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San Francisco 1.415.331.5204 Los Angeles 1.818.763.3625 Buenos Aires 54.11.4813.4865 |
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Product is Finished - Let's Market! Situation: A new Marketing campaign is being launched... This is the coming out for a product that is now stable.  It is the first time that Marketing can promise what manufacturing can deliver. It is time to take a fresh approach to delivering our message. Data: The components of Marketing are: Research, Development, Productizing, Quality Control - All from the customers point of view. The Basics - Definitions and Purposes: Each department of any group activity has a particular objective. Department C takes the results of Department B, applies energy, and enables or strengthens the ability of the Department D to produce its product. Example 1: the objective of Engineering is to develop a product of the correct quality that can be sold for the correct price for the chosen public. Production and Quality Control can then deliver a product that will be received by a receptive public. The name and goodwill of the company will be enhanced and the coffers filled for the next idea. Example 2: The objective of Finance is to gather and allocate assets so that Engineering and Production can produce the products so that the organization can continuously meet the its immediate and long term goals. Example 3: Management takes a qualified idea from the Idea person or the public, aligns them to the policies of the group and sets the objectives for other departments. Marketing also has an objective. In particular it is: Create "Want" It is the sole objective of Marketing to create "Want" in the mind of the customer. Want is created through the correct application of the results of customer surveys that search for "buttons." The message is then composed to hit the buttons. People who "know" are not the public that needs to be communicated with. Buttons are fickle and need to be researched just as parts have to be researched for a product. Find out what the audience knows and doesn't know, what they need and don't need, what they want and don't want People who "know" create marketing that doesn't hit buttons. Research for the Marketing Plan begins at the same time as the research for the Engineering Plan. It is just as much work and the results are in the details. Sales then works off of that want. Marketing that creates "branding" or a squishy "need" or anything else but want-pure craving desire-does not result in sales. Example: Current Xerox ads. If any company could rely upon branding, it would be Xerox. Instead, they produce ads that hit every button a manager is interested in. They are well surveyed, well targeted ads which create a want for their product. They make the prospect want to do something. After the successful marketing, Sales then merely needs to contact, handle lingering considerations and bring the client to an understanding of what they are signing for. Problem: People want to create. People want tools that enable them to create. Solution: Marketing identifies the buttons that make people want to have the solutions that your product provides and which you are trying to sell. Error: If Marketing creates something besides "a client wanting our product," then salespeople have to do the marketing as well as the sales. Each sale becomes a chore. Well accepted companies create Goodwill and well accepted products create Branding. Marketing creates Positioning. What does the set of potential users expect from their tools? What do they associate those expectations with? Do we align ourselves with those associations? Does the resulting ad reflect that alignment accurately? What do the surveys say? What did the Instant Impression Survey say? Solution:
Or did the ad just make us feel good? | |
