What is marketing, really?
A lot can happen in seventy-five years. Back in 1935 America was between World Wars and recovering from a major depression. A new car cost $550, prime rib was $.40/pound, minimum wage was $.33 per hour, Bonnie and Clyde were on the loose, the Dust bowl was in full swing, the Loch Ness Monster was supposedly photographed for the first time, horses were being replaced by automobiles and tractors and were worth practically nothing, and a man by the name of Paul Albert was in the process of founding a little magazine called Western Horseman. With the January, 2011 commemorative issue, Western Horseman will begin celebrating its 75th year in print. As 2010 moves along, I will let you know how you too can be an important part of our exciting Diamond celebration.
Marketing Tip: What is “Marketing”, really?
A smart businessman, call him my marketing mentor, once told me marketing is everything that happens until a sale is made. Seeing my puzzled look, he explained that color, name, design, shape, packaging, functionality, and a host of other features and benefits including customer service and warranty, all contribute to how a product is perceived in the market place. I contrast this view of marketing with a person who once told me his company does a lot of marketing. He bragged that they hand out nearly 1,000 pens and over 200 caps a year. Meanwhile, I overheard someone else once say they aggressively market their products because they spend a ton of money each year on advertising.
This brings me back to my marketing mentor. He went on to tell me marketing is not advertising, advertising is marketing. Again, seeing my confused look, he patiently explained that marketing is an all encompassing plan. He told me to think of it as a vehicle that carries your product message to the consumer in a meaningful way they can relate to. If done right, an effective marketing plan or vehicle makes your customers want to buy what you have to offer. He added that advertising is the essential fuel that drives your marketing vehicle, but it can’t be expected to be the entire vehicle as well. For this reason, he explained, just running ads without enough consideration for the other aspects of what it takes to position your product in the market place, simply won’t get your product message where you want it to go.
Compare this concept to going on a trip without a clear plan on how you will reach your final destination. When you get lost you could blame the gas in your truck, because in reality it did provide the power that got you lost. But, common sense tells us it isn’t really the fault of the gas since it did exactly what was asked of it. Consequently, if you feel your marketing effort has “lost” its way, take the advice of my marketing mentor and rethink your marketing plan instead of choosing to stop buying the fuel that drives it.
Coming up in Western Horseman and on WesternHorseman.com:
With the June issue headed to the printer, we are working hard on our July issue, which will include a Special Ad Section on Ranch Production Horse Sales. Give me a call or email me and I can tell you about June’s exciting editorial line-up.
Online, we are featuring a new inline advertising position on the home page of WesternHorseman.com. This highly visible advertising opportunity is only available to one advertiser per month so call me today to get more information and reserve your placement.
A Little Something Extra:
“We´ve got enough guys who are sick of losing and who know what it takes, … It don´t take a pep talk or a rah-rah (speech) or bringing somebody in from the dead to get us hyped. … We´ve just got to go out and play football.” Clinton Portis