In a time of great economic turmoil, value wins out. Homeowners are feeling less wealthy. Retirees are wondering where their wealth has gone. So it is only natural that many of us are looking for the most we can get for our dollars. Or as TARGET says, they will give us MORE.
Marketers recognize this and are trying to give us more. More quality, more style, more fashion, more service for less price. But therein is the potential problem. How far can we go in offering more and being believable? Push “too much for too little” and you lose credibility.
With any brand position, we need to offer the target a basis to believe our position. That basis of believe can come from a variety of sources.
For instance, offer proof in the form of evidence…if your clothes are supposed to be be brighter yet your detergent cost less, offer a study from an independent testing lab.
Another bases of belief is to believe in spokespersons, people who have had experience with the product. Or who are otherwise believable or held in high regard. If I am buying a set of tires, a NASCAR driver who relies on his tires might be someone I would consider an authority.
Another method is to conduct research with consumers to validate claims.
As a marketer, we face the task of not only getting customers to believe our position, but also to shake the foundation of competitive brand positions. We do this by offering Basis of Belief for our positioning.
Today, everyone is offering value or more for less….who will be believed?

Marketing has come a long way in 100 years. It was about 100 years ago that the industrial revolution was cranking up and so was mass production. With mass production came the need to sell all that the economy could produce…and thus was born the modern discipline of marketing. For an early discussion of public relations and marketing click here.

Today’s world of marketing has a number of precursors that give us the opportunity to serve consumers in a direct manner. Just-in-time production and other production techniques have given firms the ability to produce products that are customized to the needs and wants of the customer. Meanwhile the internet has given companies the ability to communicate directly and to do business effectively and directly with customers. From DELL to Porsche, customers are getting exactly what they want.

The function of marketing today is about assuring production of goods as consumers want them and working within the firm for efficiencies to assure a strong value proposition. Today’s research of customers helps firms to niche the marketplace to target customers better. Much of research has been about ASKING questions…today, marketing research starts more with listening, and especially listening on the Internet. (See www.geeyee.com)

In 1936, the AMA was formed as a coming together of two predecessor groups…a group of economists and a group from psychology. Consumer behavior and market mechanics are still at work in modern marketing…and these continue to evolve, ever faster then before.