Principles of the New Marketing Era

Here are some Sergio Zyman’s principles for the new marketing coming in place these years:

The only goal of marketing is to sell more to more people at a higher cost. There is no other reason to practice marketing.

Marketing is a serious business and, what is much oftener, a serious business is marketing.

Marketing is no magic. There is no mystery in it.

Marketing is done by professionals. It cannot be done by Uncle Willy or anyone else from his club.

Plan your goal. Determine what you want to achieve and where you want to reach.

Once the goal is set, make up a strategy to get it.

Strategy is the boss. Never forget about it. Strategy controls everything in the phrase “everything has a message”.

Marketing is a science. It is about experimenting, measuring, analysis, improvement and copying.

Understand your customer and offer them what they need. Or decide what you can offer and then make it desired. The second is way too harder to implement.

Ask questions. Be on the watch. Be curious and creative. Creativity is the process of destroying old ideas. That’s no bad.

Similarity does not sell. Stand out and attract consumers by your standing out.

Build up your brand.

Always give new reasons why one should buy your product. Make them buy more and at a higher price.

Practice local marketing. Go global only when you have strong local brands.

Fish where there is fish. Work with consumers who are ready to buy your product and have the possibility to do so. Segment the market and focus on the most profitable “chunks”.

Think about the source of the business: where is your earned buck will come from next?

Do not indulge in wishful thinking. It does not help.

Find the right and dedicated people. Pay them for their results.

Outsource what is outsourceable. But bear in mind that there is no advertising agency that can satisfy all your requirements and needs.

Be passionate about your job. Or else why should you get up so early in the morning and stay long hours at night?

Some of the statements here are my free interpretations of what Zyman said in his “The End of Marketing”. Some sound so Coca-Cola (Zyman used to be its Marketing Director). Some are more like slogans and public incentives. Still, these principles can go by as rules for any new and experienced marketing specialist.

Tags: business, marketing, marketing management, sergio zyman