach established years ago with the Blog. The Blog was a new approach to marketing English Cut and it has been successful in changing the norms of a rigid profession. However, the challenge in the years ahead will be to maintain the personal relationships that are developed from the blog, despite the increased popularity and traffic on the weblog.
I believe that there were several things that influenced Hugh to become a part of English Cut. First, Hugh recognized that the tailoring industry was a very traditional business that has seen little to no change its business model. This presented the opportunity for Hugh and Tom to differentiate themselves from the other Savile Row tailors. Second, Hugh’s experience in operating Gapingvoid provided him with insight into market and technology trends. Also, the English Cut gave Hugh an opportunity to experiment with his idea’s on “blogvertising”as a method of spreading information about the products being sold. Hugh seen blogvertising as a unique and inexpensive way of promoting a product or company. Finally, a receptive and innovative entrepreneur like Tom Mahone, allowed Hugh to apply his ideas of blogvertising within a industry known for its traditions. At first glance, one would assume that an individual that participates in a blog and a person who purchases a bespoke suit would be of a different breed or class; however, this weblog is attempting to assimilate both these cultures. It is possible that the popularity of the English Cut and Hughs “blogvertising” experiment may have changed the way tailoring is marketed in the future.
This blog has been successful because it combines the unique traditions and experience of hand tailoring in Savile Row with the growing popularity of blogs. As Tom Mahon, I recognized that the Bespoke tailoring industry on Savile Row consisted of individuals that have been established in the trade for many decades. The blog has created an opportunity to inform individuals through conversation about the quality and prestige of these suits. It has also given individuals from around the world an opportunity to learn more about the product and the trade. It is obvious to see that both Tom and Hugh have added a new dynamic to the industry; however, it is essential for them to maintain the personal touch, as interest and sales increase. This is main obstacle facing English Cut in the years ahead.
As mentioned earlier, by 2008 the demand for suits from English cut would have risen well beyond the rate at which they can be supplied by Tom. There would be temptation to sacrifice the quality of the suits for quantity; however, this would fly in the face tradition and would sacrifice the personal relationships that have been developed over the years. This business cannot grow beyond a certain point; therefore the blog should now serve two main purposes. It should inform and educate the public about the rich history and traditions of the industry and maintain and strengthen the relationships developed with existing clientele.
It is hard to determine the direct impact that the success of the English Cut will have on other bespoke producers; however, I believe that there would be both positive and negative ramifications. Some individuals may accuse Tom and Hugh of changing the norms of an industry that is deep with traditions. Also, other bespoke tailors on Savile Row may accuse English Cut of jeopardising their livelihoods in a industry that already appears to facing tough financial times. However, they are not changing the craftsmanship and prestige associated with creating a bespoke suit on Savile Row, rather they are developing a new method to market their product. I believe that most people in the bespoke tailoring industry will be receptive of this new marketing method. The tailors on Savile Row are a community and are collectively trying to maintain the unique heritage of their industry together; therefore, the success of English Cut would be welcomed. For many Bespoke tailors, English Cut’s unique marketing strategy established a new trend in the industry. The challenge for others bespoke tailors is to adapt to these new norms and carve out their positioning in this new market. Obviously not every bespoke tailor can take the same approach to marketing as English Cut; however, steps must be taken to attract new customers and remain competitive in the industry. Other tailors, such as Abrahams of Dublin and Steed (also, from London’s Savile Row), have used the web to promote and sell their products online. Although none of them have taken the personal approach that Tom Mahon has. This approach has revolutionized the industry and has consumers expecting more. Savile Row tailors can no long be profitable by simply opening the doors of their shop; rather they must use technology to reach out to customers outside their normal demographics.
English Cut has taken a unique approach to marketing by using a blog. They have broke with tradition, developed new customers from around the world and have changed the norms of the bespoke tailoring industry. It is essential for businesses to develop a marketing strategy that corresponds with the changes taking place in the marketplace today. This is why English Cut will see continued success in the future.
