Your Brand as a Patient: Malpractice in Marketing

Wolfgang Frick

• Publisher: Haufe
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9783648081990
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Advertising
• Index: Business

Utterly provocative and trenchantly the author dissects the most common malpractices in marketing and helps to get your brand back in shape. Try to profit from other people's mishaps, strengthen your brand essence and make your brand resistant to crises. This book is definitely worth reading and a true enrichment to both beginners and experts in marketing.Contents: - The core essence of marketing.- The direct path to your consumers.- The price of making mistakes and how much they are allowed cost.- Ten comprehensible propositions on unerringly accurate marketing.

1 MEDICAL EVIDENCE I

1.1 WITHOUT A PHILOSOPHY MARKETING IS DOOMED

For millennia, philosophers have sought to both comprehend and define man’s existence and relationship to the world he lives in. The result of all this mental effort is that there are as many points of view as there are thinkers in this world, leading us to the conclusion that up to now, no one has yet come up with a universally valid solution! However, like so much in life, there is no clear wrong or right – even though one viewpoint might make more sense than another. We can easily apply this philosophical analogy to business matters, even though, in this case, on the surface at least, the hard facts seem to matter the most.

So much for theory – but what’s much more exciting is what can be experienced in practice. That’s why I would like to draw on my own very personal impressions and experiences throughout this chapter, starting with my academic years. While attending lectures it was always a real effort to keep my eyelids open, even for a short time, before the professor’s monotonous murmur would send me drifting off to the ’Land of Nod,’ especially when they were trying to teach us about corporate culture and the relevance of a coherent philosophy. That said, however, for me the theme itself was far from boring as it has always been as clear as mud that all our marketing actions should be influenced by two things: a personal identification with a corporation plus the natural social interaction with each other that should never be taken for granted. However, the older I get the more it strikes me that it’s becoming harder to find brand-evangelists with a real die-hard commitment for what he or she does and, worryingly, what’s even more difficult is to retain them as employees! One direct consequence is that only in very few cases, is the impact of the corporate message successfully communicated throughout the value added chain. This is a feature not only of more mature corporations, but also younger ’entrepreneurial’ organisations, since an embedded commitment to a continuous marketing philosophy (which starts with recruitment and flows right through to outsourcing) can only be found in very few companies. Although it is common knowledge that a motivated employee is as valuable a company asset as raw materials, without a clear marketing philosophy this potential is lost. So where is the market differentiation? It’s no surprise that the product ranges are becoming more so similar to each other in so many markets, where companies compete on price rather than on brand values.[14-15]

In situations where a philosophy is far from evident or where there is an obvious lack of commitment, warning bells start to sound. A marketer who tries to hide behind visually and esthetically elaborate brochures and spurious guiding principles has nothing specific to communicate. That’s why, dear readers: stick to clarity and simplicity, two noble fellows who will prevail at the end of the day. Why? Because as crash barriers are to road traffic so are sound guideline principles to marketing. Both of them are only useful if you can recognise them instantly!

PATIENCE AS A VIRTUE, ESPECIALLY FOR THE IMPATIENT

Marketing is rather like homeopathy – having faith in it can work wonders, although it usually does take some time until you can see first results. Therefore, I thoroughly recommend that even the most impatient readers amongst you should take time to discover that a marketing philosophy comes first and foremost from an inner fortitude and conviction while being further defined through attention to detail. So to make this work you need to introduce your in-house philosophy throughout your entire workforce, from the maintenance man to the switchboard operator and on through your senior team. A company hierarchy is fine when expressed as an organogram where responsibilities are being defined – but this meaningless if your philosophy is not actively working all the way onto the store shelves![16]

However, even I have to admit that in everyday practice you sometimes don’t have any other option but to rely on people who are often the least reliable. Though even in this situation a brand-managed business will generally fare better, as they tend to attract employees who will adopt their philosophy because their recruitment criteria are more focused. Hard to believe but it’s as simple as that – at least where a commitment to a core philosophy ranks first and foremost!

Let me reinforce that a little by throwing in a brief question – ’Does your external sales team know your philosophy – really know, that is?’ Well, it’s a common belief that family businesses or owner-run businesses work that way; so let me offer two examples:

1. A very successful Austrian energy drinks producer who has refocused extensively on their Marketing.
2. A conference hotel in Nuremberg, Germany that was voted ’Hotel of the Year’ for the tenth time thanks to its uncompromising service-philosophy.

In both cases, the company philosophy has been championed by the owners but has also been fully assimilated throughout the workforce hierarchy from management down to trainee. So here’s my plea – A well-defined marketing philosophy is the key to success particularly when married to a commitment to uncompromisingly adapt your own actions to underpin the philosophy. Some talk about it, some watch others do it – but some actually do it! Guess who are the most successful?

