Post-modern marketing 101
Create new value by confusing stuff
Sunday, 1 October, 2000
The disparate,
hard-to-pin-down philosophy of post-modernism is now more than just the talk ofradical 1960s academics — or a confused architectural style. It infiltrates every area of our lives,and business is cashing in on the confusion.
Academics will argue the toss about what exactly it is, but you can detect post-modernism at workwhen roles, relationships and boundaries become fluid and objects become decentralised.
You see it in the blurring of family roles, where the traditional view of mum and dad is merging intoa complex network of step-parents and individuals all known by their first names. The ultimateexample is the Internet, a decentralised network of fluidity and random connections.
It is no surprise that post-modernism is creeping into business and, in particular, marketing.Products, for instance, are blurring. The Gumwatch, a gum dispenser doubling as a watch, is oneof a number of blurred items by US toy company Crazy Planet. Of course, it doesn’t want to becalled that: “We don’t want to be a toy company and we’re not just another straight sugar item,”says its president. It is something in between, like the edible building blocks it makes or fruit-flavoured stamps that kids can lick off the back of their hands.
Candy makers (sorry candy-toy makers) say this sort of confusion is just another way to sellcandy, but it illustrates the point: from the blurring of cate-gories arise new opportunities.
Just try it yourself — blur the boundaries and you’ll find that new business opportunities abound.For instance:
Competitors and friends. When Finnish-based Nokia spoke to arch rival Swedish-basedEricsson, the result was Symbian, the industry initiative that’s behind the third-generation mobilephone standard called Wireless Access Protocol (WAP). From such “co-opetition” has arisen anew platform that some say will overtake Windows on computing.
Products and purposes. When you buy Nike, is it for comfort or for a statement? One thing’s forsure: it’s not just because it’s a shoe. Marketers’ ability to see beyond mere product createsenormous possibilities. For example, the makers of Pampers, the nappy brand, understand thatthe brand stands for more than just nappies. It means “convenience for kids”. That’s why thePampers range now extends into practical kids’ clothing.
Users and manufacturers. Most Web experts, such as
Creating Killer Web Sites
author DavidSiegel, argue that the best sites are built by the community they serve. Which is why companieslike Ford and GM are trying to find ways to let consumers into their factories to construct their owncars — not just in colour and dashboard options, but right down to the shapes and engine specs.It’s also why the most popular part of the PCWorld.co.nz site is the “ask the expert” column calledPress F1. In it, users and experts create their own content, posting their questions and responseson the site.
Consumers and marketers. A recent US campaign for shoemaker Converse featured billboardswith almost nothing on them. The white space was left for the public to fill in. Who’s the marketerand who’s the marketed here?
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