Scene 2007 - Highlights for Marketing Professionals

Convergence of the media:

In November of 2006, the SKY Europe closed agreement with the Google to manage the commercialization of the medias of the group. The agreement has as objective to integrate the medias of the SKY being included the interactive medias as Internet. This strategy involving two leaders and giants companies indicates one strong trend in the market of communication, either in Global or Local level.

Sony recently launched in the Europe the Walk digital Man. The device is not a simple MP3 to player, but a conectivity tool that receives images from television, sound and telephonic linkings with necessary mobility in the modern life. Cellular devices as the last launching of the Nokia that stores 3000 musics in MP3, has digital camera of 2.0 megapixels and receives images from television through download. How it will be that the Apple leader with its Ipod will react to the risk that runs? It will enter in the age of the convergence, will make partnerships that guarantee her sustainable advantage? It will react to the launching of the Zune of the Microsoft who allows the music exchange musics between users of the MP3 through wireless transference?

Integrated and powerful Consumers:

The companies SKY and Google understand that the consumer today is connected and linked in net, or either, it decides on which type of message, when, where and for how much time will be displayed it. Today the complexity of the mix of communication of any campaign is huge, as well as the importance of the interactive medias. A recent research carried through by the British periodical The Guardian, indicated that 1/3 of the Internet broadband British users watch less television, while 27% leave to read conventional periodicals and 50% leave to hear radio. We notice therefore that, one mix of conventional communication is total impracticable. Furthermore the consumer has the power of expressing, and to make with that its ideas reach a number of people that have 05 years behind would be impossible. The old jargon that affirms that an unsatisfied consumer speaks about its negative experience stops up to 15 people is definitively dead ! Sites as Youtube, blogs, personal sites, email, etcetera, are simple tools and free ! The consumer has the power of the communication in net, they are well informed and values to each day its money and demands of the companies to delivery of the fiance' in the communication campaigns well, Moreover consumers want to be heard by the companies, through the participation in the process of development of products and services that take care of it. The consumer wants what we call customization, not only in services but in products. Companies as Procter & Gamble and Unilever already had understood the trend and include consumers during the development product process , not only in the test phase or product conception as suggested in the marketing literature.

Sustainability

The people are each time more worried about the environment and the quality of life in the micro and macro environment. The search for the innovation that allows a sustainable extration of the necessary resources for the economic development of the nations and the companies is an inevitable trend. The growth of economies as China and India are reached through the uncontrolled exploration of natural resources, that destroy the environment generating for next 10 years consequencies that can kill thousand of people and to cost more to the world than had costed the two world-wide wars. Until when consuming of the North America, Europe and Latin America will continue buying imported products of China and India at the cost of much corruption, illegality, exploration of cheap labour costs and destruction of the environment?

Global Companies as Unilever, Procter & Gamble and Nike, to only cite some, also are including controls in its supply chain in way to guaranteeing the sustainability of the activities of all the involved ones in the productive process.

Conclusion

It is obvious this variable varies in importance from country to country . However, the indicated trends are a reality and must be considered in any economy and for any size of company. The complexity of the administration of current marketing, only can be surpassed through the good planning including a criterioulsy analysis of the high competitiveness, technology and new established psicographyc standards in the modern economy.

Moreover, the planning and the strategy apllication are primordial and must involve all the levels of the company. Since a small restaurant or hotel until global companies must consider the new consumer behaviour in its actions.

Have a Good 2007 !

Fabio Gonçalves
MBA Marketing - FGV - Brazil
MSc Strategic Marketing
The University of Hertfordshire