Week 2 - MBA6101 - Guerrila Marketing

 

Hello,

In Chapter 2 of Jay Conrad Levison's book Guerilla Marketing, includes a concise list of the danger signals all firms must be leery of. Signals such as price driven sales, customers cannot distinguish between the firm's and the firm's competitor's offerings, or a disunified marketing strategy (Levison, 2007). A large firm can absorb these deficiencies through their financial resources, but these deficiencies can prove deadly for small business. A firm's product or service should offer value to the customer, and that value is what the customer is paying for. If the customer only purchases the product or service based on price, the firms is not selling something unique. Instead, that service or product is a commodity, indistinguishable from other competing offerings. This reemphasized by Levison's danger signal of the lack of product distinction. 

Without product differentiation, there is no company differentiation. This becomes dangerous for the small business because there is no economic moat preventing the small firm's product from being pushed out of its market by a generic offering. A small firm does not have the luxury of time or resources to fightback for market share it loses due an lack of distinction between their product and predatory competitors. The firm must hold its market gains or see all it has worked for eroded. How is a distinction established? Through marketing and the message of the value which the product or service can offer customers.

This message that is expressed through marketing can only succeed if done through a properly coordinated and unified effort. This way, the firms marketing can build momentum upon itself. Each activity building upon the former to leave a lasting impression on the customer. Disjointed efforts cause confusion and disassociation of brand and product for customers. Because a small business must commit limited resources to make the greatest impact, the guerilla marketer will need a well thought out plan to deliver maximum impact.

 

Citations:

Levison, J. (2017) Guerilla Marketing, Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from your     Small Business. Houghton Mifflin Company.