5 Ways Marketing Mirrors Imitation of Life: Recently I watched the Lana Turner and Juanita Moore movie classic, “Imitation of Life.” This 1959 tearjerker shows that the process of life doesn’t always go according to plan.
After spending almost twenty years launching and promoting products, I can say the same holds true for marketing.
Thankfully nowadays there are some ways that can ease the burden of attracting customers especially on an initial stage. That can happen through the help of websites like SocialGreg.
However I still think marketing mirror life in many ways and here’s why:
Struggles, Struggles and More Struggles
It does happen. Some products, brands or services are overnight successes. But the reality is that most products find market acceptance the Lana Turner and Juanita Moore way. In “Imitation of Life,” Lana Turner plays struggling actress Lora Meredith with sights on Broadway. She had talent and beauty, but no visibility. She auditioned constantly and modeled on the side.
Like Lora, marketing a newly created product often follows a process to gain market acceptance. Research prior to the product launch may have identified a need with a target audience, however, by the time the end product is ready to go, market timing has often shifted. The need may be diminished or fulfilled by an alternative product. Marketing to gain customers is usually a series of tests like Lora’s photo shoot scene as a model for a flea powder ad. She had to spray a lot of powder on the dog before it took.
Risks are Rewarded
In another scene, Lora faked her way into an agent’s office with the pretense of a scheduled appointment. This gutsy move backfired when she had to set the record straight and let the agent know that she wasn’t a certain kind of woman. Instead, Lora was noticed in the flea powder ad by a playwright who happened to know the agent she rebuffed. This landed her an audition for a supporting role that turned into the lead. Sigh of relief and a happy ending? Hardly.
Market Acceptance Only Marks the Beginning
Market success may begin with getting the part, but as Lora discovered, it meant continually meeting certain people at certain events in breathtaking attire. On the outside, the product persona radiates glamor and allure.
Underneath, it’s still the same product that needs to consistently show up for the existing customers while being constantly introduced to increase new ones. Depending upon the strategy, today’s marketing means are almost endless and include press, social media, advertising, customer service, branded merchandise, websites, grassroots campaigns, videos and more.
Plans Change
While marketing in theory doesn’t change, product life cycles do. In the film, Lora’s dreams go from Broadway comedy to drama to film. Likewise, products and services continuously evolve and require ongoing marketing.
According to Harvard Business School professor Clay Christensen, 95 percent of new consumer products die each year. Some peak (if lucky), then die.
Some taper off to predictability, then surge like this past season’s Lands’ End duck boots sales or Barbie’s expanded waistline.
Marketing means never having to rest upon your laurels. Customers here today, can be gone tomorrow. If only a Snuggie could talk!
Truth Eventually Wins
I once consulted with an engineer who created an incredible product. Even better, I found partners who wanted to fund the marketing campaign to attract customers! When I revealed this part of the business plan, he became indignant as if I was asking him to panhandle on a street corner. He saw no need for marketing. The product will speak for itself, he said. And it did. In an office all by itself, it died an unnecessary death.
I understand that certain logically-minded people think things like a red jacket should be just that – a red jacket. However, a marketer must always think about the customer. A guy may be okay with purchasing a red jacket. But a woman may want to buy a crimson wool pea coat. More importantly, she needs to know it exists.
No matter how you split adjectives, the truth is that marketing has no ultimate sway when it comes to customer acceptance. People know the genuine article. In “Imitation of Life,” Juanita Moore’s portrayal of Annie used a different tactic for the analogy of market acceptance.
While Lora pounded the pavement, Annie used her operational and negotiating skills for win-win scenarios and earned everyone’s respect. In today’s marketing lingo, Annie nurtured relationships and had the crowd to prove it.
Most telling of the similarities between marketing and the film? When Lora told Annie that she didn’t realize that Annie had friends, Annie made the profound statement: “You never asked.”
Good marketing continuously asks to be seen, heard, tried and evaluated. In return, customers always tell the truth with their purchases.