Write a meaningful comment or question to the discussion below. ( around 200 words )
The overarching themes throughout the articles are customer loyalty, retention, interactivity, and relationships. From a strategic marketing perspective, each element provides an opportunity to reframe marketing from not just providing a product but instead serving customers (Levitt, 2004). Becoming strategic in the marketing realm is to evolve with the consumer trends, knowing how and when to seek out customer feedback and having the willingness and courage to align the product or service with the consumer trend. In order to compete, companies must shift from pushing individual products to building long-term customer relationships. Furthermore, it is becoming more apparent that those companies that revolve marketing and branding around customer-focused functions including R&D and customer service achieve greater customer loyalty which translates into increased profitability (Rust, Moorman & Bhalla, 2010).
Samsung is an excellent example of accommodating products based on customer feedback and placing customer wants over product culture and design. With the phone Galaxy S8, Samsung received extensive negative customer reviews on the location of the fingerprint reader. Samsung quickly adjusted this element with the S9 providing a more convenient and comfortable location and projecting to their customers that they had been heard and did respond accordingly. They also continue to be one of the few phones that provide an SD card slot and a minijack output. All because of overwhelming customer desire.
Conversely, Apple has stayed true to their iPhone product culture and design, ignoring overwhelming customer concerns such as the protruding notch or the lack of design innovation. In connection with this argument, Apple has experienced a decreased in revenue in 2018 than in previous years. However, the strategy behind observing the purpose of the brand and developing different products that address a common job is something that Apple has excelled at by identifying new, related jobs and creating purpose brands for them (Christensen, Cook & Hall, 2005)
The manner by which companies ought to analyze consumer connectivity with particular products includes digital interactions and social media. Consumers today connect with brands in fundamentally new ways where smart marketers will study this “consumer decision journey” for their products and use the insights they gain to revise strategy, media spend, and organizational roles (Edelman, 2010).
A safe and proven practice is running the company’s brand strategy through Keller’s brand report card. This tool will show how the brand stacks up on the ten traits shared by the world’s most reliable brands which include brands benefits and alignment with consumer desire, positioning against competition, and consistency on marketing messaging (Keller, 2000).
Based on the holistic message of all these articles, strategic marketing is more than just branding planning and execution. It is about evaluating all the variables that connect the consumer to the brand and adjusting to what the customer needs to acquire the product or service and remain loyal to that brand. It is about building a relationship with the brand and connect to the consumer at multiple levels.
References:
- Leavitt, T. (2000). Marketing Myopia. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing. Retrieved fromwww.hbr.org.
- Rust, R., Moorman, C. & Bhalla, G. (2010). Rethinking Marketing. Spotlight On Reinvention. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing. Retrieved from www.hbr.org.
- Christensen, C., Cook, S., & Hall, T. (2005). Marketing Malpractice – The Cause and the Cure. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing. Retrieved from www.hbrreprints.org
- Edelman, D. (2010). Branding in the Digital Age – You’re Spending Your Money in All the Wrong Places. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing. Retrieved from www.hbr.org.
- Keller, K. (2000). The Brand Report Card. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing. Retrieved from www.hbrreprints.org