The Little Book of Marketing Thought Introduction

Everyone knows the 4 P’s of the Marketing Mix (Product, Place, Price and Promotion) and most are aware of the 7 P’s too (the same 4 with People, Processes and Physical added)—and almost all will agree that this extended mix covers virtually all the bases of marketing (Professional Academy, 2016). Yet Schewe and Hiam (1998) identify another critical tool that marketers can use that is not identified in the traditional marketing mix or in the extended marketing mix: this tool is called Imagination. Imagination is such a “vital tool” that Schewe and Hiam (1998) describe it as the one tool “that gives the marketer the power to use the other tools effectively” (p. 32). In other words, if Imagination is lacking, the tools to market effectively will be useless: they will dangle in one’s tool belt or be wielded by individuals who do not know how to use them appropriately. Imagination allows one to think outside the box—to see new approaches to getting the point across, which is ultimately the whole point of marketing. You’re job is to get your product to the consumer. If you’re not thinking outside the box, you’re stuck inside the box—and in the box, the consumer already has everything he needs. To get the consumer to see that he also needs your product, you have to climb out of the confines—i.e., the current order of things, in which other producers have a market and have consumers—and show consumers what they are missing by not consuming your product. It takes Imagination to make yourself that visible, just like it takes Imagination to be able to see a house in your mind (how it should look, function, be put together) before any groundwork is laid at all. Imagination sets everything in motion. Of course, the tools and skills have to be there—and that is where the marketing mix comes into play. But Imagination is required to get the engine running. This paper will show how Imagination plays a crucial role in bringing the core concepts of marketing together for an effective strategy.

Imagination

As is noted in Murray’s (2006) Marketing Gurus, Trout and Rivkin (2006) say the marketer must “differentiate or die” (p. 2). Differentiation is dependent upon the ability to be different, to think differently, to see differently, to envision that which others are not envisioning, and to identify a path towards achieving that vision. In short, differentiation—and survival, in a world of “killer competition” as Trout and Rivkin (2006, p. 2) put it—depends on Imagination. Because the “tyranny of choice” has virtually arrested every consumer and overwhelmed him with an unending stream of possibilities, the list of options is a major obstacle for anyone trying to put a product into the marketplace. Chances are that product is already available and is already doing everything it can to obtain the consumer’s attention. It is like having a room full of school children clamoring for the teacher’s attention all at the same time. Which student is the teacher most likely to notice? The one doing something different from what all the others are doing. That student may be sitting still, calmly and politely waiting for the teacher’s next move. Or that student may be opening the window and climbing out. Either way, that student will be noticed because he is doing what no one else is—he is differentiating himself—and it takes Imagination to do that.

Consider how Bill Watterson’s Calvin in the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes used to use his imagination to make himself into a crime fighter, a space explorer, a pilot, a scientist, a time traveler, a dinosaur, and so on. Calvin had Imagination in spades. He stood out from all the other school children. Indeed, he stood out from all the other comic strips of his time: none matched Calvin in terms of sheer brilliance of Imagination. Calvin’s only problem was harnessing that Imagination and applying it towards something productive. The marketer should be like Calvin in terms of Imagination, but he should be like Hobbes in terms of application. Hobbes was Calvin’s counter-part: the cerebral, thoughtful, philosophical, practical, and rational second half of the dynamic duo. Hobbes stayed grounded where Calvin rose in the air after his dream. Left alone, neither was of much use to anyone. Together, they dominated their era and made lifelong fans of their following. Together...

This is the essence of what Trout and Rivkin (2006) assert when they state that one should not overdo it with differentiation. Being different just to be different won’t win anyone any fans. Being different for a reason—with a real point in mind—is what will. The teacher will reward the student who is sitting still and behaving while everyone else is acting rowdy if the teacher perceives that the student is acting with composure because he wants to help the teacher restore order or get on with the lesson or set a good example for others. If the teacher perceives that the student is only sitting still to be different—and that as soon as the others calm down, he will then jump up and start yelling for no reason—that student will not win any love for the teacher. Likewise, if the teacher perceives that the student exiting via the window is exiting with a firm purpose in mind, the teacher is far more likely to have respect for that student’s boldness than he would if it turned out that the student was only exiting via the window because this was just different from exiting through the door. The aim of the differentiation is crucial. There has to be a reason. Consumers are, at the end of the day, rational beings. They will stop and consider their options at some point. They will look at what’s available—and they will take an interest in a producer that is providing something different so long as there is a good reason or purpose for the differentiation.
One example that can easily be applied is the launching of the start-up Honest Company by Jessica Alba. Alba got the idea for the company when her own personal experience with name brand diapers showed her that a need existed for a better product. She wanted something natural, organic and effective. From that start point, she created an enormous company that produces not just diapers but wipes, sprays, creams, carrying cases, shampoos, soaps and more. The Imagination started clicking, and Reason joined in to keep the vision moving towards a productive end result. Alba’s start-up is now valued around $1 billion (Primack, 2017) and is still attracting investors even after a hit-piece from the Wall Street Journal attempted to undermine the company’s capture of market share from other long-time baby product producers (Ng, 2016). Alba was doing something different—for a reason. She identified the demand for organic diapers and wipes—and thought of a creative way to get the product moving. She identified herself as a Mom—like other Moms—who want the best natural products for their kids. She used her celebrity to get in front of people, but once she was in front of them, she showed them that she was not like other celebs: no, she was like them, the consumers, the stay-at-home Moms who seek organic products that are safe so that their children are not exposed to ineffective or harmful chemicals. Alba’s approach paid off. It set her company apart from the others and allowed it to have a meteoric rise—primarily because there was nothing like it in the diaper industry—but also because Honest Company’s diapers were actually very good: they were thicker than other leading brands, absorbed more, and had the added benefit of being biodegradable (unlike other diapers that do not degrade in landfills). In other words, Alba had delivered by linking Imagination with good reason and purpose: creativity (the vision) with the goods (a product that was earth-friendly and mother-approved).

Ries and Trout (2009) point out in The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing that “if you can’t be first in a category, set up a new category you can be first in” (p. 17), which plays perfectly into the concept of using Imagination to differentiate yourself from what others are doing. However, as any successful start-up will show, there has to be a reason for it—a purpose to support the new category that you establish. The example of the importance of categorization given by Ries and Trout (2009) is one from history: every schoolboy remembers that Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo over the Atlantic. Yet, she is not the first person to fly solo over the same ocean. She is not even the second. She is the third. Who are the other two? Few schoolchildren could tell you because they have not…