The Ultimate Marketing Success Story and How The Smartest Companies Are Emulating It!

“Is marketing a science or an art?”  It’s both!  Aspects of marketing can be measured and quantified which gives us empirical information – hence, it’s a science. We can analyze this information. Based on that analysis, we adapt the marketing and improve outcomes like response rates, conversions of prospects to clients and moving first time buyers to second time buyers.  However, marketing also involves conscious use of creative imagination and skill, especially in the production of aesthetic materials – hence, it’s an art.

Let me give you a good example.  However, before telling you what the product is let me describe it and its market.  This product, a beverage, by law it has to be tasteless, odorless and is clear.  At the beginning of its market plan in 1980 the beverage was unknown in the U.S. Market.  However, there were already ten to twelve competitors fighting it out for market share.  Market research showed the new beverage would fail with U.S. consumers.  Also, research indicated it was packaged poorly.  A clear beverage in a clear bottle with no distinctive label would be invisible on the shelf surrounded by the competition.  Marketing this was obviously going to be a very sobering experience. Oh!  And one key fact - the beverage was going to cost 50% more than the market leader.  Have you guessed what the beverage is?  It’s Absolut Vodka.  Today it’s the leading imported vodka and now accounts for approximately 60% of the imported vodka market.

The successful  person forms the habit
of doing the things that failures don’t do.

What made Absolut so successful?  A great positioning strategy and a memorable advertising campaign.  The high price was actually used as a powerful tactic to create the perception of quality.  Absolut had a brilliant and simple strategy to create the perception of a high quality, imported Vodka.  The strategy was based on using the word Absolut in conjunction with creative images and artwork incorporating the Absolut bottle.  The campaign has been a series of advertisements with the original one showing the Absolut bottle sitting on a black background with a halo behind it.  The caption read “Absolut Perfection”.  The list goes on from there  – “Absolut Gem”, “Absolut Treasure”, “Absolut Chicago”, “Absolut Appeal”  – for the citrus flavored version and one of my favorites “Absolut L.A.”  – an aerial view of a swimming pool in the shape of an Absolut bottle.

How should you leverage your marketing dollars to become a leader in your industry or field?

Develop a strong marketing strategy.
Strategy  – A clear marketing direction to achieve specific goals via coherent marketing activities all working together to achieve an advantage. (Often referred to as branding or positioning.)

Plan and launch your marketing campaigns.
Campaign  – a connected series of marketing tactics utilized to bring about a particular result or goal.

Use the most appropriate marketing tactics. Tactic  – a single device used to accomplish an end.  Tactics can be physical, such as a post card mailing or advertisement in a magazine.  Tactics can also be conceptual.  Examples would be a Unique Selling Proposition (U.S.P.), or a risk reversal offer via a guarantee.

Due to Absolut’s brilliant marketing strategy, their campaign was rather limited in the use of tactics.  With an excellent strategy, you too will have a great campaign.  All other marketing efforts and activities depend on a sound strategy.  With the strategy in place, you will be able to reach the best possible audience with the best possible offer and achieve the best possible return on your investment.

In years past, sales often involved a sales person through trial and error finding the prospect.  He would then artfully turn features into benefits and close sales.  The role of person to person sales has changed and even diminished due to better targeting of market, resource limitations and technology advances.  Also, because of the Internet, voice mail, committee made decisions, etc. the traditional approach to closing sales is getting harder and harder.  The customer has much more control today.  Look at the example of car dealerships.  Some are now getting 50 or 60 e-mails a day from prospects wanting to buy a car.  The prospect simply lists the specs of the car they are looking to purchase and requests a price quote.  Thus, face to face transactions are all but eliminated.  All the sales skills in the world won’t help.  The customers are now not only in charge, but they are also creating new rules.

Businesses that are creating strong marketing strategies will be the ones attracting the clients.  The Internet and email are in their infancy and evolving rapidly.  What will the market be like in five to ten years?  Who knows?  However, one important fact is very clear – The customers are seeking out the seller and on customers’ terms!

It’s becoming a classic case of survival of the fittest.  Businesses that adjust and work in the new environment will be successful.  By implementing a clear, powerful, and compelling campaign which is measurable and memorable, businesses will attract new clients in this new environment.