36 Stratagems in Business"Redefined"
H O P P E R P E D I A ©
-Brian Hammons
Sānshíliù Jì ( 三十六計／三十六计 )
The Thirty-Six Stratagems (Sānshíliù Jì) was a Chinese essay used to illustrate a series of deceptive stratagems used in politics, war, as well as in civil interaction. The stratgems had been adapted for the business world, and were widely used.
But- with an ever growing populace of educated, intuitive and independent consumers, the use of deception in business is no longer meritable in a world of honest and factual citizen brands.
1. Affiliate Marketing
"Utilize rewards to maximize returns"
Affiliate marketing is a practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's marketing efforts. Eighty percent of affiliate programs today use revenue sharing or cost per sale as a compensation method. The industry has four core players: the merchant, the network, the publisher and the customer. Affiliate marketing overlaps with other Internet marketing methods to some degree, because affiliates often use regular advertising methods. Those methods include organic search engine optimization, paid search engine marketing, e-mail marketing, and in some sense display advertising. On the other hand, affiliates sometimes use less orthodox techniques, such as publishing reviews of products or services offered by a partner.
2. Communal Marketing
"Invite conusmers in as co-collaborators and co-creators"
A "communal advertising" campaign invites consumers to share their ideas or express their articulation of what the brand means to them through their own personal stories, with the use of print media, film or audio. The resulting "consumer generated content" is then incorporated into a campaign. Finally, the result of this collaboration is showcased, often in a cross-media campaign, to invite the extended community of like-minded individuals to share in the results, thereby creating a communal bond between the "brand champions as advertisers" and other individuals who have a natural affinity with what the brand has to offer. The end result provides the brand with a way to create a deeper connection with their core market, while also opening up new pathways to extend the relationship to new customers. The end result of a communal marketing campaign achieves a high level of publicity within high relevance communities.
3. Cause Marketing
"Increase your customer relations & marketing opportunitites"
Cause-related marketing is a powerful marketing tool for "profit seeking" businesses and non-profits. Cause marketing differs from corporate giving (philanthropy) as the latter generally involves a specific donation that is tax deductible. The benefits of cause marketing for nonprofit organizations include an increased ability to promote the nonprofit organization's cause via the greater financial resources of a business, and an increased ability to reach possible supporters through a company's customer base. The possible benefits of cause marketing for business include positive public relations, improved customer relations, and additional marketing opportunities.
4. Community Marketing
"Engage your audience in an active, non-intrusive conversation"
Whereas marketing communication strategies such as advertising, promotion, PR, and sales all focus on attaining customers, Community Marketing focuses on the needs of existing customers.
This accomplishes four things for a business:
1. Connects existing customers with prospects
2. Connects prospects with each other
3. Connects a company with customers/prospects to solidify loyalty
4. Connects customers with customers to improve product adoption, satisfaction, etc.
5. Cross Media Marketing
"Collectively communicate across multiple media platforms"
The seven commandments to cross-media marketing success.
1.Give consumers access to exclusive content on multiple platforms.
2.Give the power to the consumer in multiple ways.
3.Make your message known and in multiple variations.
4.Increases your consumer's loyalty through cross comparisons.
5.Recreate the atmosphere on multiple media platforms
6.Use one strong media platform to drive others.
7.Enhance the experience with simultaneous use of other platforms.
6. Diversity Marketing
"Influence consumers through their cultural programming"
Diversity marketing recognizes the influence of cultural programming and acknowledges that different consumer groups have life experiences in different cultural and social settings. Because of this different cultural programming, the tastes, values, expectations, beliefs, ways of interaction, ways of entertainment, and lifestyle preferences of these groups tend to be different from others. These differences require the creation of customised marketing strategies.
7. Ethical Marketing
"Deliver to consumers in a framework of factual and honest values"
A business which creates its own code of marketing ethics and implements this code into every aspect of its business operations gains an ability to provide qualitative benefits to its customers. The attitude of the Western World has changed to a more socially responsible way of thinking. This has influenced companies and their response is to market their products in a more socially responsible way. The philosophy of marketing is not lost with this newfound ethical slant, but rather hopes to win customer loyalty by reinforcing the positive values of the brand, creating a strong citizen brand.
