The Last Original Idea in Marketing was the Brand
by: Morgan Brown
The last original idea in marketing was the brand. Everything since the brand is a rehash of old themes, appropriated and transformed for the technology of the time; but always an echo of the past. The brand was the last original idea because the brand was the first time that people placed and perceived a value in one product over a near-identical competitor. The brand changes the concept of marketing from merely being in the right place, at the right time, with the right product and price, to one of preference, added value (real or perceived) and differentiation from the competition.
When the farrier chooses a particular brand of horseshoe because it's known for durability, instead of just picking up horse shoes; that is a fundamental shift in marketing and how suppliers compete and earn market share among a sea of undifferentiated competitors. Suppliers go from interchangeable commodities to items that are sought out by the customer base.
When the circus brands itself as “the greatest show on earth,” or when the cola manufacturer adds cocaine and calls itself Coca Cola; they differentiate themselves from others without fundamentally changing who they are or what they offer. They create preference just by imbuing value into a commodity via marketing.
Everything else after that is old, and rehashed. Groupon hails from days of bulk buying in the bazaar, advertising as well, Yelp and trusted reviews-the oldest. After the brand it's all the same song, the same ideas, reapplied to a new world. Everything old is new again indeed.
The Last Original Idea
... is a chronicle of communication and commerce as seen through the lens of the Internet. It is a must-have reference book for marketing people..
Jim Sterne Founder of
eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit
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