Grant McCracken argues in The Coming Point-of-Sale Revolution that the future of in-store marketing is lots of perky people smiling at me. They might even punch me.
It is worth a read. But it also creeps me out as an idea. Just the thought of it — or is it the thought of me thinking about how I think about it? — makes me feel like (or think I’m thinking like) Lou Grant (starting at about 2:26 in the clip below).
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNyj4FV56JY
There aren’t enough natural born salesmen around. They’re just trying to mass produce them. Of course, the mass produced product isn’t always pretty, but if you’ve got the product to back them, you can make it work. Look at the sales people at Apple stores.