8. Evangelism Marketing
"Allow your customers to be driven by their beliefs & convert others"
With evangelism marketing, customers believe so strongly in a particular product or service that they freely try to convince others to buy and use it. The customers become voluntary advocates, actively spreading the word on behalf of the company.
Evangelist customers spread their recommendations and recruit new customers out of pure belief, not for the receipt of goods or money. As they act independently, evangelist customers often become key influencers. The fact that evangelists are not paid or associated with any company make their beliefs perceived by others as credible and trustworthy.
9. Experiential Marketing
"Gauge consumer responses on both emotional & rational levels"
Experiential marketing gives customers an opportunity to engage and interact with brands, products, and services. This interaction drives sales and increases brand image and awareness. Personal experiences help people connect to a brand and make intelligent and informed purchasing decisions.The goal of experiential marketing is to establish the connection in such a way that the consumer responds to a product offering based on both emotional and rational response levels. It's the difference between telling people about features of a product or service and letting them experience the benefits for themselves. Shortened attention spans demand that any ad campaign make a quick impression, or the opportunity to engage the consumer will quickly pass. While thirty second ads on radio and television once had a great impact, many people now use modern technology to avoid this sort of marketing approach. When done right, it's the most powerful tool out there to win brand loyalty. Example: Walk into an Apple store, and you will understand experiential marketing immediately.
10. Global Marketing
"Expand operational & cross-cultural opportunities on a global scale"
Marketing goods and services on a global scale is as a result of meticulous planning. Terms such as "global village" and "world economy" have become very fashionable.
Domestic: A customer base within one's own country or nation. Products and services are developed for customers in the home market without thought of how the product or service could be used in other markets.The biggest obstacle these marketers face is being blindsided by emerging global marketers. Because domestic marketers do not generally focus on the changes in the global marketplace, they may not be aware of a potential competitor who is a market leader on three continents until they simultaneously open 20 stores in the Northeastern U.S
International: If the exporting departments are becoming successful but the costs of doing business from headquarters plus time differences, language barriers, and cultural ignorance are hindering the company’s competitiveness in the foreign market, then offices could be built in the foreign countries. Sometimes companies buy firms in the foreign countries to take advantage of relationships, storefronts, factories, and personnel already in place. These offices still report to headquarters in the home market but most of the marketing mix decisions are made in the individual countries since that staff is the most knowledgeable about the target markets.
11. Green Marketing
"Tackle the global good with caution and common sense"
Green, environmental, and ecologocal marketing incorporate many varying social and cultural definitions attached to each term. In Advertising; product modification, production process changes, & packaging changes, are just a few of the key "trends" in todays global green market. Ultimately defining green marketing is not a simple task. The legal implications call for caution. The popularity of such marketing approach and its effectiveness is hotly debated. Misleading or overstated claims can lead to regulatory or civil challenges. Despite these challenges, green marketing has continued to gain adherents, particularly in light of growing global concern about climate change. This concern has led more companies to advertise their commitment to reduce their climate impacts, and the effect this is having on their products and services.
Guerilla Marketing
"Be unexpected, unconventional, & interactive to create buzz"
Guerrilla marketing relies more on energy and imagination, than a big marketing budget. Typically, guerrilla marketing campaigns are unexpected and unconventional; potentially interactive; and consumers are targeted in unexpected places. The objective of guerrilla marketing is to create a unique, engaging and thought-provoking concept to generate buzz, and consequently turn viral.
Guerrilla marketing involves unusual approaches such as intercept encounters in public places, street giveaways of products, PR stunts, any unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources. More innovative approaches to Guerrilla marketing now utilize cutting edge mobile digital technologies to really engage the consumer and create a memorable brand experience.
. Viral Marketing
"Make each encounter spread like self-replicating viruses"
Viral marketing (or buzz marketing) attempts to make each encounter with a consumer appear to be a unique, spontaneous personal exchange of information instead of a calculated marketing pitch choreographed by a professional advertiser. Marketors use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It is delivered and/or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text messages.
Although viral marketing is not new, Internet technology has changed the way it's being used. As technology continues to facilitate the delivery of a electronic buzz marketing message easier, and software applications make message deliveries easier to quantify, some advertising experts predict that electronic buzz marketing techniques will become a standard component in all cross-media advertising campaigns.
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