G comes before K

What is Marketing

A question we are trying to answer, but the answer is evolving and changing as we study it. Godin and Kevin try to answer this question but take very different approaches. Kevin follows the traditional method of researching your marketing, understanding how and why people shop, and making a lot of noise to attack as many customers as possible, while Godin wants people to find their smallest viable market and cater to them, and grow from there.

Gordon’s approach is a lot more emotional, he really wants you to connect with your audience through the story you tell. Find a connection to understand what your market wants and serve them. In his book, This is Marketing, Godin states, Be brave enough to say no. He is not afraid of making the market smaller if it’s not the right fit, in fact, he suggests this method. He wants you to find your smallest viable market and figure out their desires and underlying reasons for what they want, connect with that and through that provide them what they are seeking. Fulfilling that need will create a happy customer that will come back and recommend you.

Kevin‘s approach to marketing is a lot more science and research-based, he looks at statistics and case studies done to create a path to marketing. In his book Marketing: The Core by Roger Kerin and Steven Hartley, he talks about the 5 stages of buying a product, He wants to study the psychology behind what makes people decide to purchase an item, what is their thought process before purchasing, how do they compare products, how do they act after purchasing. Does being satisfied with their purchase effect if consumers recommend that product or purchase it again. How can we use technology as a tool to get to our largest audience and try to connect with them and ultimately get them to purchase our item. Although both books seem to cover a lot of similar ideas Kevin largely ignoring the feelings and emotions that a person goes through when shopping, where Godin using those feeling to proceed with the marketing.

I think the best approach would be to use both of these theories together to help you market to an audience that is changing through a medium that is also changing. Knowing the underlying emotions of your audience consumer should be the first step and creating your marketing strategy by using statistics and methods that have been tried and tested could be helpful in reaching your customer and keeping them.