Preface: Who Needs another Campaigns Book?
The authors acknowledge that the topic of brand promotion and has been addressed, numerous times, so the question arises of why bother to read (or write) another book on the subject. The answer is: much of the existing knowledge dates to a previous time, when marketing was done from the inside of a company, and little has been done to update the practices to the current outside-in approach to marketing. Even authors who have encouraged the change in tides have often approach new concepts from this perspective.
WHEN THE CUSTOMER GAINS CONTROL
There has been a fundamental change in marketing in recent years: while it was often acknowledged that the customer has control by virtue of their ability to make choices in the marketplace, this was begrudgingly accepted, and marketers continued to attempt to control the customer's desires rather than to serve them. The author asserts that a true customer focus has been "long promised but rarely provided."
Primarily, it requires starting with the customer and working backward to the business. It also entails the recognition that the customer (and consumer) form a relationship with a given brand rather than the product or services it represents. Over the long term, the products can change. This is a shift from the traditional 13-week promotional cycle to move product, to a more long-lived relationship with the customer, in which sales are a precipitating factor rather than the primary concern. This also defies the traditional metrics, which were also geared to the short-term goals of product sales.
These are significant changes, which require more than merely adjusting the marketing paradigm to accommodate changes. They require a complete rewiring.
FOUR KEY ELEMENTS
The format of the book follows the four key elements for marketing communications:
- The brand
- The audience to be reached
- The delivery forms
- The content of the value proposition
The authors repeat that this book will be a departure from traditional approaches to marketing, and is geared to address the level of managing a marketing communication program rather than developing an effective campaign or advertisement content.