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Harvard Business School professor John Quelch once said, “The purpose of marketing… should be geared to changing and reinforcing customer actions rather than customer attitude.” I recently revisited this quote and feel it still holds true. But in the age of social media, it is likely to come under siege.
Within his quote is the idea that we as marketers need to focus on driving fundamental shifts in customer behavior. Using tactics like pay per click advertising, you can effectively do just that. One well-placed Google AdWords can get prospects to engage in the exact behavior you want them to! It’s short. It works. And John would be pleased!
Other forms of media, however, can no longer deliver a captive audience. Customers and prospects have plenty of reasons to dislike media these days: irrelevance, interruption and just plain clutter.
But now factor in social media. The media balance is shifting from push to pull. Content creators represent 13% of all U.S. adults online. That means command and control of exact behaviors just gets harder every day.
So to think marketers can really affect customer behavior with social media is a dangerous idea to hang your hat on these days. Sure, marketers can perhaps influence behaviors with forms of social media like communities. But to me, it seems like we are getting further and further away from where Professor Quelch was directing us.
What’s your view?
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Comments
Social media is a double-edged sword.
On the one hand you've got a bigger chance to wow people because you're not confined to the traditional limitations of print, radio, or television media.
On the other hand people are no longer a captive audience and can move away with a simple click!
This means putting focus into how you can meet the target's needs, not just how you can make your product "look cool." Just think of how many car or alcohol commercials aren't about the product, rather they're about the "cool factor."
Posted by: Michael Lombardi | 04.03.08
totally agree mike
Its marketing's job now to figure out how to "captivate" not hold an audience "captive"!
Posted by: Paul Dunay | 04.03.08
I'm more fan of adopting the organisation to the consumer behavior.
I don't think we can anyhow (with social media or any other tool) change the behavior. We can only understand it and improve our work to fit it better.
Posted by: Dusan | 04.04.08
Dusan, I think you have it exactly correct! I think that the day of identifying segments, targeting those segments, and positioning a product offering for a segment are about over as this process is a "from us, to you" sort of process. We are seeing a change where those companies that will be successful in the future will be those that can listen to their consumers and quickly adapt our offerings to match what they want. Perhaps a dawning of the "true" age of marketing rather than the age of promotion we have been stuck in for the a past few decades.
Posted by: Tom Baker | 04.05.08
Tom, it sounds great in an ideal situation, where those companies that can turn on a dime can benefit. It's much harder for product manufacturers and importers that need lead time to change their offerings. They would need to do the due diligence and research ahead of time to gain a pulse on what their customers want - within reason, within their product lines, and with the ability to make a profit.
Posted by: Elaine Fogel | 04.06.08
Overall, with advent of new media which is interactive and allows sharing of knowledge in online communities, as against the earlier hold of traditional media (non-interactive in truest sense), there is lesser dependence on tradional media as a source of authentic information. Instead, online communities and blogs are serving as more credible reference points for consumers to seek information and thereby chart a course of action.
Clearly, a 'talk down' communication is unlikely to work, especially for consumer brands targetting those under 35 years.
The key is to make the brand communication relevant to the life of the consumer without sounding overbearing.
Of course, the product has to be calibrated to needs of consumers too.
Posted by: Vigyan Verma | 04.14.08