Is Marketing becoming too easy?

I read a post titled Idiocracy in Action in the SEOBook.com Blog where Aaron Wall made a point about how easy marketing has become to implement and measure that makes everyone thinks that they can be a marketer.

One would argue that be allowing everyone the ability to be a marketer it takes the "art" out of marketing. I have to disagree with that. These are just tools that allow us to do our jobs easier and more efficient. It still takes a skilled marketer to know the best way to break through the noise. It goes back to my post on Reality Mining, with all the noise it's becoming more challenging then ever before to engage our target audience. There are just too many choices. Because of this we need to streamline our process, and that's what these tools do. Also in the corporate environment marketing teams are becoming smaller, but expectations still continue to rise. So we look to these tools to help us do more with less.

I see it like this; just because I have a hammer and some nails doesn't make me a carpenter. In turn just because you have purchased paid ads, and have a google analytics account doesn't make you a marketer. It's what you do with those tools that matter. Are you able to look at the data to determine ways to enhance the user experience, or do you just throw money at it and hopes something stick?

I think one of the main things to take away is that it levels the playing field in some cases. We have the ability now to run more targeted campaigns, which in turn cost less. This allows the smaller fish to compete with a much larger fish and come across as an equal.

Yes there are tools that make marketing easier, but do you have what it takes to use these tools to their full capacity?

Will the iPhone sink or swim

After Steve Job's Keynote speech at Mac World there has been much talk about the future of the iPhone. In the world of PDA's and smart phones will the iPhone outlive all the hype? Marketing Guru Steh Godin announced an iPhone Challenge. He wants everyone to give their prediction on the future of the iPhone, and a year from now we will review.

I feel strongly that the iPhone is going to revolutionize the cell phone just like the iPod did with MP3 players. In the initial release loyal mac users, and tech geeks will flock to the iPhone, while others will wait till the price drops a bit, and any bugs are worked out. Since the iPhone syncs via iTunes; PC and MAC users will have no problem using the iPhone. I do think that Apple needs to let the iPhone be available on phone networks other then Cingular. With the cost of the phone, and the cost to switch networks the iPhone will range from $750-$1000. By alowing the iPhone to be availible on more networks will put the iPhone up there with the BlackBerry, and Treo Smart Phones.

My prediction is this: When Apple launches the iPhone there will be the initial spike in sales just like with any new product, then they will plateau. Apple's ability to fix any bugs, resolve price and provider issues will determine the future of the iPhone. If Apple can resolve all issues within the 6 months to a year after the release of the iPhone I don't see any reason why the iPhone can't be one of the best selling Smart phones on the market.

It pays to know your target demographic

Here is an article about how Scion ranks above Amazon and Best Buy for the top rated online customer experience for shoppers that are 35 and under. This was passed to me by a fellow interactive designer, Steven Alcala

Scion has 80% name recognition among young buyers
Cisco's second annual e-commerce study ranks Scion above Amazon.com
and Best Buy in building a top-branded customer experience for the
under-35 online shopper.

Leading the survey at No. 1, despite not having even ranked last
year, Scion's "spectacular success with their target market is the
interactive and community-oriented nature of the Scion online
experience," the survey finds. Key aspects of Scion's online strategy
include:

Clear customer focus: Scion customers are music fans, and Scion.com
features a boom box where users can listen to "Scion" music while
browsing the site. The site also promotes artists and lists concert
information.

Sophisticated customization tools: Users can build their own cars while on the site and save their choices at "My Scion."
Integration between online and offline channels: Once a user
identifies the features and model of a particular car he or she
likes, that information can be sent to a local dealership, which will
then locate that specific vehicle and coordinate for the customer to
come in for a test drive.

Social networking and community participation: A section of Scion.com
is devoted solely to registered users, most of whom are Scion owners.
There are also special events for Scion customers around the country,
creating a sense of exclusivity

Are you remarkable?

As you my discover from reading my blog that I am a big fan of Seth Godin. He is an incredible marketer, that has an eye for marketing. While reading his blog I came across a recent post where he shows the video of the first time he presented the "Purple Cow" concept. This video is the overview of his Purple Cow Book

The "Purple Cow" concept is the very concept that got me hooked on marketing. He talks about how we are in the world of mass media and inorder to succeed you need to have an idea that is remarkable. You need to think outside the box and come up with an idea that jumps out at people. Before that I hated marketing, and I thought marketeers are people who force thier products down EVERYONE'S throat. Seth talks about targeted marketing, and how you should market you product to people that are listening to your and in turn they will tell others. In my opinion word of mouth is the best form of advertising. If you can get a small group of loyal customers hyped on your message they will tell their friends, and from there the idea virus has begun. We are in a world where the traditional methods are not working. People don't watch TV, and read magazines like they used to. We don't move in a linear fashion, we watch our TV programs when we want to, and we read blogs and news feeds. So if you are to spark the intrest of a potential buyer you have to come up with an idea that is remarkable