Due to
Philip Cotler the whole profession of marketing specialists that investigate
consumer preferences appeared in modern society. Probably, the best of all next
quotation will describe a situation:
When this book was printed, we just returned from a two-day session,
where they engaged in cerebral assault together with the employees of a few
American companies, being leaders in the production of consumer goods. Our aim:
to work out conception of new panary foods for breakfast of persons of ripe
years. To do it, we, foremost, collected vast information about preferences and
inclinations of people of different generations - times of depression, post-war
and boom of birth-rate.
Then we gathered in the middle of the Arizonan desert and worked out
hundreds of new conceptions. Now we must take away dozen from them, polish, and
then send on the multilevel consumer testing and revision. If success will
accompany to us, then, from benediction of consumers, in the total this
difficult and hard process one or two successful new products can appear, that
will take the place on the plentiful panary wares shelves of your supermarket. [1]
Further
there is enough a bit of imagination, to imagine millions of specialists who works
hard on the field of researches: what headlights anymore to liking to the
motor-car enthusiasts, narrow or rounded; what noses at a shoe are optimal:
sharp or dull; with the aftertaste of what foods it is necessary to produce
chips or which balance of bitter taste and sweetness of the "real"
beer is etc. and etc.
All these researches are wholly laid in
conception of inventor of new sandwich. Only if an ordinary housewife, thinking
of a new dish, is fully satisfied by modest praise of the folks, then proud
marketing specialist certainly to try to make happy by the product all humanity.
But can
there be this desire fully innocently? That bad in that, to investigate human
tastes, to offer to us the most optimal commodities, to satisfy whims and
necessities? Even if are these whims sometimes irresponsible and even harmful?
In fact for that and is there Freedom of Will, what bad in such her embodiment,
how is Consumer Choice?
Eventually,
to the author of conception of abundance and of surplus labour, and
consequently and every resources on a planet not to the person to spare about
dissipating of surplus human potential on the invention of new models of sandwich.
There is yet variants of useful employment?
Yes, it
is. And at the valuable understanding of responsibility of humanity for a
variety and harmony of life on Earth, our huge labour and productive resources
quite not seem such boundless.
But
the article is sanctified to not this point.
The
point is that answer for the question "what is consumer really want?"
exists. Moreover, he is very simple.
What is wanted by an car owner? That a car
never broke, and yet better, that it would be eternal, it’s maintenance needed
to be conducted one time in 100 year, or yet rarer. And at such condition he is
ready to bear with the double or even triple overrun of fuel as compared to
"modern" models.
What
is wanted by a house owner? That windows, doors, furniture, roof, caldrons,
sanitary engineering, pipes and faucets, never required repair.
What
is wanted by a man? That his shaving machine-tool never became dull. That this
was a not trinket, and real THING, that really has a value that can be passed
on an inheritance, that possesses an UNLIMITED benefit.
The
same is wanted by the proprietors of refrigerators, vacuum cleaners,
washing-machines etc. and etc.
No,
certainly pleasantly, when every a few years the park of cars renovates or the
set of more advanced electronic gadgets appears. But similarly obviously, that
ability to surprise a satiate novelties consumer more and more is lost. And
here it is again appropriate to quote guru from marketing:
I much reflected and wrote about importance of service to the customers
- and came to the conclusion, that the secret of success with a competition
consists in providing to the consumers of such services that would exceed their
expectations far, so that it became legend. Many managers open for itself again
magic force of verbal praise, realizing that earning her is possible, if that
you do, exceeds expectations of your potential customers.
Attention to the needs and problems of customers can become basis of
differentiation of commodity that would become one of ordinary commodities of
mass demand differently. This approach will provide a large market share and
will bring in more returns. [1]
In
other words, in order that to make success in business, it is needed to be able
to catch the imagination of consumers. Thus not once, not twice, and on regular
basis.
I think obviously, that all those, who
simple-hearted follows this logic of every guru from an economy and marketing,
an inevitable crash waits. Nobody is impossible infinitely to like to the
capricious consumer, the tiredness of spectator is always inexorable,
regardless of level of talent of vaudeville star. Whatever appearance and voice
she would possess.
And
the more, if the question is not about stars, and about banal material things.
Therefore
to the real successful people of business deeply to spit on what is really
wanted by a capricious and unbearable consumer. Vice versa, they in every way
attach him to the foods, brands and services, do suggestion from that a
consumer is unable to refuse. Under a beautiful rhetoric about a sacred and
inviolable consumer choice, they eliminate it fully.
What
is really wanted by a consumer? Freedom from a producer. He wants to do such
purchase after that a requirement in a producer will disappear almost fully. In
an ideal a consumer dreams about a refrigerator in that will in itself appear
the desired foods, about a car that does not need the filling and maintenance station,
about a house there is not a necessity to do cleaning up in that itself heats
and provides with needments.
Or,
that the same, about magic tablecloth, carpet-airplane, self-propelled stove of
daring Emelya, knee-boots fast runners and other brilliant inventions of
Russian folk work.
But
most important, our civilization close got around that all these fairy-tale
things can become reality in a flash. Only enough to domesticate a
thermonuclear synthesis.
But
where to be given after this wond erful event to the unhappy producer? Who will
need a presidents, bankers or oligarchs,
if everybody will be able to provide itself? What will humanity do with this
extraordinary freedom?
That
is why truly does child's question "what is consumer really want?" chronically remains without
an answer, and scientists and producers with a profound kind point shade on a
wattle-fence. Who will be needed of them in real after industrial society?
That
is why civilization gradually goes down from a way, laid yet by Henry Ford and
his legendary cars which main dignity was a technical unpretentiousness, toward
expensive, pretentious, but of the little use trinkets. Commodities, with
simply improperly by short space of the useful use.
A
consumers needs fetters. And it is not important, what consumers really wants.
[1] - Course МВА on marketing / Charles
D. Shiv, Alexander Watson of Hyam / М.: Alpina
Publisher, 2003. - 717 p.
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