THE NEW MARKETING MIX

The New Marketing Mix

Recognize :  Know your focus areas.

Engage : But first know your customer.

Reward : Surprises are expected.

Be Social : Because Consumers Really Manage the brands destiny.

Stay young and think younger

It's become evident that Teenagers are the ones pushing sales. And it's not just coffee shops that are cashing in. Business Heads take heed - your target audience has changed. Make changes to your marketing plans because the teen brigade has arrived. No point being in denial. Take a look around and stay in touch. From deciding holiday plans, home appliances even luxury cars - they have a say and pester power should never be underestimated. Try this - your next brain storm session should be at a coffee shop instead of the office conference room.

Mean what you say and say what you mean

The sanctity of words should never be forgotten. Aspiration is an over-rated concept today. 

Believability is the corner stone.

With a promise comes customer discernment and in the race of one upmanship; over-the-top promises show desperation. 

Take holiday packages for example. A brands intention could be to create experiences to distract people from their daily routine. That’s good enough. It’s believable.

“In truth, expression of interest comes with the expression of the right intention”.

HOPE

They say that times are tough and that there is an economic downturn. But look around you. I know a tea delivery boy who bought a bike. The office peon just bought a house. Corporate execs buying the latest gadgets.

And you may ask, why did they buy these?  The answer in one word – ‘HOPE’.

Give them hope and you’ll be successful. Many times we buy not because we want but so that we may be filled with hope.

Take the case of fairness creams. The hope of maybe becoming good looking because of a social inclination on skin colour. Or fast cars which may give the hope of being a true blue race track driver. Or fashion ware – the hope to become a successful superstar.

Hope is more ‘human’. It’s a word spoken about only in places of worship where the religious preach hope for a better tomorrow. 

Two things: The Hope you convey needs to deliver. Secondly; it’s also the quantum of hope that people get from a brand that makes them want to buy.

The tidal wave to own the latest hand held device is on – on the face of it, customers don’t seem to care – they just seem to want the latest; but scratch below the surface and you’ll discover that the hope here is for long lasting friendships. Not just staying in touch but the hope to reach out. To experience a feeling of hope when missed and reflect on a conversation thread that gives hope for a better tomorrow.

So find out your brands ‘Hope Factor’ and history will be yours.

MICRO CONVERSATIONS

Who has the time to read copious copy – Give me the headlines! That’s consumer speak. And why shouldn’t this be the mantra for a meaningful customer connect? 

From emailing, to chatting, to social networking to micro blogging to texting - the script keeps getting shorter.   

Saying what needs to be said in a given number of characters will get the job done. Instead; increase the connect and reduce the verbiage. 

If the idea is to have multiple contacts, you sure need to make it worth while for customers. A few tips how - don’t talk about product features, a new launch, EMI options or some other fascinating product attribute.

Not all micro conversations will get a huge response. But keep the connect going; sooner or later one will catch the attention of the customer base which makes you a millionaire. Know how much is too much. Less is entertaining. More is boring. And connect with them one micro conversation at a time.