Central learning outcomes
Technology is important in transformation of the market place since it brings up new paradigms in marketing. The transformation that takes place in the marketing sector results from the high spread of technology. Technology has become very persuasive in today’s businesses and industries. The only existing companies today are the technology companies. Technology has spread at a very high speed into the products as well as the marketing place and workplace. There has been an increase in the number of computers purchased everyday compared to twenty years ago (McKenna, 1991, p. 1).
The new technology has a defining characteristic of programmability, which means commands can be altered to enable performance of different functions. Programmability is essential in production transformation. It helps in production of different varieties of products. For example in the supermarkets, the number of new products between 1985 and 1989 rose by 60%. However, to some of the markets the availability of unlimited products has a threat especially if this choice is followed by new competitors. There are always new customers created by the discovery of new products and the new customers only care about the company trying to fit their strategies (McKenna, 1991, p. 2).
Years ago, there were companies that focused on trying to change the minds of the customers to fit their products. This changed with change in technology, and they became customer minding. They started changing their products to fit the customers and not customers mind to fit their products. A successful organization in marketing is highly defined by knowledge and experience in marketing. Knowledge based, and experience based marketing are replacing the old approach in marketing.
In times when there is a lot of unpredictable change the solution is always the new marketing strategy. Since there is a lot of choice that customers need to make then they are faced with lack of loyalty. To end this threat people for sales and marketing are increased. The marketer plays the role of an integrator internally and externally. This involves changing the company from being a customer manipulator to customer involvement. The integrator must have credibility since it is the only value that can sustain a company (McKenna, 1991, p.7-8).
The company customer relationships are also important. It defines how a company carries out its business. Today marketing is not viewed just as a function but as a different way of carrying out business. It must be persuasive but not falsifying the company or fooling a customer. The already successful companies know that marketing is important to any organization. It has changed from playing a trick on the customer to putting the blame on a customer to satisfy their needs. Its aim should always be to serve needs of customers and is the responsibility of the whole company (McKenna, 1991, p. 4-6).
Two mistakes that are fatal to a business that most companies make are being over excited in making new products and getting absorbed in competitions to sell products. These two problems only lead to internal focus and the mentality of market share. Marketing helps in a company owning a certain market, which helps in developing a company’s products and defining a company’s standards in the market (McKenna, 1991, p. 8-9).
Merging technology and marketing has changed the customer-company relationship as well as the sales representatives’ job. The sales representatives are now the marketing consultants who give education services about products to customers. It brings the capability of exploring new ideas and defines how a company carries out its business (McKenna, 1991, p. 10).
References
McKenna, R. (1991). Marketing is Everything. Harvard Business Review, 1-10.
