Marketing is Time Sensitive

        I have worked in marketing all my life.  It’s  interesting because the market is always changing.  A fortune can be spent on a study of how to most effectively market a product or service and the study may totally worthless by the time it is completed because the market has already shifted.   Consumer habits and technology are in a constant state of flux. 

        Advertising is only one small part of a marketing plan, and look at how it has changed.  There was a time when print ads in newspapers and magazines were the number one place for advertising budgets.  The effectiveness of print media was drastically altered by radio and TV.  Many advertising agencies fought this change.  

        TV advertising was very big for many years when there were only a few channels and everything was watched live.  Today there are hundreds of channels.  With the exception of the news and sports, I record everything, and when I watch, I skip the ads.  TV ads are not effective if no one sees them.  Super Bowl ads would be the exception, but those ads cost millions. 

        Computers, cell phones, the Internet, and social media have changed marketing and advertising.  Technology is constantly changing.  An Internet marketing tool may work great the first time and continually lose effectiveness with every succeeding campaign.  

        Promoting books is a good example.  One site may be very effective at promoting an author’s book, but loses effectiveness as the site has more competition and the novelty wears off for the consumer.

       I have seen new start-up businesses spend their entire marketing budget on an impressive website and believe that customers will flock to them.  A web site alone will not work; something has to direct the customer to the web site. 

        The tools and the media change, but the basics for marketing and advertising never change.  For example, the guideline for newspaper advertising stated that; an ad had to run three times for the consumer to see it, six times for the consumer the read it, and nine times for the consumer to remember it.  This is still true today.  An ad in any media will not produce significant results with a one-time exposure. 

        A complete market plan must be developed with an adequate budget for implementation.  For more about marketing, visit http://BusinessFits.com.

        Marketing of political candidates is the same in many ways.  The big difference is that results don’t have to justify the money spent on the campaign.  Big money will donate to all candidates and both parties; because they want to cover all their bases and receive the special consideration they are buying regardless of who wins.  They know their return on investment will be good as long as they can keep big government and the political elite in power. 

        This election may bring about real change.  Campaign tactics have changed.  Big money may not be able to guarantee an establishment candidate.  The establishment and big money are afraid of losing control.  We could actually have a fed-up public elect someone who will work for the people and not big government.

     As Lincoln said in the Gettysburg address, “…that the government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”  I hope we are there before it is too late.