I began my marketing career in the juvenile products industry. It was there that I learned one of the foundational principles of marketing – the difference between trying to capture a market and trying to create one.
The primary target market of our company was pregnant women. It was a clearly defined market and one that could be targeted with relative ease. There are websites, publications and stores dedicated to soon-to-be moms. And parents who are expecting a child are some of the most informed consumers out there. When it comes to our children we don’t leave anything to chance. We want to provide only the best.
I often tell people that in all my years in juvenile product marketing no one ever asked me to get a woman pregnant. That usually gets a smile. It is also a memorable way to illustrate this principle.
We could have chosen a strategy to create or increase the size of the market. I can only imagine the campaign to increase fertility, extol the virtues of motherhood or champion the vital role children play in our future. While there are some wonderfully creative and inspirational ideas that come to mind it should also be obvious, that would be a very expensive undertaking. Changing people’s attitudes and behaviors is a very difficult proposition especially when it comes to something as personal as the family. I’m reminded of someone who once said “don’t try to create a market unless you have deep pockets and a lot of patience.”
Instead we tracked fertility rates as an indicator in our forecasting and sought to maintain and grow market share in the categories in which we competed. We sought to bring innovative products to that market that met the needs of parents. On occasion we even discovered a need for which there was no product or only an unrelated product being re-purposed by the customer.
There were occasions where a product idea came up before a market was identified but the first question was “Is there a market for this idea?” We never determined to produce something with the intent of convincing the customer they needed it.
More recently I have had the opportunity to work with some organizations in the arts and entertainment industry. Some of them have even been non-profits driven by a mission to provide a specific type of experience for the consumer. In industries like this where taste is at play the distinction between capture and create is not quite as clear cut but it should still be understood.
Is it possible that over time the cumulative marketing efforts of the entertainment industry impact the tastes of consumers? Yes, but there is a bit of chicken and egg going on that makes it difficult to sort out. Also a single organization, with maybe the exception of the very largest, is not going to have the resources to really drive taste. Instead they are going to be subject to the trends in taste.
Another rule in marketing I learned rather early was that other people are not like you. By that I mean that you can’t use yourself as the guide for what the market wants. I’ve now worked with several organizations where constituents felt passionately about the companies product. They believed that if everyone were aware of the product and would just try it they would feel just as passionately. They didn’t understand either of these principles – others are not like them and limited exposure does not create a need.
Organizations live within ecosystems. The managers job is to maximize the organizations opportunities within that ecosystem. Leaders must also be mindful of the changes occurring within the ecosystem. It is then necessary to scale or adapt the organization to survive.
That is not to say that there are not some opportunities to impact the ecosystem. Advocating for certain public policies comes to mind as a significant way to impact the businesses environment. But avoid the temptation to think that if you could just come up with the right advertisement floods of people will suddenly realize they need your product. That is looking at it backwards. Start with what they need and want then figure out how you can help them.
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