MARKETING AFRICA MAL 18/17 mal 18:17 online | Page 11

looking product processed in filthy conditions. The customer cared less about the processes and conditions under which the product was made. That was left to the licensing authorities. The assumption was if it looks good, it must be good. During that era, marketing organizations would invest heavily at the shop front and totally ignore the back office. They would buy modern display shelves, clothe their staff in beautiful uniforms and hire interior designers to work on the shop floor while their production plant was a different story. fooled. They do not fall for the external beauty and the fake front office smiles. They are more interested in the processes that bring about this beautiful product. The US consumers are on record threatening to boycott Chinese products citing the degrading human conditions under which most Chinese worked! The new marketer must be a champion of open process. That’s why the Java’s, KFC’s and the Chicken Inns have nearly open Kitchens. You are able to see as your coffee, tea, chicken or pizza is being prepared. They would force their staff to smile to their customers while underneath, they were grossly underpaid, overworked, neglected and totally unhappy. Vehicle designers would design breath-taking interiors and upholstery with little care of the arrangement under the bonnet. Staff satisfaction surveys are common place. They want to know that the company that purports to care for them also does the same to its staff, to the community they are operating in, and to the environment as well. They believe that you cannot love your customers and mistreat your staff at the same time. Today’s consumer is not easily Big industries are inviting their clients for a tour of their production facilities and have an open talk with their staff. Clients must be satisfied with and admire the processes of making the product. They also want to know how the by-products are disposed of and what their environment policy is all about. Even in some homes, the open kitchen is the new rave. Families want to see and engage as their food is being prepared. This is marketing unwrapped for you. The external beauty must be replicated in the process, the environment, the community and the staff. Is your marketing in sync with today’s consumer? Open up. Evans Majeni is a businessman selling Apple Products in Nairobi and a director at Tahidi Homes Limited. He enjoys stepping on big toes and paying the price. You can reach him via mail on this or related issues at: Majeni. [email protected].