'Marketing in Venus': Consumers are still king<\/p>\n
Satyasuryawan, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Marketing in Venus; by Hermawan Kertajaya et al; MarkPlus&Co,
\n2002<\/p>\n
A marketing experience approach is not the in thing. A
\ncustomer's decision to buy something or use a particular service
\nis no longer based on utilitarian considerations. Consumers find
\nit easier to remember a particular product or service because of
\nan impressionable shopping experience and the pleasure derived
\nfrom using this thing or enjoying this service.<\/p>\n
A trip abroad aboard a Singapore Airlines aircraft is an
\nunforgettable experience because the crew of this airline,
\nflights of which are coded SQ, short for Singapore Quality,
\nreally gives you emotionally appealing service.<\/p>\n
It can be very upsetting when a drop or two of tea stains your
\nshirt, but the moment a flight attendant or the cabin crew
\ncaptain comes to you with a sincere apology, you find it
\ndifficult not to be forgiving. To be true to its nickname, this
\nairline shows you the real class of its quality when it gives you
\na laundry voucher for your tea-stained shirt.<\/p>\n
\"Customers no longer judge a product from its appearance or
\nits feature and benefit but they will take account of the
\nconsumption atmosphere in its entirety,\" said Bernt Schmitt, a
\npioneer in experiential marketing.<\/p>\n
The comparative edge of a service of this kind must be
\ndifficult for competitors to imitate. The only thing to offset a
\ncompetitor's superiority is that the owner of the business must
\nhave a rich vision about how to cater to consumers' wishes.<\/p>\n
The producer of Adidas sports shoes and apparel, for example,
\ntries to meet consumers' needs by inviting soccer VIPs to give
\ninput about the suitable models of shoes that may support their
\nsoccer expertise.<\/p>\n
Boeing, the giant aircraft manufacturer, invited customers to
\nhelp design its Boeing 777. All concerned with the aircraft such
\nas flight attendants, pilots and mechanics, gave input about
\ntheir ideal aircraft.<\/p>\n
The design of the aircraft was based on this input. So to
\nspeak, Boeing 777 was the first aircraft designed by those to
\nlater use the plane.<\/p>\n
A computer is most likely and most easily a product of
\nengineering design made by buyers. Dell, for example, allows its
\ncustomers to take part in the process of making its computers. By
\nproviding this particular service, Dell can meet all technical
\nspecifications that cater to customers' needs.<\/p>\n
There are many other examples in Marketing in Venus, a book
\nwritten by Hermawan Kartajaya and company. It exposes 18
\nprinciples underlying the success stories of marketers.<\/p>\n
These stories always put consumers at top place. To remain
\ncompetitive, these marketers must try their best to win the
\nhearts of prospective buyers. The physical appearance of a
\nproduct alone is not enough. To be able to lure a buyer, a
\nproduct must be marketed in a fashion that touches a buyer's
\nsentimental chord.<\/p>\n
This highly emotional world is referred to as the world of
\nVenus in this book. Unlike the Earth, the world of Venus is more
\nfeminine. It gives greater care and interacts more with nature.
\nWhen a product is marketed, a rational way of thinking cannot
\nwork. An emotional decision takes center stage. As Daniel Goleman
\nwrote in his book, Emotional Intelligence (1995), emotional
\nquotient is more influential than intelligence quotient.<\/p>\n
Actually, this book only wants to make one thing clear, i.e.,
\nhow to understand consumers' wishes.<\/p>\n
Consumers' preferences develop in line with the development of
\ntechnology and science. This change has become of greater
\nsignificance because consumers, basically, have their limitations
\nin terms of earnings and information. Theoretically, consumers
\nwant to maximize their income to be able to get the best
\ncombination of their needs. If they can get more information in
\nan easier manner, they can make various choices in their buying
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
Progress in technology, particularly in information
\ntechnology, has led us to the ear of a knowledge-based economy.
\nTherefore, the economic structure is built on the basis of this
\ninformation superiority. Citibank, for example, does not sell its
\nplastic money or provide other banking services on a door-to-door
\nbasis.<\/p>\n
This U.S.-based bank makes use of its customer database as the
\nfoundation of its marketing strategy. Comprehensive knowledge of
\nthe profile of customers enable marketers to eye the community of
\ncustomers in a more focused and more profound manner. A product
\ncan be designed to cater to customers' needs and still fulfill
\nthe economics of scale requirements.<\/p>\n
Don't forget, however, that experiential marketing efforts
\nincur expenses. Customers with budget constraints are different
\nfrom those with earnings higher than average. So, the product
\ncreated for the world of Venus (a term that Hermawan has coined)
\nmust not be a normal product.<\/p>\n
These exclusive goods must be marketed in ways different from
\nusual. Otherwise, these products will fail to attract customers.
\nIt is when a buyer is touched by a product that he or she will
\ndecide to buy. Sometimes, this decision may be made because of
\nsomebody else's influence. Information obtained by word of mouth
\ncan be more effective in a market segment like this.<\/p>\n
This book gives many examples to prove that marketing
\nconducted by word of mouth can be more successful. Examples
\ninclude Harley Davidson, Louis Vuitton, The Body Shop or
\nStarbucks. Unfortunately, these examples give only the success
\nstory of a particular brand and do not get to the bottom of the
\nindustry itself.<\/p>\n
Perhaps those with time constraints will find this book
\nsufficient as they can easily become superficially acquainted
\nwith these success stories. The book may give initial inspiration
\nto those wishing to build their businesses and win the market
\ncompetition.<\/p>\n
Some examples given in the book are from domestic businesses
\nsuch as BCA, McDonald's Indonesia, QB World or Martha Tilaar. The
\nbusiness of Martha Tilaar has been allotted 56 special pages
\nafter the main story. This producer of Sari Ayu cosmetics
\nproducts is considered successful in marketing its products
\nthrough experiential marketing.<\/p>\n
We may be lulled by the success stories in this book. It must
\nbe remembered, however, that success cannot be attained
\novernight. You have to go through many ups and downs before
\nscoring solid success.<\/p>\n
This may be viewed as the shortcoming of the book. It does not
\nfeature stories of failure. Readers or would-be producers may
\nlearn not only from someone's success but also from his or her
\nfailure. Last but not least, the book would be better with an
\nindex of subjects, names and brands.<\/p>",
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