AUSTIN, TX - As the digital revolution continues to spread, tech-savvy individuals in every industry have found success – and panhandling is no exception. Bivouacked on Red River Street between 6th and 7th, local homeless man Robert ‘Bob’ Munsen has significantly increased his competitive advantage through a robust omni-channel marketing strategy.
Mr. Munsen, 34, originally form Plano, TX, has devised a revolutionary approach to ask for alms in downtown Austin, incorporating bleeding-edge data-driven decision making to optimize revenue. “I’ve found that the key is to have a seamless cross-channel customer journey,” Bob explains, “I get that folks aren’t carrying much loose change anymore, so I give them a QR code to Venmo or cash.app me. It’s really about reducing the friction between the initial customer awareness and the decision to give me 27 cents.” Marketing professionals agree that Mr. Munsen is building his personal brand as the easiest homeless man in Austin to support. “But it’s more than a series of single transactions,” explains Professor Carla Hartling, an adjunct professor of digital marketing at Chico State, “form our observation, Bob really has a thorough understanding of the whole customer journey and effectively segments his potential market base accordingly.”
“Yeah, I know that most people going out downtown don’t want anything to do with me, so I say ‘Fuck ‘em’, and try to focus on some of the drunks getting Shawarma Point; they’ll either have some cash or their phone out waiting for an Uber.”
Mr. Munsen eventually hopes to parley his hands-on experience into gainful employment through more formal education, “I’ve been accepted to Kellogg’s [Northwestern’s School of Business] MBA program, but I’m really hoping to see how the waitlist shakes out at Columbia.”