Marketing is not Advertising
Often the words advertising and marketing are used almost interchangeabley. While the two functions are related, they are almost complete opposites.
The job of advertising is to sell a solution to a problem. Advertising primarily creates product awareness, sometimes product knowledge, less often product preference, and more rarely, product purchase. Advertising can’t close a sale alone. Moreover, consumers ignore more ads. Ads (except for about half of the ones during the superbowl) are not creative. How many car commercials have you seen? Thousands? Every car commercial includes a car driving super fast through winding mountains with no other cars on the road. Well, I live in Chicago, there are no mountains and I am constantly stuck in traffic. Show me a car commercial with a car not moving stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Philip Kotler, the marketing genius, suggests asking the following question before using advertising:
Would advertising create more satisfied clients than if our company spent the same money on making a better product, improving customer service, or creating stronger brand experiences?
Always remember, the better the product, the less that has to be spent on advertising, because the best advertising will be done by your customers.
In contrast, marketing is essential to any company. You begin advertising after you have a product. Marketing is the prep work to determine what problems exist and where, how you are going to find a solution and what segments of people need this solution. Marketing is much more than finding creative ways to sell your products. Marketing is the ability to generate customer value. The purpose of marketing is to understand your market segment so well that selling isn’t necessary. Kotler’s definition goes something like this, “Marketing management is the art and science of choosing target markets and getting, keeping, and growing customers through creating, communicating, and delivering superior customer service.”
Marketing is quick to learn and takes a lifetime to master. But to think that marketing is not essential and ignore it’s importance is like parking your business on train tracks (it’s only a metter of time). Long-term marketing strategy is the foundation of any successful business.
February 11, 2008 at 9:25 am
You are right. The companies that create strong brand EXPERIENCES are the ones that people talk about and buy from. And as you say, that doesn’t mean the experience has to appeal to everyone, just the people who have the problem for which you have a solution.
February 11, 2008 at 10:22 am
Fantastic. I was “marketing” at a party yesterday and didn’t even know it. Instead of advertising something that hardly anyone wants, I guess I’ll have to change what is being sold. The company of the man I was talking to says in the past 25 years he has probably spent 6 hours total on advertising. Everybody knows the company and what it does. The reputation makes promotion redundant.
April 17, 2008 at 11:49 am
Well done at defining the differences so succinctly. I must admit that your entry gave me something to ponder and make me question what I thought I already knew about marketing.