Viewpoint: Diary of a Spectacle Designer

What is marketing? After 23 years of running my own business, you’d think I’d have a decent idea. Marketing is an all-encompassing word that combines sales and branding. I’ve always considered myself pretty good at it, but clearly there are elements missing; otherwise I’d be sunning myself on a yacht somewhere hot instead of suffering our dreary summer.   

The problem with marketing a retail business is that the game has changed considerably over the past decade. Let’s start with the press. Once upon a time, I could tempt a journalist, be it local to one of my wholesale opticians around the country or one of my own stores, with a free pair of glasses.