Thursday, May 3, 2007

What is marketing?


One of my professors at London Business School defined it as "The management of perception."

I don't think this is good enough anymore.

Too many marketers try to create a 'false perception'. They claim their product/service/brand is better than it really is. Basically, they rationalize being liars. And then they wonder why their product doesn't sell once they take a breather from advertising. Why they are wondering is a mystery to me. We all know that frustrated and underwhelmed buyers won't recommend a product/service/brand to their friends.

In their minds, marketers are supposed to lie, create illusion and create fake perceptions. Wrong.

All these poducts/services/brand should stop advertising. Invest all your money in R&D. Create a great product/service/brand. And you'll quickly learn that marketing is more than creating a perception. Marketing is creating a perception that aligns with the reality of your product/service/brand. And it's soch much easier, ethical, cost-effective and successful when you have a product/service/brand that customers want, cherish and recommend.

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