Naturally there are always going to be practical restraints such as the demands of the bottom line, cost and revenue-orientation etc. The big question being, of course, what compromises are you prepared to take? For example, the ’added value’ of a brand could possibly be enhanced through a deliberate approach to put ’Identity’ above other decision criteria. A dilemma that highlights just why marketing can often be considered an art form, in this case the art of renunciation – ’We are not going to do this because it will harm the brand.’ – Only someone with absolute faith in the brand, and thus in their marketing philosophy, could confidently act this way. It is therefore up to us marketers to curb any tendencies towards adopting ’multi-philosophies’ and instead try to focus on a robust one that actually works! Employees like to be stirred not shaken, unlike James Bond’s vodka martini. Consumers will quickly pick up on the underlying culture too – a happy efficient and customer focused philosophy is nothing if not infectious.[17]

So very often it’s the small gestures in everyday life that make such a big difference. A friendly ’hello,’ ’thank you’ or ’you’re welcome’ can boost the motivation and enthusiasm necessary to bring a certain philosophy to life. Many conversations that I’ve had in this regard have proved me right. You wouldn’t think so, but a good, open, friendly and caring attitude is often sufficient to overcome any lingering skepticism and reluctance to embrace the philosophy.

However, a word of warning, it’s not enough to hide behind empty platitudes such as ’the human angle’ or ’people come first’ – Believe me I can barely stand to hear those expressions anymore. First of all, cannibals have long been practicing this and secondly, everyone and their brother seems to be coining those phrases since we’ve started living in this ’touchy feely’ age.[18]

And, last but not least, if I’m being absolutely honest – in our free market economy the asset side of the balance sheet is always the hard basis for a business. When your staff start to realise that they have been either ’been led up the garden path’ or ’had wool pulled over their eyes’ you will find that your employees are quicker than you think to see through any meaningless posturing. So, be on your guard! Shall we explore an example? Here’s an oft-stated claim: ’Our customer’s satisfaction is our top priority.’ Sounds good, right? Now here’s a little story drawn from personal experience:

I’m a regular customer of a well-known German automotive manufacturer serving the higher end of the market (and priding itself on efficiency & professionalism) but on one occasion I struggled to obtain a replacement vehicle from one of their dealerships and once I actually received the car the fun began. The tank was more than half empty and the car was also missing the tax disc for the Swiss autobahn that I needed for my daily commute to work. Fortunately, I noticed the missing tax disc before I joined the autobahn. I quickly called the dealership and asked my customer service representative (a guy I’ve known for years) – if to save time was it ok for me to purchase the tax disc at their expense? First there was total silence, eventually followed by an apology – saying that he would first have to double-check with the boss! Not the most encouraging of responses. A query like that really needs to be dealt with quickly and – as importantly – in a friendly and soothing manner. Their reaction spoke more about giving priority to the costs of a potential claim rather than anything related to customer satisfaction![19]

Now, you might ask yourself whether I still drive that same brand of car or if the dealership has profited from saving those 42 Swiss Francs? … Well, you probably know the answer to both questions. Which brings us to the conclusion of this chapter. Why not send your management team to a ’business philosophy’ osteopath or chiropractor. If the diagnosis shows the presence of some backbone then you know you’ve got the right people.

Then, you just need to allow them to make mistakes every once in a while.

Side note – There are companies that even celebrate ’Mistake of the month.’ A kudos builder as everyone makes their own mistakes at some point and can hopefully learn from them. That’s an experience that can’t be delegated, as it’s the only way for an individual to grow, develop and become a defender of the brand philosophy.

Unfortunately, ’brand-managed’ enterprises often don’t appreciate ’marketing experts’ in their midst as their ability to understand and deal with issues while simultaneously putting forward a reasoned argument can sometimes upset the higher ranks. On top of which, being able to engage with this form of interaction requires strong nerves and plenty of energy and commitment on both sides. The key question to ask yourself, however, is ’who’s working IN and who’s working ON’ the company, for, in the long run, it pays to know that you’ve got a stalwart brand fighter on your side.[20]

1.2 MARKETING AS A STATE OF MIND

So, what exactly is MARKETING? Wikipedia defines it in a very dull fashion over several lines but you could also briefly sum it up in just one sentence:

Marketing is the systematic application of one’s intellectual capacity.

I personally think this definition is the most fitting of all the ones I’ve come across to date. Perhaps because it’s my very own definition of marketing – and, critically, it ruthlessly hones in on the three most essential issues.

CLASSIFICATION

The worst examples of poor marketing practice arise from situations where no classification is being applied and chance intervenes at a whim. Success cannot be achieved where the key components of a marketing concept are being either ignored, used only in an obsolete manner, or where vital elements of the marketing-mix are disregarded.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

In theory, in the majority of marketing situations, we know instinctively what needs to be done. But, in reality our marketing knowledge lies idle and is barely applied. For instance, we don’t truly credit the value of market research, we view the generation of market data as a necessary evil or just don’t pick up on the really relevant consumer feedback. As a consequence, any market shift is being seen either too late or worse not at all.[21]

INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY

We all have our own way of thinking, right? However, the thing about intellectual capacity (thinking) is that there will be variations between individuals, not only in the amount and quality that they have, but also in how they acquired it. And, last but not least, there’s the inability to consider.

