Making Marketing Work - How And What Your Customer Thinks About Marketing

J. Walker Smith, President of Yankelovich Partners knows a few things about marketing that you don’t . . . but that you should. Here is what Mr. Smith said at the American Association of Advertising Agencies
“It's not that marketing is no longer effective, it's that current marketing strategies are based on a marketplace and a consumer base that are not what they used to be. So the rising cost to be effective in the face of growing consumer resistance is lowering marketing productivity. The solution includes Precision (talking to the right people), Relevance (making sure your message resonates), Empowerment (putting the consumers in control), and Reciprocity (delivering value in all interactions).”
Mr. Smith further shared the following research that shows:

• 60% of consumers have a much more negative opinion of marketing and advertising now than a few years ago
• 61% feel the amount of marketing and advertising is out of control
• 65% feel constantly bombarded with too much marketing and advertising
• 53% of consumers polled said that spam had turned them off to all forms of marketing and advertising
• 36% of consumers polled said that the shopping experience is less enjoyable because of pressure to buy
• 53% said that for the most part, marketing and advertising does not help them shop better.

We’ve talked about relevancy here a number of times and this clearly points to the fact that you must be more relevant, more genuinely compelling and more intensely concerned about the customer experience than ever before.

Here are some additional interesting facts:

• 59% feel that most marketing and advertising has very little relevance to them
• 64% are concerned about practices and motives of marketers and advertisers
• 61% feel that marketers and advertisers don't treat consumers with respect
• 65% think there should be more limits and regulations on marketing and advertising
• 69% are interested in products and services that would help them skip or block marketing
• 33% would be willing to have a slightly lower standard of living to live in a society without marketing and advertising

Does it amaze you as much as me that 1/3 of the American population would be willing to have a slightly lower standard of living in order to live in a society without marketing and advertising. That is truly telling. It also explains why your advertising and marketing isn’t working.

If you want to know what to do to make your marketing and advertising work, I suggest you spend three days with us in August learning the latest and best techniques for making marketing work. Here’s how.