---
title: "Six Marketing Lessons from a Veteran Marketer!"
description: "In the Internet age, traditional marketing is not outdated; the essence of marketing remains unchanged. Consumers seek bargains, not just low prices. Break through with a single point, build trust through mechanisms, and recognize that market segmentation may not always apply. Marketing is communication."
author: "New Distribution"
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published: "2014-05-30"
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# Six Marketing Lessons from a Veteran Marketer!

> In the Internet age, traditional marketing is not outdated; the essence of marketing remains unchanged. Consumers seek bargains, not just low prices. Break through with a single point, build trust through mechanisms, and recognize that market segmentation may not always apply. Marketing is communication.

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**1.** In the Internet age, is traditional marketing outdated?
When encountering the Internet, many traditional enterprises are anxious, worrying that their marketing methods are outdated and cannot keep up with the times. At the same time, some large Internet platform companies are learning from traditional marketing, because these Internet companies need to market their own platforms. This phenomenon is very interesting.
No matter how it develops, the essence of marketing does not change. The 4Ps of product, price, place, and promotion do not change; only in the Internet age, the role of consumers has changed. Some products are co-created by consumers, or consumers feel they participated in the creation. For example, Xiaomi phones and Diaoye Niunan have borrowed this principle.
The essence of marketing remains: marketing is about who actively influences whom.

**2.** Do consumers really want cheapness?
Consumers seem to want cheapness, but in reality, they hope to get a bargain.
Many people mistakenly think consumers need cheapness, so they repeatedly engage in price wars. When online goods are slightly cheaper than offline, regardless of value, consumers feel they have gotten a bargain. Even the wealthiest people do not want to be taken advantage of. If a rich person buys a counterfeit at a high price, they will be very unhappy, even if the money is insignificant to them.
How to make consumers feel they have gotten a bargain is a very interesting topic. Products provide value; brand marketing creates value.

**3.** Break through with a single point.
Every product has many functions and advantages. In marketing, you don't need to talk about all of them; just seize one point to break through and make consumers remember.
Just like on the Internet, it is best to sell a single product (FMCG distributor professional management consulting: kxpjxszyzxgl) or a bestseller. If that is not possible, then focus on a category. If you want to sell all categories, you become Taobao.
All valuable health products in China sell poorly; those that sell well are products with less value. For example, Brain Platinum. In fact, Brain Platinum's main ingredient is melatonin, which improves sleep. Many other products better than Brain Platinum cannot outsell it. Brain Platinum only focuses on one point: giving gifts to the elderly. And it does have some effect. "Gift-giving, give Brain Platinum"—this slogan has been used for over a decade.
Another product: Detox & Beauty Capsules, whose main function is detoxification. The product itself contains some digestive aids, making users feel the urge to go to the bathroom quickly. The merchant also set up a consultation hotline, making consumers feel the effect is indeed good.
These products have single, simple functions, and may have other effects, but marketing only focuses on one point, making it easy for people to remember, and the entire product becomes very successful.

**4.** Trust is key.
Making consumers trust the brand's message is an important part of marketing.
As the old saying goes: "He who employs people without doubt, and doubts people without employing them." But since ancient times, it has been "employ people with doubt." Many important national positions rotate staff to make them feel not fully trusted; many company management rotations do the same. Only when the responsible person feels they have not yet gained the boss's full trust will they find ways to earn more trust.
If a professional manager reaches the point of telling the boss: "Boss, you must employ people without doubt," then the professional manager's career is basically over. The specific reason is for you to think about.
This trust needs to be established through mechanisms. Consumers are your boss; do not expect consumers to trust you forever. Trust requires establishing mechanisms so that consumers feel you cannot cheat.
True trust is not obtained by verbal demands but through mechanisms and information-based methods.

**5.** The failure of market segmentation theory.
According to classic Kotler marketing theory, every product design discusses market segmentation; the more accurate the segmentation, the easier the subsequent work. For example, we often say:
"My customers are urban white-collar women aged 25-31, with a monthly salary of 7,000-12,000, 70% have a college degree or above, love music, and are homebodies..."
This customer description is already vivid and specific. But you will find that the real market is not like this.
Xiaomi phones are positioned to sell to enthusiasts. But look at the majority of Xiaomi phone buyers—are they enthusiasts?
Lijiang is a city that petty bourgeoisie like to visit. But look at the majority of people going to Lijiang—are they petty bourgeoisie?
In the 1980s, a teacher was renovating his house and spent 2,000 yuan on a faucet. Someone was puzzled and asked him: "Why spend 2,000 yuan on a faucet?" He said: "I don't have much money to decorate the house, but in the future, I can tell others that I use a 2,000-yuan faucet." Listen, what face.
This teacher was definitely not the target customer for that faucet, but he bought it.
Later, Kotler said:
> Market segmentation should not artificially split what is originally a complete market.
This statement is also a correction to market segmentation theory.

**6.** Marketing is communication.
Product is communication, price is communication, channel is communication, marketing is communication.
There are many ways to transact: coercion, persuasion, manipulation, service.
More than twenty years ago, when China was still a planned economy, and the era of "ugly faces, harsh words, and difficult doors" prevailed, the department store at Guangzhou Nanfang Building was the best at marketing.
When the store opened in the morning, the salesclerks lined up to welcome customers. After customers entered, each salesclerk stood at their post, looking into customers' eyes. Once a customer also looked at you, the salesclerk would say:
> "Sir, hello! Do you need rubber overshoes?"
>
> "With such good weather and no rain, why would I need rubber overshoes?"
Well, the transaction fails. No rush, try another way.
> "Sir, hello! Do you need green rubber overshoes?"
>
> "Have you ever seen a man wearing green rubber overshoes?" (See, this time it's not a rejection...)
>
> "Oh, you don't like green overshoes? We have red overshoes made in Shanghai, good quality!"
>
> "I don't wear red overshoes either; my wife might. Men wear black overshoes."
>
> "Sir, you like black overshoes? I have black overshoes made in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. Which do you prefer?"
>
> "Shanghai-made ones are better quality, right?"
>
> "Yes, sir, we just happen to have the latest Shanghai-made black overshoes, indeed good quality."
The salesclerk was so enthusiastic and served for so long that the gentleman felt embarrassed and bought a pair of black overshoes... not because he needed them, but because the service was too good, and he felt embarrassed. This is using service to close a deal. (Qingda International)

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