Marketing Out Of Control

The consumer has taken control of the marketing process. With over 2 billion searches per day and countless retail visits and telephone calls, customers are taking the initiative. They have access to more information than ever before and the ability to communicate instantly with friends, marketers and trusted sources. The combination of unlimited choice and the ability to find anything and everything quickly has shifted the power from manufacturers and retailers to their customers. Google, Yahoo, shopping comparison sites and peer reviews have all contributed to empowering consumers in the marketing process. Consumers decide to visit your web site, your store or call your phone center. They initiate over 70% of site visits by typing your URL into their browser or through one of the many search options. They are better informed than ever before and can select from a wide variety of channels through which to contact you. Their peers are their most trusted source of information. The marketer no longer controls what consumers know or hear about their category, their product or even their company. The most important question remaining is how will you respond to a marketing process controlled by your customers? This role reversal has taken less than the nine short years Google has been in existence. Despite this dramatic shift, most companies have not adjusted their marketing plans to reflect this new reality. It is time to add a new element to the marketing plan Collaboration. To add collaboration to the marketing plan, companies should begin to consider four transitions: From major channel proactive to multi-channel reactive From product proliferation to mass customization From mass marketing to merchandising for the individual From consumer confusion to simple solution These transitions, fully described in the book, will help companies react to the initiatives their customers are taking and include their customers in the marketing and delivery processes.