SWOT
I have used SWOT's several times in my line of work. A key point for me in the text's description of the SWOT analysis is the criteria for evaluating strengths and weaknesses. Although I believe that I have largely understood what is a strength or weakness in terms of assessing capabilities, this section provides a much more structured framework on four areas to consider in these assessments. Using this framework, one can avoid the pitfalls of considering only one aspect (such as our past performance trends) as it relates to identifying and determining whether a resource or capability is a strength or a weakness.
Mission -
This reminds me of a humorous utility once available on the Dilbert website, the Catbert's Random Mission Statement Generator. By entering hot buzzwords, a few other nouns and verbs, "presto" you had a mission statement that seemed to reflect most corporations' versions of the day. The point is, unless the public sector and employees find real meaning in the Mission Statement, it has little impact to achieve the desired results.
Today it seems like more thought has been put into the message and wording of mission statements and I see much more buy-in from employees. The mission has leaned more towards a market and consumer focus, and through meaningful communication of the mission and values, these statements are aligning the perceptions and behaviors of both consumers and employees in a favorable way.
The External Environment-
Unlike assessing the internal environmental factors, the external environment is outside of the company's control. Thus, it bears very serious attention in the context of the marketing plan, since the company will want to be able to plan and adapt as quickly as possible. The key learning to me on this concept is that the evaluation must be a continuous process, as these external forces are dynamic and always changing.
In the video prepared by Professor Talbott, I found value in the concepts of Consumer Behavior (which is a psychological subject in its own right), and the influences and stimuli that affect preferences and demand for products and services. One of the most powerful marketing messages is word of mouth - thus, it is critical for industries that depend upon a perception of good quality to not disappoint even a small segment of their market in this respect. This is especially important in this day of information technology, where reviews (good and bad) are available far and wide, and quite impossible to control.
One of the most amazing shifts in marketing due to external environment in my mind is with the transformation of the recorded music industry. With the advent of emerging technology to save and replay songs as files, which could be duplicated and shared with little effort, it is no wonder that artists and studios alike combined forces to pursue legal action against emerging sites such as Napster. Recognizing that the technology was beyond the point of no return for CD sales, and that the value of broad musical entertainment demand by consumers is practically insatiable, Apple's foray into not only a device to play the music but a vast revenue generating and secure delivery system was nothing short of genius.
Another interesting example to me was the shift of the margarine industry away from using hydrogenated oils (trans-fat). For years, margarine was marketed and promoted as healthier than butter, and almost every calorie and fat conscious household was sucked into the myth. As more and more evidence indicated that trans-fat was actually worse healthwise than butter, the industry underwent a fundamental change to their product and their marketing strategy. As a consumer, I have to say that I have completely lost faith in these so-called healthier substitutes, and I now lean towards the natural route of just using butter (in moderation).
 |
| Attributed to: Joe McWilliams, LostWackys.com |
No comments:
Post a Comment