I’ve repeatedly commented on the differences between marketing for large and small companies.
Here’s one: large corporations can afford to waste millions of dollars on a failed marketing campaign. They can even deliberately launch, and promote with tens of millions of dollars, a new product with the intention of it failing. Sergio Zyman, formerly head of marketing for Coke, famous claims they did that with Tab Clear.
Small businessmen need their marketing to work. Every dollar is precious. More importantly, the business that doesn’t materialize when a marketing campaign fails, can be the difference between life and death for a company, or between prosperity and hanging on by a thread.
Most marketing vendors DON’T deliver, or succeed only intermittently. They survive, even flourish based on a few notable successes, or on smoke and mirrors.
Is it any wonder that small businessmen are chronically frustrated and suspicious at any marketing company or scheme that comes their way?
And yet, you keep trying, don’t you.
Because one thing successful small businessmen know: There is no choice. You HAVE to market.
And of course, that is why this blog (and my upcoming book), is called “Market or Die”.