Is “Marketing” by “Wants” dead?

> 1. People aren’t buying new products… they
> can’t afford it, they don’t have the time to
> use/enjoy it or they just plain don’t want
> it.

That's about as general as you can get. And it will apply to certain sections and market segments while being totally off the mark with other market segments.

New houses. New cars. New DVDs and DVD players. New computers. New Digital cameras.

> A. Budgets are stretched to the point of
> snapping for the consumer, the business and
> the government. The ability to buy unknown
> and unfamiliar products is small.

The ability to buy unknown and unfamiliar products is different to the DESIRE to buy them. Either way, the situation hasn't changed too much. Unknown and unfamiliar products have always been hard to sell. Because it is unknown and unfamiliar people consider money is better spent elsewhere.

Either way. People have always thought this way.

> B. No one has time. At least that’s what
> everyone says. If they perceive they don’t
> have time they are hesitant to get involved
> with any product or project that is going to
> cannibalize even more of their time.

People always think they have no time. Even people with plenty of time. And if it "looks" to hard, it is avoided. Again, a common human trait.

> C. We have “everything” we want. The person
> of today lacks very little and we just
> aren’t as needy as we use to be.

The people of the 20s thought this. The people of the 50s thought this. People always think this... we have everything; everything has been invented; etc.

> D. Even if we do want it the selection
> afforded us in virtually every product
> category and service is limitless and due to
> overcapacity and competitive pressures
> usually very affordable and accessible.

True-ish. If you know where to look. If you do not know where to look, then you might have a different take. And again, this is overall a P.O.V. comment.

One of my business adventures is within an industry that serves a NEED and one in which customers actively search you out. All you have to do is say "Here we are" and they come a running.

Before entering this "market" I too used to think it was flooded. And I wondered how anyone could stay in business. Now that I am in this market, I can see there is penty of business for those in it, and plenty of business to serve even more businesses entering this market.

Has the business changed? Nope. Only my perspective of it.

> Mr. Godin point out that in the last 20
> years or so, we have gone from having more
> time/fewer choices to little time/more
> choices.

True. But 20 years ago people thought the same thing. And 20 years before that they also thought the same thing.

In reality, the time is being spent more on useless activity - watching the all knowing eye, reading message boards online, etc.

> That being the case the way we
> marketed products 20 years ago (or less)
> can’t work in today’s environment.

That depends on WHAT you are marketing, WHO you are marketing to and HOW you marketed in the past.

ROLEXES HERE. Will have as much pull these days as it did 20 years ago. Specially when aimed at those who are more inclined to buy them.

> In today’s market the consumer will:
> 1. Will ignore you… they have too many
> messages directed at them and are quite
> frankly bored with the whole process.

Ignoring selling messages is nothing new.

> 2. Will not tell his or her friends of your
> superior product/service because no one has
> the time to do that.

Not spreading the Good word is nothing new.

> The typical markets are gone… anything from
> frozen pizzas to pain relievers to books on
> yoga to ebooks on selling products on Ebay.
> All have reached the point of
> oversaturation.

Maybe that is how it appears to someone looking in from the outside. This was how I thought too, until I entered just such a market only to discover the reverse was true - plenty of business and room for more competitors.

> The old rules just don’t work anymore.

There is some debate they ever did - if we're talking manipulative selling techniques.

> Do you agree with Seth Godin?

In this case I would say that Seth has not really said anything new. Just said same old stuff in a different way.

Just like his Purple Cow article which is another way to say USP, be innovative, etc.

> And if you agree (even a little) what do we
> as marketers of products and services do
> about it?

That depends if your business has slowly declined because you had been tricked into using techniques that were always flawed. And only you can answer that for yourself.

Michael Ross