Making Sense of Marketing

(3a)Undertsanding Marketing
There are numerous definations of marketing and this further complicates the process of making sense of what marketing truly is.
From my stand point marketing is creating an awareness of the solution you offer,delivering it as promised, meeting and exceeding the expectations of the consumer.
A leading business Author defines marketing and selling in a very precise manner. He says, "selling is what you do one on one ,marketing is selling via a system".
As mentioned in my previous topic of Designing & implementing succcessful systems,a business is a system of systems and marketing is one of those systems .




I will begin with branding because no marketing is effective without the aspect of branding. Now, what is a brand ?A brand is the aspect of marketing which communicates the virtues of the product or service( on offer ) by creating a level of spontanous awareness, trust and confidence .It is more than just a logo.
A brand, in essence, must create an emotional connectivity with the consumer so that the product or service earns consumer loyalty.
A strong brand must convey a message of optimism and positivity.The advertising campaigns must communicate these uplifting qualities. This is especially relevant as we live in world that continuously feeds us with negativity( just watch the news ).Every successful brand carries an uplifting mantra. A brief look into sport brands such as Nike ,addidas ,puma etc ,showcases these characteristics .


 
What must a powerful brand have to succeed?
It must have coherence ! Its meaning and message must identify with the consumers.
The marketeer must have a genuine passion for the consumer in order to correctly construct the relevent brand
Focusing on the consumers by continuously looking for ways to better understand the them ,their needs ,desires and behaviours is a sure way to build a truly successsful brand .To achieve this, the marketing people must immerse themselves into the world of the consumer .In my words marketin people must get into the "shoes" of the consumer.

How?

Through extensive consumer research, the entreprenuer and his marketing team can gain an accurate understanding of the consumer's expectations - thereby hitting the nail directy on the head by building their business around the expectations and requirements of the consumer.

(3b)Brand Visibility

I believe there are many companies offering great services or goods out there but unfortunately, their brand awareness strategies are just not there or are simply not working because we don't know these companies .However ,certain companies are constantly firing up our imagination . I am referring to companies like Coca Cola,MacDonalds ,Google ,Apple Toyota,I could go on -you know them .

How do they come to win our attention so often?
They use passion points . These are areas or events where an emotional connection between the consumer and the product/service occurs . Coca Cola utilises sporting events such as soccer events (they have practically made the Soccer World Cups their turf - compare their visibility with that of  FIFA who own the event ? ).

The fact is Marketing people are dominantly psychologists and study human behaviour closely. They have come to the conclusion that the Human mind is most receptive when its excited and happy. In other words ,we pay better attention when we are excited .
Once the emotional connectivity is made .It doesn't end there It is necessary to continuously re-invent the product/service ( observe what Apple has done with the iphone & ipad -they started of with simple computers & stay relevent ).
This is necessary so that consumers grow with the product/service or vice versa .

I will not go into detail on how a good marketing plan should be done & implemented because I believe all marketing initiatives are centred on consumer perception. This is where all marketing strategies should begin -perception. It is possible to invent a problem and communicate it to the consumer in such a way that they feel they have a genuine need , and then make the solution and sell it to the consumer .
In the case of the entreprenuer ,it turns out that the entreprenuer recognises or identifies a problem, creates a solution and then builds a business around the solution . He must also find a way to communicate his solution in a way that connects well with consumers and powerful branding enhance can this help him achieve that .

(3c)Fostering Brand Recognition

It goes without saying that Chinese manufacturing has been made successful by duplicating well known brands .They know that brand awareness and brand loyalty can motivate sales ahead of quality .
We only come to realise that the product is inferior when it fails to perform as expected however,we would have been drawn to purchase it because of the brand which caught our attention in the first place .

I do not condone these practices but wish to bring to notice the issue of brand recognition .All consumers are motivated to buy goods or services out of brand recognition and brand loyalty.
For the entreprenuer this can be the best way to drive sales .Through a creative and rigorous advertising campaign ,the entreprenuer can create brand recognition and through consistent quality-one can create brand loyalty.