Comments on: A Great Product Needs No Advertising

By: Kite

Kite — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:30:49 +0000

Whilst I think that it’s generally true that the better the product the less advertisement it needs, I wonder how much this article applies to the fashion industry, which isn’t about needs or functions so much as desires and glamour and peer pressure.

Aggressive exposure seems to be most of the battle won, as long as the product isn’t a complete turkey. It certainly doesn’t have to be “best” – what is best anyway with fashion?

By: Lisa Barone

Lisa Barone — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:14:29 +0000

Pete: A great product is targeted at a segment. That makes whats it great. It fills something specific and it does it better and simpler than anything else. The greater your product, the less you’re going to have to advertise it.

By: Pete Stevens

Pete Stevens — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:21:44 +0000

I think you are dead wrong, and somewhat naive. Many companies lead markets with inferior technology and product – Microsoft. A great product is not enough. You need to hit all the elements of marketing or at least lead in a few. And it needs to be targeted at a segment. A Rolex is a great watch, but its not priced for me. As Marketing guru Meatloaf said, two out of three ain’t bad. Don’t get me wrong. A great product is important, but its not enough.

By: Genuine Chris Johnson

Genuine Chris Johnson — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:59:24 +0000

MAKING the product is marketing. Making the experience is marketing, all of it sits together.

By: Can You Guess Who Do You Have A Clue?

Can You Guess Who Do You Have A Clue? — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:01:33 +0000

@Tony: ““Paid Marketing” that equals Advertising is the result of a product that is bad.”

Or it’s the result of a product that is new. People can’t search for something they don’t yet know they need. Hence infomercials for snuggies. And content network campaigns for fleshlights. LOL ;)

By: Can You Guess Who Do You Have A Clue?

Can You Guess Who Do You Have A Clue? — Fri, 15 May 2009 19:58:44 +0000

Andy ignores that a lot of word of mouth is earned not because something is remarkable, but because the promoter is networked out the wazoo. It’s called the AllTop Theory of Marketing.

By: OMZen

OMZen — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:57:06 +0000

Great post overall.

Like they say ” the best marketing strategy is to have the best product in its class”

..But then originality is a rare commodity in this age of “spin managers”

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:52:53 +0000

Lisa,

Totally agree on the advertising issue. Besides, it’s so hard to test ad results, excepting PPC, I gave up on ads back in 1998. Thanks for being outspoken. It gives us all something to aspire to! :)
Mark

By: Lisa Barone

Lisa Barone — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:40:34 +0000

Jamie: Completely agreed that you can’t rely on advertising to find quality in something that just isn’t there. Start with a great product and the rest will follow. People like to spread and talk about exciting things. That’s how you create natural buzz — the kind you don’t pay for or have to annoy people to generate. :)

Thanks for the blog compliment, BTW. I’m actually a big fan of your blog so it’s good to see your face here. :)

Mark: You’re right that “advertising” and “marketing” are NOT interchangeable and I think that’s where I flubbed with this post. I used them as if they are. You’re right that even great products need good marketing, but if the quality is there then they don’t always need to be “advertised”, IMO. That’s the point I was going for but I flubbed myself with the word confusion. I appreciate people like you coming to set me straight. So thanks on that front.

I think great products, the ones that really help people, will find their way through the noise and the clutter. Because as you said, it’s not about finding the quick fix or easiest solution of today. It’s about simplifying the process from the core and really changing how things are done, not just putting a bandaid on it that will rub off with the next fad.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:00:31 +0000

Well, I guess even my heros can be wrong once in awhile. This reads suspiciously like ‘our product will sell itself’ which is a phrase that any marketer with any experience has heard fall from the mouths of engineers on a regular basis. Marketing and advertising, while related, aren’t interchangeable terms. I personally haven’t seen too many successful products that have succeeded without marketing help. Unless you mean something like Twitter, which is free. And I would argue that all of the buzz Twitter got in the beginning was solely a function of word of mouth, unless you count blogs as traditional word of mouth and not marketing vehicles.

Even WOM about the best products get lost amidst the bombardment of messages from the info-sphere. It’s also clear that the best (whatever that relative term means to you) products often fail in the marketplace, despite stellar WOM and massive ‘marketing’ spending.

And, let’s face it, today’s easier, faster, and better solution is tomorrow’s has-been. Consumers won’t wait around but will take what seems to be good enough to solve most problems. I’m still waiting for my personal flying car that I was promised back in the late 50s, but for now, I’ll settle for my Toyota.