Radical Marketing is a term describing companies that take a different approach to product development and marketing than traditional marketers. These companies stretch their resources, live close to their customers and create a more satisfying solution to their needs than what is offered by conventional marketers.
These companies have strong visceral ties to their target audience, and their approach is not driven by profit-taking as much as by the need for growth. They form buyers clubs, engage in creative public relations and use a variety of innovative techniques to win long-term customer loyalty.
They are resource-constrained and often have small advertising budgets. They do not rely on large, expensive market research or media campaigns that may act as entitlements, discouraging them from spending more when the time is right to gain more customers.
The CEO must own the marketing function Rather than letting layers of management grow between them and the market, radical marketers make sure that the CEO is intimately involved in the function and that he/she demands that everyone else in the organization is committed to a strong focus on interacting with the market. This allows the team to work closely with customers and to try out ‘outrageous’ new approaches that the CEO will support (see rule #8).
Be true to the brand They believe in the integrity of the brand, and they are very strict about quality. They prefer to go with their gut on key decisions, rather than relying on expensive market research or media campaigns that may fail to generate the needed results.
They know the value of getting face-to-face with customers, and they get out in the field to talk to the people who matter most to them. This enables them to build trust and loyalty, which are critical for winning business https://www.radical-marketing.com/ from customers.
Hire only passionate missionaries They are willing to hire individuals who strongly believe in their product and its market as deeply as they do. This can be difficult to find in a large company, but it is essential for a ‘radical’ marketing effort.
Rethink the marketing mix Rather than commissioning expensive market research and using large advertising budgets, they tend to use a combination of low-cost, one-to-one communications tools and targeted messages. This results in a more efficient use of the company’s limited resources, and it also encourages them to stay in touch with their customers in an increasingly digital world where social media is playing a major role in consumer communication.
The North East of England, for example, is known for its innovative and ‘radical’ new products. Inventors like Thomas Swan have developed products such as graphene, a material that is 200 times stronger than steel and transparent, while Jonathan Ive was responsible for the design of Apple’s iPod.
This book is an entertaining and informative read about the fascinating ways in which some companies succeed by ignoring the tried and true methods of conventional marketing. The book is filled with stories of successful small businesses that broke the rules, and it highlights ten specific principles that these companies follow in order to make their mark on the marketplace.