by Keith Keller | Aug 1, 2021 | GUEST BLOG POSTS: Social Media & SEO
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MODERN MARKETING A guest blog post by Jon Wesselink Marketing is everywhere these days but that wasn’t always the case. Let’s take a trip down memory lane by looking at a brief history of modern marketing. (1) The Production Era (Late 1910s) This was the era of mass production and these new efficiencies enabled goods to be created much faster. Modern marketing emerged during this period to sell these goods more rapidly. The basic idea here was that the reduced production costs would lead to reduced selling prices and this would appeal to vast numbers of customers overall. (2) The Sales Era (20s) ‘Salesmen’ become more prominent during this period and the ‘pitch’ was created. Sales agents encouraged potential ‘consumers’ to purchase products using a variety of promotional techniques. These were designed to inform & persuade potential customers. This strategy moved away from simply selling products and instead emphasized the benefits of buying these new items. (3) The Marketing Era (50s) This era marks the beginning of “market research”. This allowed companies to sell the consumer exactly what they wanted and, most importantly, needed. This was far more effective than trying to talk them into buying meaningless products. This is also the era of “planned obsolescence” and thus represents the start of what many have called “lifestyle marketing”. (4) The Ethical Marketing Era (70s) During this era market research began to create customer-focused strategies promoting socially responsible, moral, and ethical marketing principles. These were designed to counter some of the...
