Everything is subjective but...
Byron Sharp
Research Professor (Marketing Science), Director Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, Adelaide University of South Australia.
It's not uncommon to hear the phrase "everything is subjective".
In marketing the phrase is sometimes used to suggest that advertising can make people think a product is far better than it really is. A certain arrogance comes into play with the idea that 'other people' (not me) can be fooled by mere advertising eg "Apple products are over-priced, but suckers buy them".
Long ago scientists came to grip with the fact that everything is subjective. Even readings from scientific instruments have to be processed by human senses (not always reliable) and interpreted by subjective brains. But, "inter-subjective certifiability" is possible, ie that different subjects (people) can agree eg that.... the sky is blue, that water is wet, or that 2.78 is double 1.39. Oh sure, some people are colour-blind, some are perverse, but groups of reasonable people can agree on many things.
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In marketing we see this, even when we are dealing with the subjective opinions of consumers about brands. People show a lot of agreement on issues like that Ferrari is more exciting than Toyota (but that Toyota is better value), that Apple makes high quality products as does Sony, that Aldi's range is far more limited than Waitrose. Also survey after survey will show very close results, eg 88% of people think Coca-Cola is an american brand, with a bit of random sampling error.
Also claims like "Apple products are over-priced, but suckers buy them" often don't stand up to scrutiny. Expert publications like PC Mag, What Hi-Fi, routinely give 'best buy' awards to Apple products. Yes, to some people they are over-priced, eg if you want a fast gaming computer then it's not difficult to find something better and cheaper than a Mac. But if you want a computer to last years then suddenly Macs look far more attractive. People have different priorities, and even these vary on different purchase occasions. In this sense everything is subjective, but just because someone has a different preferences than you doesn't mean they are stupid (or have been manipulated by evil marketing).
So the next time you hear the phrase "everything is subjective" remember it is true, but not as extreme as some take it to mean.
Marketing Consultant in Construction and Education | Effective marketing strategy and creative that produces long-lasting success | Fun Fact: Colouring competition winner (aged 8), didn’t get to celebrate ?? guess why?
1 年Byron Sharp love this. It’s so easy to hide behind the ‘everything is subjective’ banner and not look at what is actually happening in a market or the rationale behind pricing or positioning. Always look behind the main headline and their will usually good reasoning
Creative, solution-oriented senior marketer with strategic mindset
2 年“Everything is subjective” does seem to me to be statement that really means (A) I’m not sure what else to say of any value (B) If I say this, hopefully no one can be bothered to argue with me.
Partner at The Commercial Works
2 年Why its always best to start exploring objective, panel buyer behaviour data. Lets start with the facts of what is happening, how are people buying in truth ...then get into the murky subjective debate of why that is happening (even though most of that can be also answered with facts via knowledge of penetration levels)
Brand Advice, Insight & Keynotes | Honorary Consul for Lithuania in Birmingham (UK) | Follow for posts on all things brand
2 年Very true. This all relates to perceptions of value. Some people may contend Toyota is more exciting than Ferrari given its innovations around electric and hydrogen vehicles. The trick lies in distilling and delivering relevant value through your brand which enough people are prepared to pay for.
Joint President - Marketing | Head Brand Development, UltraTech - Aditya Birla Group | FMCG | Ex GCPL | Ex Marico
2 年Context creates value. Marketers need to understand the CEP and decode the customer "Jobs to be done" to maximize value.