Johan Cruyff and marketing
In the 1970s the Dutch introduced the world to a new type of football - "total football", described here by Brian Beard:
"Its central tenet was that each member of the Dutch team was comfortable playing in any position, in any part of the pitch. Each player also had supreme confidence and the ability to perform all of the basic skills of football."
What companies should be aiming for is "total marketing". Each person within the organisation should understand the brand values and how the brand can be supported (and damaged). If everyone understands real customer needs and how customers make buying decisions then they will be much better able to serve those customers successfully.
A typical non-marketing staff course would include:
- understanding customer needs
- how customers think (and decide) - even business-to-business purchases have a high emotional content
- the concept of a product - it's all in the mind!
- the buying process - small things matter and first impressions last
- brand - what it is (not just the logo) and why it's important
- customer segments - differing needs, differing solutions; not all customers are equal
- marketing information - collecting, communicating, consuming, commenting
- marketing is a team game
Of course the occasional flash of individual genius is allowed!