What exactly is it that I am trying to tell you? It’s recommended that a successful brand system and its practical application should be managed in such a way that any evaluation measurements feed back as a significant investment into the brand, improving performance and continually adding value. Successful marketing is always far more than the sum of its individual parts. My favourite quote graces the first page of this book, ’Many people are familiar with marketing but only very few really understand it!’ This statement really cuts to the chase. There’s barely been another term that has been discussed, publicised and speculated over more than marketing? That’s no surprise, because we are all under constant influence of marketing activity, whether as a consumer or marketer. This is a truism that goes some way to making us all experts in the subject, whether or not we have a formal academic qualification. This again reminds me of classic ’cracker-barrel’ marketing where, for instance, in the case of watching football on TV, everybody around the table is convinced that they too are knowledgeable members of the soccer-experts panel! But that’s beside the point. It’s an old adage with more than a grain of truth that marketing is 60 % knowledge and 40 %, intuition, common sense and an acute sense of timing. However, as a mindset marketing must rate as a 100 %. Sounds easy, but it really isn’t, as with any declared or well-intentioned stance – in practice, there’s both good and bad examples.[22]

Logical thinking is the basis – but not the complete solution.

There have been literally millions of well thought-out marketing campaigns that end up just petering out. Why? Invariably this is because they lacked an element of surprise, uniqueness, personality and the courage to be bold and focused. Let’s explore an example.

A School Teacher trying to liven up a math lesson poses the following question to her all-boys classroom: ”Three birds are sitting in a tree. How many are still there if I shoot one of them?” Little George answers promptly: ”None, Mrs. Miller!” She asks ”How come?” ”The one bird which you shot fell off the tree and the other two fly away because they got scared off by the bang!” ”Well, that’s not the answer which I expected to hear. But I like your way of thinking.” Encouraged by the teacher’s praise, George has a question in turn for his teacher: ”Three women are sitting in an ice cream parlor. One of them licks her ice cream, the other one takes a bite and the third one sucks on it. Which one of them is married?” The teacher blushes scarlet and answers faintly, ”I guess it would be the one who’s sucking on the ice cream?’” ”Oh, no Miss!” George responds, ”Of course it’s the one wearing a wedding ring. But I like your way of thinking!”[23]

Joking aside – It always depends on how one perceives things and how they can be interpreted. This power of observation is not an easy thing to learn. Often you can manage by keeping the following in mind, if certain things don’t immediately catch your eye and spring to mind then nothing else in the circumstances is likely have significance. Not even market research will then help decision making at this stage. This instinctive reaction, however, doesn’t mean that it’s easier for someone who possesses a very flexible mindset. Whether it’s through gut perception or hard examination of both facts and circumstances it’s still very necessary to check for brand relevance before making any hasty decisions. This, however, can be very nerve wracking because in only a very few cases is the marketer the sole decision-maker and critically this is often the point where many concepts and ideas often come to grief. Imagine the scene – the marketer presents himself in front of CEO, CFO and sales director with finished concepts and product innovations that have already been rolled out and implemented in his/her mind’s eye. However, all THEY see is a piece of paper with black letters on it. What follows is of course the inevitable tug-of-war with arguments being pushed and pulled back and forth, a contest that doesn’t always end with the marketer as the winner! Surrender now? NEVER! Rather, perhaps we should be inspired by the following adage: ’As you have brewed, so you must drink. As you sow, so you shall reap’. That is to say that whatever you do for your brand lends substance to it.[24]

CAN WE STILL AFFORD TO ADVERTISE IMAGE NOWADAYS?

When does image advertising begin? And when does advertising on the basis of price begin? Can we even afford image advertising in times of heavy pressure on pricing? At which point does marketing communications effort convert into an actual purchase? It’s extremely difficult to assess all of the above, varying as they do from situation to situation. So let me tell you, my fellow marketers, just keep your cool when the next panic attack from the sales department hits you. That’s our destiny and part of our salary is compensation for injuries suffered. Nevertheless, these questions and issues have considerably changed our role in recent years. We are not above considering ’off the shelf solutions’ – Nowadays there are even web portals easily accessible to all agencies where you can raise a standardised and formatted pitch. The thought of such a future really frightens me.

DESIGNER OR ADMINISTRATOR?

Eventually every marketer will be confronted with the following moral dilemma – ’To be or not to be – designer or administrator?’ It’s obvious that a designer has to have a thick skin with the ability to take criticism plus the ability and rhetoric to confidently ward off qualified and unqualified arguments. In addition, the marketer faces challenges in keeping the marketing process in some...

Table of contents

• Table of content
• Copyright Notices
• Imprint
• BARELY ANYONE CARES TO READ THE FOREWORD, BUT EVERYONE WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT FOREPLAY
• 1   MEDICAL EVIDENCE I
• 2   MEDICAL EVIDENCE II
• 3   MEDICAL EVIDENCE III
• 4   MEDICAL EVIDENCE IV
• 5   MEDICAL EVIDENCE V
• 6   MEDICAL EVIDENCE VI
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR