A World Without Marketing

It’s October and 2010 projections for some businesses may continue to be even scarier than even the goriest Halloween horror flick. But what really scares me as a veteran of the marketing industry is how some business owners may be taking their eye off the ball and losing focus of what really generates sales—creative marketing programs.

Imagine for a minute a world without the added spice marketing brings the marketplace. Without the creativity of advertising or PR stunts, the world would be a boring place. Your trip to the supermarket would be vastly different, for one—no variety, no competition and probably no special sales or incentives.

Just think, had you never been introduced to the wide variety of advertising characters on TV—whether it may be Juan Valdes, Tony the Tiger or the Geico Cavemen—you might have never developed brand loyalty or been exposed to quality products and services. Whether you’re aware or not, the creative minds in the marketing profession inspire your decisions with their chuckle-worthy anecdotes that people often can’t wait to tell others about. “Hey have you seen the commercial with the…” would no doubt be eliminated from the usual cocktail party conversation, and Super Bowls would simply be focused just on the football game instead of the great sponsorship spectacle it is become in recent years.

The business-to-business market would be even scarier, as it’s often the creativity of a marketing program that draws new business partners and reminds the most loyal supporters why they got involved with your company in the first place.

Times are still tough, but those who continue to market to their customers in clever ways, challenging them to consider something new or restore their faith in their own personal brand loyalty, are the companies that will remain ahead of the game once the recession fully lifts.

Jeffrey Barnhart
CMA President & CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com