Dear friends, today Apple released to the market the brand new iPod. Speaking of business, the iPod is such a extraordinary creation that no one could see it coming a few year ago and reaching the levels they are today and its relevance in the world market. The iPod created a brand new market for itself, and its market share is just amazing. To have an iPod today is to have status. Apple really did it, again.
But not always was like that. So let me tell you a story.
---- --- -- -
The year was 1997. Steve Jobs, who was previously fired from the company he created with a friend, was called back to Apple with a mission to rescue the company from the certain death. Once he got there, one of the first things he did, he fired the company who used to produce Apple's marketing campaigns and immediately put up Apple's marketing account up for grabs.
Mr. Jon Steel, owner of one of the agencies crazy to get such a big client, remember the exact moment when he met Jobs. According to his words, it was something like that:
"Me and my partner were almost 2 hours inside this huge meeting room with 2 others Apple's executives. Then Jobs came in. He literally broke the amazingly boring presentation we were watching. Those 2 guys were doing a presentation about Apple's history, profile, the "win-win" ideology, the key factors for success inside the company, Apple's vast portfolio, investment plans, yada yada yada.
Jobs briefly greeted us and then came straight away, without even turning his head towards the actual Apple's executives. He said:
- I am 100% sure this beautiful talk that you guys just heard from the "dynamic duo" here is all crap. So, here is the deal: The Apple is about to break. We are going for bankruptcy! but I believe that if we can make 2 or 3 things very well done, things with world class appeal, we will manage our way out of this. During the last days I rejected 11 projects that were presented to me, only 2 were left: called G4 and iMac. For me, they are the ONLY projects capable to represent what we want this company to become: Technologically superb, visually fantastic. And I will bet Apple's future on them.
We left the meeting with all the ideas from Jobs himself. A few days later, we got the news that the "dynamic duo" had been fired later that same day.”
---- --- -- -
Well, my point is. What is marketing for you? Let's call this case the "Marketing 1.0". Until mid-90s, that was the kind of marketing that trashed companies around the world, with those companies mission statements, with empty messages, boring...but very well formatted. Nowadays, this marketing does not deserve any of our attention anymore.
Sometimes I think some "marketing people" are trying to make a "cartel", a "gang". This gang would be made of their cool-other-marketing-creative-friends-from-other-companies, they create large campaigns based on repetition-repetition-repetition-repetition of the same campaigns of the past, just because there is a saying in this niche: You have to publish 10 times the same campaign, so the client will pay attention to the message. Just like those crazy rug sellers on the TV screaming every 0.5 seconds the prices out loud, treating us at home as deaf or blind consumers.
I say, that's rubbish! We can do better than this! They MUST do better than this!
That's why the Marketing 2.0 is coming powerful in the Internet age. Now, you can see very funny, creative, innovative campaigns from the Internet itself. And guess who created them? teenagers, retired people, even people who never worked with marketing before. The media revolution gave them power so other can see and tell: Hey, those guys are really cool! And they never went to those marketing schools to learn those same-same marketing laws.
Right now, the main problem of the Marketing 2.0 is the ROI, or the lack of it. It still does not have metrics, it still does not give us better "leads" for new businesses, they still do not have a strategy to align the field vendors and the employees using several communication pipes online and offline.
And that's going to be just a matter of time, and then one day those guys and this new marketing era will be able to predict entire product forecasts and compose projects budgets with efficiency. And in a new way!
The marketing 1.0 will be dead then; and with it, those who were not able to pick up the pace.
If you are a marketeer, and you like your job, think about it. What would Jobs tell about you in your next PowerPoint presentation? Would he interrupt you ? Would he support you?
And then, comes the Demand 2.0.
We should concentrate our business efforts in the clients, but those with the highest chances to turn from formal proposals to real contracts. To real money. Use the marketing 2.0 to collect, Analise the market and then create customized approaches. Now, speak clearly what is the BEST reason why this client would want to make business with you or to buy your product. When talking to the bosses, be straight, be business-oriented, goal-oriented. Stop selling only for your regular buyer.
Discover what does the client wants, what other problems they have. Attack them! Now share those ideas with those who can help to find a solution. Which bring another point: surround yourself of good people. good soldiers. DON'T LET THEM GO to another company.
Transform your website in a portal that educates the visitor about how you can help them, what solutions do you have, what problems can you solve. Place there you most successful cases. Make a blog. Let others now that your company is a good one for work, in an open-shared environment where ideas flow.
Start selling your product before the client is ready to buy!
Yes, the end of the Marketing 1.0 is near and it is coming. Throw away the old myths, open space for the new. The Marketing 2.0 is right here, right now.
Let's share ideas. I can share mine with you as well. If you don't share, how would we exchange and grow? if not here, where? if not now, when?
Think about it. See you guys later.
By Edge Pereira
