The 3 ages of marketing

Direct

Sales force/Sales
Until the early 20th century, sales teams were the key to marketing. To sell a product, it was necessary to introduce, demonstrate and then explain it to resellers. To succeed at marketing, it was enough to add competent, friendly and persuasive sales representatives to a good product.

Reach

Publicity/Advertising
The 20th century was all about advertising! The mass media reigned supreme. For any advertiser able to afford it, advertising was then regarded as the ideal tool to ensure good visibility and thus improved sales.
It was enough to offer a product, the relative utility, to approach a generous banker and that was it.

Quality

Relations/Relationships
The 21st century is all about relationships. The strength of the recommendation has become the currency of exchange. If you have a good reputation, then your marketing will be successful. The success can stem from a “buzz”, something that intrigues, divides, interests, and, above all, that spreads organically.
Today, communication is the network.
The key to success is terribly obvious but rarely applied. The brand must engage with its consumers and humanise its communication.

In the 20th century, sales forces were still perceived by some as essential, although they were no longer the star performers when it came to ROI.
It’s the same today. Many companies still use the lion’s share of their marketing budget on media space, while again, the ROI has been declining. Today, outperformance is found elsewhere, in digital and in social networks, but not only there. It is also found in the branding, the storytelling or even the storymaking.

How can one identify the age in which a business comes to life?

Ask the CEO or marketing manager how he assesses the success of a campaign. You’ll soon know the age to which he belongs, depending on the response.

• The only thing that matters is sales.

The person who gives you that response is certainly competent, just two centuries behind. However, it is worth considering. How many companies have absolutely no idea how they spend their marketing budget?
Many refer to the schedules, provided by consultancy firms, that are able to calculate how much of their revenue, according to their industry, is considered an effective investment.

In fact, this response is perfect when you have sales teams that are motivated with sales bonuses.
But is it possible to be as effective with a marketing department? It should be assumed so.

• The mission of a campaign, visibility.

The reach, the number of people who have seen a brand or a product, often ultimately results in profit for a company. The more contact with a brand or a product, the more likely the intended consumer is to remember it and appreciate it. That’s why the same image can be displayed repeatedly. This is based on a fact that has been checked again and again.
This explains, moreover, the exorbitant prices for billboards on Times Square or even the bidding for the minutes of Super Bowl commercial breaks that are so prized.
The problem is that today the reach hardly costs less than what it brings in…This is a mature market in which it is difficult to outperform.

• The mission is fulfilled if the number of quality relationships increases.

The director who gives this response has understood the essence of the current communication. He knows that a consumer that is happy with his product or service is worth more the margin he generates on a purchase. He knows his value goes beyond even the CLV (Customer Lifetime Value) because he becomes a brand ambassador and that today, only the recommendation can be effective.