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Marketing Fables

Marketing Fables

AIDA: princess of marketing? Marketing communications that get Attention and Interest, create Desire and prompt Action deliver a return on the investment

Babe – managing customer relationships will yield results as astonishing as a pig herding sheep

Of Birds and Mice – when introducing new technology, second place may be more rewarding than first

Cheshire Cat Is Right – knowing the destination must precede choosing the path to get there

The Chicken or the Duck? – an adequate product with persistent marketing can outsell a superior product

Emerson Was Wrong – the world does not beat a path to the door of the person who invents a better mousetrap

Fishing & Catching Fish – only those who go fishing catch fish; companies that do marketing get sales

Ike Was Half Right: planning is indispensable

Marcom Music – marketing elements working together in harmony are memorable and effective

Pawns and Queens – to be a marketing grandmaster and capture market share, use a wide range of marketing tools

Ready for the Roof? – building a business, like building a house, begins with the plans

Short Runs and Long Runs – how a business cares for its customers in the short run determines how long a run it has

The Tortoise and the Hare – marketing that never stops beats intermittent activity

A Wink in the Dark – product information must be seen to get a response

cartoon illustration of mouse holding cheese and second-place trophy

Of Birds and Mice

What are your vision and goals for your company? The saying "The early bird gets the worm" suggests that one must be first to market. However, another saying is "The second mouse gets the cheese." General Electric and Proctor & Gamble are examples of companies that prefer the first saying. General Electric does not enter or remain in any market segment it cannot dominate. Proctor & Gamble invests huge budgets in product testing, and does not introduce any product unless the tests indicate it will dominate its category. Avis and its slogan "we try harder" is the most-used example of a company finding a good and profitable niche remembering the mouse. When 7-Up identified itself as "the Un-Cola," it created a positioning statement from the fact of not being first in colas; it also created a new category in which it could be first. Businesses with really new ideas or new technology often find that (as with mice), being first is dangerous and being second can be rewarding.

What all these examples have in common is that, whether a company prefers the model of the bird or the mouse, it must be established in the minds of buyers. In the same way, your company must have a share in the minds of your target market in order to get a share of their money.

Cary and Associates can help your company establish or expand its market presence. Call 303 774 8415 for a free initial consultation. We provide marketing consulting and services to companies large and small, local and international.

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