The Art of Marketing: It is More than Selling a Brand

The Art of Marketing: It is More than Selling a Brand. What is human-centered marketing? Humans are born innovators. The need to invent runs in our genes from the first wheel to the first stoplight. Sometimes, creators need to improve at marketing their work, perhaps believing no one would be interested in their invention. 

And other times, creators are so confident in their work that they tell everyone about it, inadvertently, overemphasize their products. 

There is a need to invite the people who will validate their efforts into the creator’s world. The ones that will stand behind what they are offering and believe in it just as much as the inventor does. That is where marketers come to play. 

Marketers hold the responsibility of providing a clear connection between creator and consumer.  As the middleman between a business and its customers, you are the link that keeps the market moving. 

Most people likely imagine marketing as an endless stream of brand awareness campaigns. Yes, this tactic is a vital strategy for any marketer. However, there is a lot more that is required.

Keep reading to learn more about the history of this ever-evolving industry. 

What is the history of marketing?

Word of mouth was the first marketing channel used for dispersing relevant information.    

The notorious Street Criers of antiquity is a prime example of how the spoken word was employed to inform the populace of a particular good. With literacy rates low, street criers were responsible for informing the public about events, laws, and commercial goods. 

Imagine men and women shouting distinctive jingles to identify items or vendors in the streets of old England as you passed along. It was an open-air market filled with verbal product declarations that the passerby either enjoyed because the offering mattered to them or they would walk past the crier. 

What was the first written advertisement? 

In the British Museum, what is thought to be the first written content advertisement can be found.  A rug merchant’s account of a dramatic incident, a request for customers to visit their store (Call to Action), finished with a personal shot out for being the best carpet company in Egypt, were all written on a piece of papyrus around 3000 BC.

Now, let us fast forward to the Industrial Revolution, after the birth of the printing press. You will find sidewalks saturated with overhead signs, posters splattered on brick walls, and flyers along the window shops. Printing was a fast and cheap way to advertise back then. Consequently, the spoken word was replaced by the written word. 

The copy was thick with informational text about the various solutions a  product could deliver. The product was the focal point of all marketing output. Little thought was given to editing as many posters included misspelled words and unrelatable hero images. 

The need to glorify the product held more importance than customer needs, design aesthetics, or even the validity of the product’s claims. This type of marketing is known as product-centered marketing, and was used a lot back then. 

What is product-centered marketing?

As the name implies, this type of marketing entirely focuses on the product and its features. Businesses that follow this strategy invest much funding into researching and upgrading existing goods or developing new product lines.

As such, they prefer marketing tactics that highlight their items. Little, if any, thought is given to the customer and the buyer’s journey. 

However, as time progressed, a new concept emerged, customer-centric marketing. 

What does it mean to be customer-centric?

If you can comprehend how the earth revolves around the sun, you will understand customer-centric marketing. The customer is at the center of all your business decisions. The product takes a back seat as you begin to consider the consumer in your marketing efforts. 

As collecting data became easier, marketers noticed patterns in consumer buying behaviors. Pain points that at times prevented them from seeking goods were highlighted. Information technology allows marketers to understand the people behind the transactions more profoundly. It helped advertisers realize that consumers had real-life events to tend with. 

As such, marketers began to comsider solutions that would help empower consumers. This shift in marketing helped to implement changes for a more positive buying experience. 

For example, after several surveys revealed this to be an issue for buyers, efforts were made to improve delivery services and induce loyalty rewards programs. 

In addition, customer–centric marketing takes on a more personal tone with tactics such as personalized email campaigns and permission marketing. 

The idea is to build long-lasting relationships with your audience through authenticity and genuine attempts at fulfilling purchasing needs and wants. 

What is an example of a customer-centric company?

Nordstrom is a leading fashion retailer long known for putting the needs of its customers first.

This fashion behemoth has amassed brand loyalty since it opened in 1901. 

According to the chief digital officer at Nordstrom, Ken Worzel, “Everything we do starts with the customer.” 

And it seems that Nordstrom customers appreciate those efforts, as seen in the company’s 2022 net earnings of $126 million. 

What is Nordstrom’s customer-centric marketing strategy?

Nordstrom is known for its high-quality customer service. They offer their employees continuous mentoring and coaching to ensure their success in providing excellent customer care. As such, there are numerous online customer reviews praising Nordstrom’s sales staff for their knowledge and courteous treatment.  

In addition, the company provides easy returns, customized thank-you notes, and an app that lets customers locate things based on images. 

Lastly, every marketing effort is focuses on understanding the consumer’s needs. This is demonstrated by Nordstrom’s “Closer to You” campaign, a series of stories highlighting the ways the retailer will continue to make shopping more convenient for busy customers.

Next, let us look at human-centered marketing. 

What is human-centered marketing?

In this marketing strategy, a marketer must deeply comprehend the everyday struggles people face, either individually or as a community. 

Solutions are then suggested to help customers relieve some of their societal burdens. 

Human-centered marketing aims to forge more substantial, more meaningful ties with your audience and to become a constant source of support in their lives.

What is an example of human-centered marketing?

Dove’s Real Beauty campaign is a good representation of a long-term, human-centered marketing strategy. The initiative was launched in 2004 and still creates an impact today. 

The marketers considered the destructive symptoms of an unhealthy body image after reviewing the results of a study called, “The real truth about beauty: a global report“.

After reading the findings of a study titled “The real truth about beauty: a global report,” the marketing team considered the destructive symptoms of an unhealthy body image.  

The report showed that Only 2% of women referred to themselves as “beautiful”. An alarming 72% considered their beauty “average”, and 68%  believed that the media created an unattainable standard of beauty that most women felt they could never achieve.

The marketing team created a self-esteem campaign demonstrating how your authentic and natural self is where real beauty can be found. They understood the need to touch base with real women in real bodies and provide them with the stage needed to shine.  

The campaign efforts continued. Dove’s Self-Esteem Project evolved into a lesson plan on how to help build confidence in children. Presentations, activity sheets, and parent guides are all included for free.

In conclusion, the art of marketing has transformed with time. In the beginning, glorifying the product and brand name made sense. The 1950s, for example, was a prime time for branding because of the intense competition. Brands like Kraft and Kellogg’s focused their marketing on cute jingles that helped customers remember the product name. 

Then something changed. The ability to mine important consumer data emerged, and marketers realized that this profession required the ability to feel compassion just as much as it required resourcefulness and creativity. By really tuning into the customer and their needs, happiness, and struggles, more marketers could offer relevant and genuine assistance, which resulted in higher conversion rates, engagement, and long-term loyalty from consumers. 

Marketers have always been and continue to be the bridge between business and real world.  They are innovators, empathic, problem solvers, and researchers. 

Here at BluCactus, we take marketing seriously. We are proud to be a part of this invaluable industry as we continue the history of keeping the people informed and working together to build solutions for a better life.  

If you are interested in working together, please contact us for a free consultation.