STREETWISE MARKETING
Turning Marketing
into a craft
By Evans Majeni
t was one of those lazy Saturday
afternoons. After a hearty meal
of smoked fish on the other
side of town, I settled for a dose of
rhumba music at my usual. Rhumba
is particularly nostalgic for those in
my age bracket. I to himself as he resumed his seat.
This peaked my curiosity. Politely, I
asked why he had to go all the way
to the dance floor if he didn’t intend
to dance. His reply, “I did dance. May
be you couldn’t see. I was dancing
remotely; wirelessly though WIFI.”
The Band was belting out one of the
favorites when, a drunk who was
seated next to me suddenly jumped
up and staggered to the dance floor.
Being early in the afternoon, his
arrival at the dance floor alone was
greeted with much applause. This was
going to be a show of a kind, so we
thought. We expected those deadly
moves, twisting and throwing bums,
gyrating hips and all. This dramatic episode opened my
eyes to the extent technology has
taken over our lives and roles. It is a
warning short to all and sundry that
in every trade that you are engag ed
in, technology is coming to overhaul
it. Computer applications commonly
referred to as Apps are being
developed and released to the market
every day to take care of most routine
tasks.
As if to acknowledge the applause, he
raised both his hands in the air and
fixed his gaze on the ceiling. Amidst
throbbing music, the man stood still
throughout the song only to stagger
back to his seat without moving
a limb. To say that the crowd was
disappointed is an understatement.
Obviously, this punk had taken one
too many. Why go all the way to the
dance floor if you don’t want to dance? The apps bring forth convenience,
comfort
and
affordability.
Unfortunately, meeting needs and
making life comfortable has always
been the mandate of marketers. In a
word, marketers are on notice.
Wow, that was lovely”, he muttered
For sometime, marketers survived
simply as order takers and delivery
boys. The sales team’s main task was
to visit clients, take and supply orders
while picking the cheques. Now,
orders are taken online; goods sent
And ladies too take notice, Samantha is on the
prowl. Woe unto you unless you turn yours into
a craft; I’m informed Samantha is very good, you
may end up in the same dustbin with marketers.
12 MAL22/18 ISSUE
Hold your breath,
technology is not
about to replace mar-
keters. It’s however a
present danger to the
routine order takers.
To survive, marketers
must elevate their role
to that of a craftsmen
and turn marketing
into an art.
through courier and payments done
vide PayPal, Mpesa, credit card or
online banking. What therefore is the
new role of a salesman?
In product development, marketers
were content with a standard product.
Few marketers dared to customize
their products or services to meet their
client’s peculiar expectations. With
the coming of the apps, customization
of products and services will be the
norm rather than the exception. It’s
the only way to beat robots and retain
customer loyalty.
While Uber has revolutionized the
taxi hailing business, those taxi drivers
who have mastered their craft and
built a loyal clientele base are still
in business. They still take madam
shopping, help her with some basic
chores and pick the kids from school.
Few people would want to entrust