Imagination, Reason, and Commitment in Marketing Strategy

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 four with People, Processes, and Physical Evidence added). 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—one not found in the traditional or extended marketing mix: 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 needed to market effectively become useless: they will dangle unused or be wielded by individuals who do not know how to apply them appropriately.

Imagination allows one to think outside the box—to see new approaches to communicating a message, which is ultimately the whole point of marketing. Your job is to get your product to the consumer. If you are not thinking outside the box, you are stuck inside it—and inside 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 of the current order of things, in which other producers already hold market share and existing consumers, and show people what they are missing. It takes Imagination to make yourself that visible, just as it takes Imagination to see a house in your mind—how it should look, function, and be assembled—before any groundwork is laid. Imagination sets everything in motion. The tools and skills must still 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.

As noted in Murray's (2006) Marketing Gurus, Trout and Rivkin (2006) argue that the marketer must "differentiate or die" (p. 2). Differentiation depends on the ability to be different—to think differently, see differently, envision what others are not envisioning, and identify a path toward 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 overwhelmed every consumer with an unending stream of possibilities, the crowded list of options is a major obstacle for anyone trying to introduce a product into the marketplace. Chances are that product is already available and is already competing for the consumer's attention. It is like a room full of schoolchildren all clamoring for the teacher's attention at once. Which student is the teacher most likely to notice? The one doing something different from everyone else—whether sitting still and calmly waiting or, at the other extreme, opening the window and climbing out. Either way, that student will be noticed because he is differentiating himself, and it takes Imagination to do that.

Consider how Bill Watterson's Calvin, in the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes, used his imagination to transform himself into a crime fighter, a space explorer, a pilot, a scientist, a time traveler, a dinosaur, and more. Calvin had Imagination in abundance. He stood out from all the other schoolchildren and, indeed, from all other comic strips of his era: none matched Calvin in terms of sheer brilliance of Imagination. His only problem was harnessing that Imagination and applying it toward something productive. The marketer should be like Calvin in terms of Imagination, but like Hobbes in terms of application. Hobbes was Calvin's counterpart: cerebral, thoughtful, philosophical, practical, and rational—the grounded second half of the dynamic duo. Left alone, neither was of much use to anyone. Together, they dominated their era and made lifelong fans of their readers. Together, they differentiated themselves from their peers.

The marketer should operate the same way: use Imagination to get going, but keep it moving toward the right goal by applying rational measures to it. This is the essence of what Trout and Rivkin (2006) assert when they caution against overdoing differentiation. Being different just to be different will not win anyone any fans. Being different for a reason—with a real point in mind—is what will. A teacher will reward the student who sits still and behaves while everyone else is acting rowdy, but only if the teacher perceives that the student is acting with composure for a purpose: to help restore order, to set a good example, or to get on with the lesson. If the teacher senses that the student is only sitting still to be different—and that as soon as the others calm down he will jump up and start yelling for no reason—that behavior will earn no reward. Likewise, if the teacher perceives that the student exiting via the window is doing so with a firm purpose in mind, the teacher is far more likely to respect that boldness than to appreciate an exit made simply because it was different from walking through the door. The aim of 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, and they will take an interest in a producer offering something different—so long as there is a good reason or purpose behind it.

One example that illustrates this well is the launch of the Honest Company by Jessica Alba. Alba conceived 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 starting point, she built a company that produces not just diapers but wipes, sprays, creams, carrying cases, shampoos, soaps, and more. Imagination started clicking, and Reason joined in to keep the vision moving toward a productive outcome. Alba's start-up was valued at around $1 billion (Primack, 2017) and continued attracting investors even after a critical piece from the Wall Street Journal attempted to undermine the company's capture of market share from established baby product producers (Ng, 2016). Alba was doing something different—for a reason. She identified demand for organic diapers and wipes and thought of a creative way to get the product moving. She positioned herself as a mother—like other mothers—who wants the best natural products for her children. She used her celebrity to get in front of people, but once there, she showed them she was not like other celebrities: she was like them, the consumers, the parents who seek organic products so their children are not exposed to ineffective or harmful chemicals.

Alba's approach paid off. It set her company apart and allowed it to rise rapidly—primarily because there was nothing like it in the diaper industry, but also because Honest Company's diapers were genuinely superior: thicker than other leading brands, more absorbent, and biodegradable (unlike conventional 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 substance (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. However, as any successful start-up demonstrates, there must be a reason for the new category—a purpose to support it. The example Ries and Trout (2009) give comes from history: almost every schoolchild knows that Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Yet she was not the first person to do so—not even the second. She was the third. Who were the other two? Few could say, because they were not categorized in a way that sets them apart in memory. Earhart's story has been successfully framed in a category that makes it memorable, even though she did the same thing her male counterparts did. Thus, if you are marketing a product that is essentially offering the consumer something familiar, one effective strategy is to define a new category in which you can be legitimately first.

Returning to the Honest Company, the product was still just a diaper—physically not unlike anything else in the baby aisle. And yet it was categorically different: environmentally friendly and celebrity-mom approved. No other diaper brand could make that claim. Since Alba was not first in the diaper category itself, she defined a new, more refined category into which she could place her unique product. Imagination and Reason merged and produced a successful product that could be distinctly categorized in a way that would resonate with consumers and remain a memorable option.

Ries and Trout (2009) also note that "marketing is not a battle of products, it's a battle of perception" (p. 23)—and this can be seen in the Honest Company story as well. When the Wall Street Journal piece hit the stands accusing the company of fraudulently selling a product that was not as chemically friendly as purported, a battle of perception was being waged. The Journal attacked the company's credibility, arguing that Honest Company was not truly "honest" about what went into its products. It noted that a specific chemical the company claimed to avoid was in fact being introduced by outsourced manufacturers. Honest could argue that it was not adding the chemical directly, but clearly someone in its supply chain was. The company was sued. Yet, in spite of the Journal's claims, the Honest Company did not collapse. On the contrary, it managed to retain its image of being honest, organic, safe, and environmentally responsible in the minds of consumers. It was attacked by the media but defended itself well enough that consumer perception of the company did not fundamentally shift. The company continued winning the battle of perception—even where some of its products were not meaningfully different from competitors in terms of ingredients. Honest still convinced consumers that it was fighting the good fight. As Cialdini (2006) notes, the psychology of persuasion is a powerful tool that marketers can use to maintain their influence in the marketplace, especially when under attack in a battle of perception.