‘‘ We all agree that the work marketers ’ do is not easy . Every time you put out an ad , everybody from the CEO to your son has an opinion about it . The shelf life of marketing is getting shorter accelerated by how digital media is changing our lives . We are in the most populous , developing and adapting part of the world and mobile phones are not making life any easier for the job .’’
an eye on competition and market trends . Increasingly , marketing also defines the sales pipeline through product positioning . That is probably the part of marketing too important to be left to marketers alone – and that has spurred the customer experience discussions in the profession .
With the business problem identified , the solution must be told through a simple brand story . The operating environment is already too complicated and touch point explosion has only made it more complicated .
The real needs of the customer must be met with brand stories that are authentic and humble . Empathize with your consumer , demonstrate that you understand them and focus on how your product can help them . They are probably still listening to you because you are ‘ professional , world-class , passionate , the biggest this side of the Sahara and the most experienced .’ Why should they continue to care about your professionalism when you say it , but don ’ t show it ?
A simple example of a company showing its customers that it is serious about its business and the future of its customer ’ s passions is a skateboard company called Nomad . Nomad realized that it had very loyal and faithful customers between the ages of seven and sixteen , after which interest in skating fell off because the children at that age are able to get a driving license .
Through research they discovered that the fans of skateboarding viewed the practice as a hobby and not a sport . This created a unique business challenge for the company .
The company heads sat down and together solved the problem through a strategic and tactical marketing mix that has seen skateboarding now added as one of the six new sports that will feature in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics . Care about skateboarding now ? The campaign is online on the hashtag # TheNomadFamily goes to the Olympics .
Whose Funeral Is It Again ?
We need to come unstuck from tactics and re-purpose marketing . Marketing needs to come together around the purpose of the organization . We are all in the job of creating memorable customer experiences using marketing . Often we find ourselves in a six blind men and an elephant scenario also called the prefix debri syndrome . This syndrome entails using the word ‘ strategy ’ even in the existence of none . This has given people an opportunity to help us hammer marketing into its coffin every time a shiny new toy pops up .
The prefix syndrome is often used to ask for the Twitter strategy , Snapchat strategy , Facebook strategy , even when as marketing people we are well aware that the organization is not fit to be on some of those platforms because our target audience is simply not there .
It is true that people have more media choices , but that doesn ’ t mean that we should be on all . What it simply shows is that advertising and marketing , product marketing and branding are still alive . The underpinning factors remains .
Marketing is the whole business seen from the point of view of the customer - because the purpose of business is to create a customer , the business enterprise has two – and only two – basic functions : marketing and innovation because they produce results , everything else is a cost . – Peter Druker .
As long as your marketing role is producing business results in your organization , forget about the life , death and burial of marketing . If you are not seeing results , call in the paramedics . Whichever way , please get on with your job ! Marketing is still very much alive !
Diana Obath is a seasoned Public Relations and Communications Specialist . You can commune with her on this or related issues via mail on : ObathD @ gmail . com .