A GUIDE TO CREATIVE MARKETING

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Marketing is everywhere, formally or informally, people and organizations engage in a vast number of activities that could be called marketing. Good marketing has become an increasingly vital ingredient for business success and profoundly affects our day-to-day lives. It is embedded in everything we do from the clothes we wear to the website we click on and ads we see.

Good marketing is no accident, but a result of careful planning and execution. Marketing practices are continually being refined and reformed in virtually all industries to increase the chances of success. But marketing excellence is rare and difficult to achieve. Marketing is both an ‘art’ and a ‘science’ – there is a constant tension between the formulated side of marketing and the creative side. It is easier to learn the formulated side, but difficult to uniquely grasp everything under the creative side.

A key ingredient of the marketing management process is insightful, creative marketing strategies and plans that can guide marketing activities. Developing the right marketing strategy over time requires a blend of discipline and flexibility. Firms must stick to a strategy but must also find new ways to constantly improve it. The marketing strategy also requires a clear understanding of how marketing works.

Developing and implementing marketing plans involves a number of decisions. Making those decisions is both an act and a science. To provide insight into and inspiration for marketing decision making, companies must possess comprehensive, up-to-date information on macro trends as well as more micro effects particular to their business. Holistic marketers recognize that the marketing environment is constantly presenting new opportunities, threats, and they understand the importance of continuously monitoring and adapting to that environment.

In addition to monitoring a changing marketing environment, marketers also need to develop specific knowledge about their particular markets. Good marketers want the information to help them interpret past performance as well as future activities. Marketers need timely, accurate, and actionable information on consumers, competition, and their brand. They need to make the best possible tactical decisions in the short run and strategic decisions in the long run. Discovering a consumer insight and understanding its marketing implications can often lead to a successful product launch or spur the growth of a brand.

Today, companies face their toughest competition ever. Moving from a product and sales philosophy to a marketing philosophy, however, gives the companies a better chance of outperforming the competition. And the cornerstone of a well-built conceived marketing orientation is strong customer relationships. Marketers must connect with customers- informing, engaging, and maybe even energizing them in the process. John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, put it well ‘Make your consumer the center of your culture’. Customer-centered companies are adept at building customer relationships, not just products; they are skilled in market engineering, not just products engineering.

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