By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
That’s one of my favorite quotes. Not because I’m in marketing and advertising, but because it dispels one of the biggest myths about manufacturers. That is:
All manufacturers are engineering and sales driven, and advertising is an afterthought, or a “necessary evil.”
Henry Ford wasn’t just any old manufacturer. He transformed not only American manufacturing, but revolutionized manufacturing processes. He changed the way we live. His streamlined assembly line could churn out a Model T every 24 seconds. As summer winds down, it’s worth noting that he’s partially responsible for all the grilling you did as well.
If a man so fixated on streamlining and efficiency saw marketing and advertising as essential as time, surely any successful manufacturer will too.
Another great lesson from Henry Ford is putting yourself in your customer’s shoes. While most other automakers were using a coach builder approach, borrowed from the very industry they were replacing, he marketed directly to the largest, if not most affluent audience. Instead of grand touring cars for the rich, he made rugged reliable cars within reach of the middle class. A class that his own assembly lines helped to grow. Instead of doing things as they’d always been done, he saw a new market, and created a solution for it.
Just as the quote implies, you can’t stop time on advertising either. While manufacturers are not traditionally “early adopters” the ones who succeed see trends developing, and find ways to adjust their current efforts to new channels.
With 2017 planning right around the corner, it’s time to ask yourself what you’ve done to make sure the clock is ticking forward for your marketing plans.