'Marketing in Venus': Consumers are still king

Satyasuryawan, Contributor, Jakarta

Marketing in Venus; by Hermawan Kertajaya et al; MarkPlus&Co, 2002

A marketing experience approach is not the in thing. A customer's decision to buy something or use a particular service is no longer based on utilitarian considerations. Consumers find it easier to remember a particular product or service because of an impressionable shopping experience and the pleasure derived from using this thing or enjoying this service.

A trip abroad aboard a Singapore Airlines aircraft is an unforgettable experience because the crew of this airline, flights of which are coded SQ, short for Singapore Quality, really gives you emotionally appealing service.

It can be very upsetting when a drop or two of tea stains your shirt, but the moment a flight attendant or the cabin crew captain comes to you with a sincere apology, you find it difficult not to be forgiving. To be true to its nickname, this airline shows you the real class of its quality when it gives you a laundry voucher for your tea-stained shirt.

"Customers no longer judge a product from its appearance or its feature and benefit but they will take account of the consumption atmosphere in its entirety," said Bernt Schmitt, a pioneer in experiential marketing.

The comparative edge of a service of this kind must be difficult for competitors to imitate. The only thing to offset a competitor's superiority is that the owner of the business must have a rich vision about how to cater to consumers' wishes.

The producer of Adidas sports shoes and apparel, for example, tries to meet consumers' needs by inviting soccer VIPs to give input about the suitable models of shoes that may support their soccer expertise.

Boeing, the giant aircraft manufacturer, invited customers to help design its Boeing 777. All concerned with the aircraft such as flight attendants, pilots and mechanics, gave input about their ideal aircraft.

The design of the aircraft was based on this input. So to speak, Boeing 777 was the first aircraft designed by those to later use the plane.

A computer is most likely and most easily a product of engineering design made by buyers. Dell, for example, allows its customers to take part in the process of making its computers. By providing this particular service, Dell can meet all technical specifications that cater to customers' needs.

There are many other examples in Marketing in Venus, a book written by Hermawan Kartajaya and company. It exposes 18 principles underlying the success stories of marketers.

These stories always put consumers at top place. To remain competitive, these marketers must try their best to win the hearts of prospective buyers. The physical appearance of a product alone is not enough. To be able to lure a buyer, a product must be marketed in a fashion that touches a buyer's sentimental chord.

This highly emotional world is referred to as the world of Venus in this book. Unlike the Earth, the world of Venus is more feminine. It gives greater care and interacts more with nature. When a product is marketed, a rational way of thinking cannot work. An emotional decision takes center stage. As Daniel Goleman wrote in his book, Emotional Intelligence (1995), emotional quotient is more influential than intelligence quotient.

Actually, this book only wants to make one thing clear, i.e., how to understand consumers' wishes.

Consumers' preferences develop in line with the development of technology and science. This change has become of greater significance because consumers, basically, have their limitations in terms of earnings and information. Theoretically, consumers want to maximize their income to be able to get the best combination of their needs. If they can get more information in an easier manner, they can make various choices in their buying activities.

Progress in technology, particularly in information technology, has led us to the ear of a knowledge-based economy. Therefore, the economic structure is built on the basis of this information superiority. Citibank, for example, does not sell its plastic money or provide other banking services on a door-to-door basis.

This U.S.-based bank makes use of its customer database as the foundation of its marketing strategy. Comprehensive knowledge of the profile of customers enable marketers to eye the community of customers in a more focused and more profound manner. A product can be designed to cater to customers' needs and still fulfill the economics of scale requirements.

Don't forget, however, that experiential marketing efforts incur expenses. Customers with budget constraints are different from those with earnings higher than average. So, the product created for the world of Venus (a term that Hermawan has coined) must not be a normal product.

These exclusive goods must be marketed in ways different from usual. Otherwise, these products will fail to attract customers. It is when a buyer is touched by a product that he or she will decide to buy. Sometimes, this decision may be made because of somebody else's influence. Information obtained by word of mouth can be more effective in a market segment like this.

This book gives many examples to prove that marketing conducted by word of mouth can be more successful. Examples include Harley Davidson, Louis Vuitton, The Body Shop or Starbucks. Unfortunately, these examples give only the success story of a particular brand and do not get to the bottom of the industry itself.

Perhaps those with time constraints will find this book sufficient as they can easily become superficially acquainted with these success stories. The book may give initial inspiration to those wishing to build their businesses and win the market competition.

Some examples given in the book are from domestic businesses such as BCA, McDonald's Indonesia, QB World or Martha Tilaar. The business of Martha Tilaar has been allotted 56 special pages after the main story. This producer of Sari Ayu cosmetics products is considered successful in marketing its products through experiential marketing.

We may be lulled by the success stories in this book. It must be remembered, however, that success cannot be attained overnight. You have to go through many ups and downs before scoring solid success.

This may be viewed as the shortcoming of the book. It does not feature stories of failure. Readers or would-be producers may learn not only from someone's success but also from his or her failure. Last but not least, the book would be better with an index of subjects, names and brands.