In the article, Tom French et all discounts advertising as the epitome of marketing in business. Instead, the writers argue that although advertising plays a key role in the success of firms and the sale of products, there is a need for firms to go beyond the ordinary confines of traditional marketing. Contemporary customers have limited distinction between marketing and the product. Successful marketing of a product depends on the reputation that the company builds in terms of quality of its products. The company is thus embodiment of a successful marketing operation. Underscoring this new meaning of marketing is the belief that quality is not a function of the company and a leading agent of advertising and marketing. In essence, the article argues that companies must act as vessels with the engine of the vessel being the marketing organization and the customer engagement wing that works in the process of building priorities and simulating dialogue with all sectors in the enterprise. The development of the customer engagement process are the pillars that determines affective marketing from the traditional approaches used by companies such as social media, mainstream media and all other strategies. In essence, the argument in the article is that successful marketing originates from the firms organization and its delivery of quality products and not massive costs in advertising,
The message for the article is intended for business managers of leading corporations and small firm operating in the highly digitalized and globalized economy. In order for companies to be successful while carrying out this new marketing, there is a need for reorganization that focuses on developing a plan for creating a formidable design a customer engagement plan. Designing a great customer engagement plan requires that companies understand the manner in which the customers interact with the company. The process also includes having the resources to deliver, and allocating responsibilities accordingly while operating the new customer engagement plan.
The article gives examples of companies that have developed a marketing plan that is inclusive of all the stakeholders in the company. For example, the luxury hotel group developed a plan that identified customers on demographic groups. This made company create a brand portfolio that was specific to each new demographic group. In doing this, the company was able to make prices and offer services that suited the needs of different customers. Delivering unique customer experience on different dimensions was possible because of the diversity of needs and the company’s ability to meet those specific needs. Similarly, Louis-Vuitton launched a magazine called NOWNESS that offer information to the customers on the trendy products that the company was offering. The company also had a Facebook with streaming feature videos of new products on the market. The common thing abouty the two companies is their ability to create a sustainable customer relation system that is interactive and sustainable while ensuring quality at the same time.
In conclusion, the article reasons that the barrier to effective customer engagement is “organizational and conceptual.” A change in the organization of farm from the traditional methods of customer engagement to more comprehensive marketing system that includes all stakeholders in the product will go a big way in stimulating success. I am inclined to agree with the article particularly on the argument that mass media should be used differently for marketing. I believe that a comprehensive marketing approach that is interactive and focuses on equality will be beneficial to a company in the long run.
