The truths which the American ONLINE MARKETING pioneers had discovered and which had now to be learned by their British counterparts can be summarized under two headings:

The need for high-volume sales

The need to create a consumer.

First, in every highly industrialized society the degree of competition between one manufacturer and another is often such that only the most economic methods of production will ensure survival. To achieve this required economy of production, high-volume output is essential. To maintain high-volume output, one obviously needs high-volume sales. This constant demand for sales can only be met if the selling side of the organization is able to continue to obtain repeat orders from its existing customers and can gain new customers to replace those who, for a variety of reasons, may cease to use its products.

The second truth which had to be grasped was that, to make a profit, it was necessary to achieve a sale and to achieve a sale it was necessary to find a consumer. At a time when automation was leading to less flexibility in the methods of production, it became apparent that the producer would have to look to the flexibility of his market in order to find opportunities for increased sales.

Living standards were rising in the early nineteen-sixties, not only in this country, but throughout the world. As a greater number of men and women acquired the means to satisfy more than their elementary wants, so market opportunities increased. From this it followed that the creation of a consumer, rather than the creation of a product, was the point from which the manufacturer must set out in his quest for a profit.

As early as the nineteen-thirties, many of the larger American manufacturing companies were grouping certain functions, such as product development, packaging, warehousing and physical distribution, and linking these with sales and advertising under one executive. The reason for this amalgamation was the growing realization that all those functions which had a bearing upon the task of satisfying the consumer's needs must have unified control.

The concept of ONLINE MARKETING was not the result of a sudden flash of inspiration. It matured over some twenty or thirty years in the United States and since its introduction into this country it has undergone further modification to meet the special conditions of the British market and also to meet the changes which have taken place within that market during the past ten to fifteen years.

There are many definitions of the word marketing. One of the most straightforward says that ONLINE MARKETING is getting the right goods (or services) in the right quantity to the right place at the right time and making a profit out of the operation.

This definition clearly distinguishes ONLINE MARKETING from those other functions with which it is often confused. ONLINE MARKETING is a comprehensive function. It is concerned with every aspect of the product from its inception, design, pricing, distribution, selling and promotion until it finally reaches the hands of the consumer. Even then, ONLINE MARKETING still has a job to do. It must ensure customer satisfaction by the provision of after-sales service, such as maintenance, repairs, instruction booklets, spare parts and quality guarantees.

Therefore, ONLINE MARKETING is not merely a question of selling the product. It is concerned with what is to be sold, how it is to be sold, when it is to be sold and where it is to be sold. Since ONLINE MARKETING is not just a question of selling it follows also that the accumulated knowledge and experience of the selling staff of an organization can no longer provide top management with adequate guidance on ONLINE MARKETING decisions. Manufacturing companies require an intelligence service to provide management with an assessment of the market and also an assessment of the people who make up that market.

What next? 2015 Marketing and The Consumer

Please Note

The Trade is, of course, a major source of product ideas. All manufacturers examine, with avid interest, the new products of their competitors.

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