When Sy Syms died last month at the age of 83, the world of consumer retailing lost a true pioneer. Fortunately for us consumers, the chain of discount clothing stores that he created lives on, as does the slogan which encapsulated his progressive attitude toward marketing:
“An educated consumer is our best customer.”
I think these are great words to do business by, whether your business is selling to consumers or other businesses. I was impressed to learn that Sy Syms not only created that slogan but delivered it, in person, in TV commercials which started running in 1974.
Back then a lot of advertising was still taking a “dumb it down” approach to the consumer. Sy saw things differently and by all accounts his respect for the customer played a big role in the success of his stores. Even 35 years later the slogan still sounds fresh; the company still displays it in the store and prints it on their packaging. Read the rest of this entry »
David Brussin
Stephen Cobb
Blair Lyon
Tom Ellis