Marketing Is Simple

Mar 12, 08 in Marketing

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Twenty five years ago legendary marketing scholar Theodore Levitt of Harvard Business School made the statement that "The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer" which at the time was pretty revolutionary at the time.  As I discussed last week, to get a customer you have to solve a problem. 

When it comes to startup technology marketing, from a more traditional marketing function perspective, I find that a lot of companies don't do it.  They don't do it because they don't understand it.  They don't understand it because some marketing type dressed in all black and drinking a latte starts spouting in marketing speak the need to "segment the paradigm in a way that leverages your core competencies into product attributes that effectively capture your brand essence so at the end of the day you can create a customer centric communication platform that will enable you to not only enter the target's evoked set but create acquisition programs with strong calls to action that have effective ROI and meet your KPI metrics.  And by the way, this is going to cost about $15k per month for the next year."

By the time Mr. Marketing is finished the geeks are looking at each other as befuddled as they should be, trying to get the guy out the door, and left with the impression that marketing is difficult and expensive.  Well let me tell you it does not have to be. 

Marketing is simple.  It is two things.  And number one is a lot more important than number two. 

1. Getting customers
2. Building awareness of your company and product

In the early stages of a company you can filter any marketing proposed activity through these two lenses.  If you do not understand how some marketing program can help your company to achieve one of these two things don't do it.

Marketing is simple.  Just keep away from all those types dressed in all black.  The good marketing types wear blue jeans.