Monkey Traps and Marketing

There is a unique way to trap monkeys in the islands of the South Seas. The natives drill a small hole in a coconut, hollow it out and fill it with rice. Once a monkey puts its hand in the coconut to get the food, it cannot remove its clenched fist. Refusing to let go of their prize, the monkeys are unable to escape.

Publishers can get caught in a similar trap if they become conditioned to avoid risks and persist in using strategies that were successful in the past, without evaluating whether they are still relevant today. Their grasp on a comfortable feeling of security yields the same sense of contentment the passengers on the Titanic experienced moments before it struck the iceberg. Success in a rapidly changing industry demands that you evaluate past triumphs to determine if you should introduce new titles using a different game plan.

Blind adherence to the programs that led to past marketing successes leads to inertia. A sense of rigidity develops when a successful publishing company fails to recognize market drift—a gradual but substantial shift in customer preferences, business conditions and competition. Instead, remain focused on the fact that success is determined more by addressing the dynamic predilections of today's customers than by blindly following historical marketing formulas.