It sounds dangerously self-reverential: We advertise to talk to ourselves. Don't you have to talk to customers?
At Gateway, a great ad does three things. One, it describes the performance of our technology. Two, it exudes our personality. Three, it communicates our ability to personalize technology for customers.
That third element is critical. We shipped 1.3 million computers last year and every one was custom built. We may build 1,500 computers on Monday with the exact same configuration. But if Jane Smith ordered one of those computers, she needs to understand that it was her computer moving through the plant. In fact, if she visited our assembly line, she'd see slips of paper with her name moving right along with the components. Her name travels literally around the plant with her computer. We always communicate to customers that we deliver machines personalized to their needs.
Are there any important trends we haven't discussed?
There's one other trend that's changing everything: the aging of the population. In 1960, there were 5,000 Americans 100 years old or older. Today there are more than a million -- and there'll be 5 million by the year 2010. The oldest woman in America died recently. She was 120. Can you imagine?. She saw World War I in her forties. By the way, she worked in her backyard until she was 105.
That's where things are heading. Life spans will just keep on stretching. If I were a young adult today, someone starting a family, I'd plan on my son or daughter living to be 150. In fact, on their first birthday I'd take $10,000 and put it in a conservative investment like a guaranteed income contract. This way when they hit "adolescence" say, at 75they'll have a couple of million dollars to play with. And they will be able to play. They'll look the way a healthy 50-year-old looks today. Their skin will be supple, their heart will be strong. And they'll have 75 years left!
The social and political implications are huge. And there are big implications for this industry. Our strategic pathway recognizes that customers can buy 20 to 30 computer systems from us over their lifetime. If we can evolve along with their personal needs, if we can create an annuity relationship with them, that becomes a major advantage. You begin to understand the value of a lifetime customer.
William C. Taylor (wtaylor@fastcompany.com) is a founding editor of Fast Company.
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