After reading a number of great websites about marketing, including a wonderful knowledge exchance site called Marketing Profs, I thought it might be a useful exercise to write a series of blogs that introduce non-marketers to the mysterious world of marketing.
What is marketing all about. It's about creating a package of product, service, price, promotion and positioning that consumers will buy, at a profit to your business. Sounds simple, huh? Well we marketers have to justify our salaries. So we've developed a series of concepts to ensure our continued employment. If you are interested in the details, I recommend David Aaker's book Building Strong Brands, or check out his website Prophet.
Lets start with the basics. I'll ask a series of questions that outline the process of developing a new brand.
Every brand, product or service has to be positioned relative to its competition. What is unique about it's benefits, attributes, its character?
Who is the brand meant for (I hate the word target - makes me think about guns, not people)?
What does this brand look like? The brand character and essence are the emotional elements of the brand that help consumers identify with it.
What does the product look like? What features and benefits does it provide? How does it look, feel, taste? How is it packaged? Is it easy to understand what it is and how to use it? What is the experience using the product like?
How is the product priced relative to the competition? Is this price consistent with the benefits and features the product provides?
How does the consumer find your business, service or product? Is it sold to wholesalers? Is it in bricks and mortar retail, online?
How does the consumer learn about your product or service? What are the emotional and functional benefits of your product or service. How do you encourage your customer to buy more, buy more often or refer their friends to buy?
So this great long list of questions will likely lead us to an even longer list of marketing tactics to get consumers to make a transaction -- advertising, packaging, in store signage, out of store signage, direct mail, email marketing, newsletter marketing, websites, blogs, viral marketing, public relations, market research -- the list goes on.
Of course, your business issues are the key to figuring out which of these great long list of tactics will help you build your business. So, if you are starting up, and need new customers, you won't be focused on tactics that build loyalty.
So stick with me, tomorrow, Marketing 101 will explore the wonderful world of positioning. In the meantime, you can check other marketing blogs and websites listed to the left of this article if you want to dig a little further.
www.brandinggreece.com
Posted by: Andreas Markessinis | May 30, 2005 at 04:31 PM
www.brandinggreece.com
Posted by: Andreas Markessinis | May 30, 2005 at 04:32 PM