MARKETING

BRANDING

POSITIONING

DESIGN & LAYOUT

 

 

For more information on building your brand, contact:
John Meng

 

E-MarkeTIP is a monthly marketing column by John Meng of Meng & Associates Inc., a full-service marketing firm, specializing in strategic positioning, brand building and public relations custom-fit to the needs of small- to medium-sized companies.

Better isn't always better. There’s a misguided notion ingrained in the minds of many managers and executives that often causes them to waste valuable resources in a marketing war with their competition. Too often it’s a war they can’t win, and it’s all driven by a ‘Better Product Delusion’ in which managers believe that the better product will always win the day.

These managers are on a mission to tell the world the ‘truth’ about their company and their products. Like zealous evangelists, they preach that their product is better than the competition, their people are better and their company is better. The argument is that, if they have the facts on their side, “truth will out” as long as they find the right advertising agency to communicate the facts to consumers.

This approach is often called ‘inside-out thinking.’ The idea is that somehow the advertising agency can take the company’s so-called truth and apply it in a variety of marketing campaigns to clear up the misconceptions that reside in the consumer’s mind.

“Men are not
prisoners of fate,
but only prisoners
of their own minds.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

But in marketing, perceptions are stronger than truth. Perceptions cannot be changed in 30-second advertisements or in one-page magazine ads, however that doesn’t stop countless companies from trying. Xerox wasted hundreds of millions of dollars trying to convince people that they made great computers. Truth was they probably did but, in people’s minds, Xerox made great copiers, and no one bought their computers. Volkswagen also tried to convince people that a Volkswagen was not a small, economical car...and then promptly lost 60 share points in the market.

What is the truth? In marketing, truth is the people’s perception of the product or company. It’s really the only truth you can use if you hope to develop a successful marketing plan. The idea that better products always win is a big delusion, and better doesn’t always win. So, instead of trying to change minds, accept the people’s truth and incorporate it into your next marketing strategy. Then, truth will out.

2004© MENG & ASSOCIATES INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.