Marketing agency: not quite right.
by Orkestra
« When the other 3 P's are flawed, even the best campaign doesn't stand a chance in the long run. »
Many companies say they are looking for a “marketing agency”. You can often see this in the search intentions on Google. But in the majority of cases, it’s actually a “communications agency” they’re looking for. Someone to make an ad, brand or manage their social networks.
But real marketing – with a capital M – is more than that. It’s about product, pricing and distribution. Not just promotions, posts or colour palettes.
Marketing ≠ make-up
We usually arrive very late in the process. The product is settled, the price is set, the distribution is chosen. All that’s left is to “get the word out”. Like the cherry on top of a sundae…already slightly melted.
But promotion is the last of the 4 P’s. The most visible, yes. The sexiest, perhaps. But by far the weakest. It’s not that coms are useless. It’s just that they’re of little use if you haven’t asked yourself the right questions beforehand. When the other 3 P’s are flawed, even the best campaign doesn’t stand a chance in the long run.
Keeping the market in mind
In an ideal world, the marketing agency should be around the table when we discuss the product, not just the slogan. Because our job isn’t just to sell. It’s to represent the consumer. Their level of interest. Their attention span. Their decision-making process. And as he’s often the only one not invited to the meeting, this point of view is important. Most start-ups fail. And often, it’s because they don’t meet any real need. So despite all the warnings, the trap remains very real.
When you start with a campaign brief, it’s too late to ask the right questions. Too late to challenge a product idea that meets no real need. Too late to adjust a price that’s inconsistent with the promise. Too late to propose a more logical distribution channel. Too late to say we didn’t need to book all those billboards.
Changing the order of things
The reflex of many: build first. Then communicate. But what if we reversed that? What if we thought about branding and promotion while the product was being created – not afterwards? Orient initial decisions to facilitate all subsequent actions.
More co-pilot than paramedic
Our job isn’t to save things. It’s to make sure they can stand on their own before selling them.
Looking for a marketing agency? Perfect.
Invite it to the table before dessert. Worried it’ll be expensive? We understand. But we guarantee that it’s cheaper than developing a product that nobody’s interested in.
That’s hard to swallow.
(If you want an example of what can happen when we get in early, have a look at Bobino Bagel).
