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Smart Advantage, Inc. is a consulting, training, and education based company that works with businesses to uncover and tout their Competitive Advantages.

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3 Reasons Why Super Bowl Ad Prices Increase Each Year
Wednesday, Feb 8, 2012
This year the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad was $3.5 million – up from $3 million the year before. Since 2001, the price of a Super Bowl ad has gone up by 59% (from $2.2 million per 30-second spot).  The ever-rising price of a Super Bowl ad is another sign of why it’s wrong to try to compete on price . Even in a down economy, it is possible to raise...Read More
Two Competitive Advantages that Should Help the Kindle Fire Compete
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2011
Can anyone compete with the iPad? The new Kindle Fire, from Amazon, is going to try. Amazon has had success with its eReader, the Kindle, and its Kindle Fire is in full color and priced at only $199, well below the iPad sale price of $499. The Kindle Fire is getting good reviews and analysts are reporting projected Kindle Fire sales figures of 5 million by end of 2011.  Amazon...Read More
6 Reasons Why BlackBerry is Losing Their Competitive Advantages
Wednesday, Dec 7, 2011
In the past 12 months, BlackBerry (and its parent company, Research in Motion) seem to have lost their way. It seems that they got carried away with innovation at the expense of what really matters most to the customer’s buying decision. Too often with tech companies, they keep trying to add more technical “bells and whistles.” The problem is, if the “bells and...Read More
Yahoo Losing Relevance: Know Why Customers do Business with You
Tuesday, Nov 22, 2011
Recently Yahoo fired its CEO, Carol Bartz. Although the company’s stock price jumped 6% immediately following the announcement, the problems plaguing Yahoo go beyond the choice of chief executive. The biggest challenge facing Yahoo goes to the core of what the company is and what it wants to be: Yahoo has become irrelevant to their users.  Yahoo was once one of the biggest...Read More
3 Reasons why Amazing Prime was an amazing sales strategy
Wednesday, Nov 16, 2011
Amazon is growing its network of distribution centers to match the growing customer demand for faster shipping and a wider array of products. According to a recent article from All Things D ( “Amazon Seeks Greater Fulfillment by Adding Distribution Centers” ), Amazon is planning to add 9 distribution centers during 2011, with the possibility of building even more if demand...Read More
HBO Under Pressure: How They are Competing and Staying Relevant
Monday, Nov 14, 2011
According to a recent article in the Economist ( “The winning streak: HBO and the future of pay TV” ), HBO (Home Box Office) is facing a complex, ever-changing climate, with more innovative competitors than ever before. Even though HBO is critically acclaimed, wildly popular and highly profitable (104 Emmy nominations in 2011, 28 million subscribers, $4 billion in annual revenues,...Read More
Quik Trip's “This is How We Roll” Commercial Stays Relevant
Wednesday, Nov 9, 2011
  I recently saw a TV ad for Quik Trip called “This is How We Roll” that really resonated with me. This is unusual, as I don’t usually eat at convenience stores, and I’m probably not the target market for the ad, but I think this TV spot illustrates some important points about relevant selling that other companies can learn from. The ad shows a montage of...Read More
BlackBerry is Withering: Downfall of Not Staying Relevant
Thursday, Nov 3, 2011
According to a recent article in the New York Times ( “RIM Suffers as Profit Falls 58.7%,” Sept. 15, 2011), Research in Motion (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry smart phone, recently announced disappointing earnings results. The company’s shares lost 19% of their value, and many Wall Street analysts are saying that the future viability of the company is in doubt. Just a few...Read More
Bringing Back Layaway: 3 Key Lessons to Learn from Retailers
Tuesday, Nov 1, 2011
According to a recent article in the New York Times ( “Walmart to bring back layaway for the holidays,” ), Walmart is bringing back their "layaway” payment program, where customers can set aside big purchases at the back of the store and pay for them in advance, over a period of several months. This is a pretty significant sign of just how cash-strapped consumers are feeling...Read More
“Marriott Taxi Service” Creates an Unexpected Competitive Advantage
Tuesday, Oct 25, 2011
I travel a lot. In any given month, I’m on the road for 2 or 3 weeks. As a confirmed road warrior, I’m a longtime Marriott customer, and they’ve always taken good care of me. The other day I was getting ready to go give a talk at a conference in Des Moines, Iowa, and I was staying at the Marriott in downtown Des Moines. Rather than deal with a rental car during this short...Read More

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