#ThinkPaper: Print and the Marketing Disaster
Photo: Reebok Shoes | Freak Show Be More Human.
By Andreas Weber
Appreciate. Again you hit the point, dear Morten B. Reitoft, when you tell us: ”Marketing People Sucks – Get NEW ones NOW!“
Given the fact that digital transformation is dramatically changing the way companies are run, there is no doubt that this will have an impact on marketing.
Another important aspect is that the print business mainly consists of marketing services. So if you don’t understand marketing, you don’t understand your customers and their business.
The blogger and marketing thought leader Mark Schaefer from the USA, author of the must-read book MARKETING REBELLION, recently noticed that hardly any marketing professionals are being sought. He sees the development of marketing automation driven by algorithms rolling inexorably on us.
I myself asked a few years ago: Throw out the so-called marketing professionals! Especially those who still have old school thinking and see marketing as a permanent sales pitch. I rarely got so much encouragement, especially from print shop entrepreneurs. But also from their suppliers.
From my point of view, what has changed is that a new briefing has clearly arisen: the focus is no longer on brand experience, but on customer experience and benefits.
My advice then as now is: Use Smart Communication as a driver of corporate success. Let people with the best understanding of communication move to the front row.
Because the Brand Experience Principle no longer applies. Customer sensitivities and expectations can best be met with an individually-tailored Smart Communication architecture, which should be designed with a customer experience focus.
If the Smart Communication strategy, which is so successful for i. e. for Apple, is structured in a systemic way, adapted to your company, and precisely understood in detail, the essence of Smart Communication, you will be able to respond extremely quickly to individual customer needs. There is no other choice! ‘Communication first’ thus goes hand in hand with ‘Customer benefits first.’
At least
Think different! Put your current branding and customer experience strategies to the test and discuss your findings with others.
Rethink and critically assess the values of your company’s current communication approach and processes.