As commentators note, when the promotion of a product or service fails to translate into sales, the marketing department is easy to blame. It is just as likely that other factors are equally or more responsible but it is easier to point to a simple explanation.
False Promises
No matter how good the marketing is, if people don’t want the product, it won’t sell. Marketing is easy if the marketer’s products or services were clearly better than those of their competitors. When they are shoddy or do not live up to consumer’s expectations, the early adopters will buy but then the brand will earn a negative reputation. Deceptive messaging can be effective initially, but will have poor power to sustain conversions.
So, when marketing fails, it can be because the promises about the product or service may be inaccurate.
Over-reliance on Research
Research can help avoid many marketing pitfalls because we can establish more clearly who might be good customers, where they can be found, and what information would appeal to them. However, numerous studies show that data collected through research still has limited predictive value in targeting customers and translating to sales. As I noted in a previous post, the biggest marketing mistake (after having a poor product or service) is that the content is not tailored to the intended recipients. However, as Ford’s Edsel disaster showed, designing and marketing strictly in accord with research data does not necessarily translate into sales.
The value of information that has been collected is determined by the quality of the study design and interpretations of the meaning of the records. As Forbes explained last year, looking forward and making forecasts is always risky. The output is only as good as the input, and choosing and weighing the factors to include in assessments make all the difference. The fewer the number of concrete variables that can be firmly established, the more unreliable the resulting data. Marketing fails when prospects are misidentified, messaging misses the point, or the wrong media are used as a result of bad research.
Poorly Conceived Promotions
When a marketing campaign is badly designed, it can’t have the impact it should. In fact, it can jeopardize the objectives it was designed to advance. Reaching out to the wrong people, sending the wrong message, or using the wrong channel will not connect the buyers and the sellers as marketing should.
Most of the examples of the greatest marketing failures of 2013 were poorly conceived and executed. Misapplied humor and misunderstandings about what is important to the best customers may seem funny to outsiders but can be disastrous to the company. Along with trying to sell a badly designed product (the Affordable Care Act rollout), a bad marketing strategic approach is the stuff of legend.
Inadequate Follow Through
The other major cause of marketing failures is a lack of follow through on initial assertions to customers. Persuasive promises must translate into reality. If there is a lack of corporate support for the communications coming from the marketing department, the campaign will be a waste of money.
Support from internal political forces is critical to the success of any departmental initiative so it is essential for marketing to succeed. This is because the execution of the promises that marketing is making depends upon production, customer service, and quality control. Without their support, the marketing program won’t deliver. This is why it is important to garner commitments and participation from key leadership in other departments from the inception of the initiative. Contentious internal politics can undermine even the best marketing campaign.
Having a good product, developing stakeholder buy-in, targeting the right customers, and having a well designed campaign plan are essential to marketing success.
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