QCOM Marketeers, It’s time to seriously talk marketing!
I direct the marketing of a company.
I don’t understand a lot of the heavy engineering chats here. I’m learning but it’s not my forte. (accent omitted) . I have however gained a strong comfort level by reading endlessly through the engineering debates. Generally when the brilliant engineers on this thread are satisfied, so am I.
I've been thinking about QCOM's marketing position and marketing plan a lot in the last few months and I decided that it could benefit the non tech types on the thread to review some basic marketing issues that have been concerning me with the goal of addressing and resolving these concerns . I want your input, agreement, and/or disagreement. Also great think tanks like this thread can sometimes come up with discontinuous solutions. I expect nothing less in Camelot!
Before I start putting my newbie non- credentials at risk here, let me say that I am talking about marketing, as opposed to sales, which are different subject matters.
A lot of this is very basic, so I apologize in advance if I am boring some people. But I think some people might not understand or appreciate marketing any more than I understand or use to appreciate engineering.
I’d like to start by generally describing the job of the person who heads up marketing.
The job is to deliver a marketing plan that details how the business targets set forth in the business plan are to be accomplished. It details the steps needed to fulfill the mission statement of who the company believes itself to be, and how to best empower that future vision into the present day reality. Think Q.
Marketing a company starts by creating a UNIQUE MARKETING POSITION within the industry which capitalizes on the company’s strengths and optimally positions the company against all present and future competition. Then CONSISTENTLY AND CLEARLY COMMUNICATE THIS VISION to the appropriate parties. eg the target audience, prospects, stockholders, analysts etc. This is Marketing 101, pure and simple.
BASIC QUESTION: What do you think is Q’s marketing position and How is Q doing communicating this vision? I don’t get it.
I suspect a basic marketing flaw needs to be addressed and shifted to speed this gorilla on its way! Mr & Mrs. USA Mainstreet are living happily in total ignorance. All they know is they had analog and now they have digital and the pricing plans are better. For the most part, they don’t know that TDMA, GSM or CDMA even exist.
In Europe they call their cell phones “GSMs” . Meisseur et Madame Premiere Rue know that they want to be able to use their GSM when they travel and sometimes it does not work. They don’t know that their thinking is confined to the GSM box.
I have spent too little time in Asia to have an opinion regarding what is going on there.
The point is the unique marketing position of Q is not widely known. This is a problem , as it is the foundation for further marketing actions. Creating the marketing position and clearly and consistently communicating it to all the prospective CDMA users, shareholders, analysts, and media groups is fairly simple. I wonder why it is not being done. I just can’t get this! COMMENTS ANYONE?
I suspect that Q’s engineering vision
(I believe IJ to be one of the really true visionaries of our time) is driving the company and that the value of marketing is underappreciated. Correct me if I am wrong, please.
In the marketing game, once the marketing position is nailed down, then we get into the specifics. Always mindfull to weave that market position inextricably through marketing actions until it is part of the invisible ambiance surrounding Q that has become commonplace knowledge.
For example: Let’s say that Q’s marketing position could be “Q/CDMA gateway to 3G”.
The job starts with a marketing plan in which we identify the target audience for our product . This is who is going to use the product. Who is going to use cellphones, HDR , PDAs, , telematics,.etc Where is the greatest concentration of the potential target audience? Who are the key influencers in the world wide rollout? Where can we maximise cost effective energy spent for best return? What is the balance desired between short term “best bang for the buck” and “oh, my god I never thought it could turn out THIS good in 2010.”
How will we clearly and consistently communicate Q/CDMA as the gateway to 3G? Maybe we decide that Q needs to dominate in the US sooner rather than later in order to enter the next tornado. So we could formulate a plan to educate the public to differentiate CDMA from other digital choices, create the brand awareness (maybe based on Q inside) so that Mr and Mrs Mainstreet USA have a foundation of knowledge from which to appreciate Q/CDMA unique position as the gateway to 3G.
Maybe a road show for the analysts, and simultaneously a top notch publicity campaign by a visionary publicity firm which reinforces the marketing position . Maybe the OEM’s want the brand recognition to be Verizon or Samsung? Well then we will have to come up with a plan that will align our business interests. Maybe a JV media publicity campaign? (There are many possible answers here. My intention is only to stimulate discussion .) So what do you think?
(Some boring stuff) - Marketing plans deal with a myriad of issues such as; Product planning, Product life cycle, Distribution channels, Vertical and /or Horizontal markets, Advertising mix, Publicity, Media/Investor/Analyst Relations, Competition, I personally think BRAND AWARENESS is noticeably lacking.
What is the priority of the strategy within Q's distribution model?I see the value chains developing. Selling licenses to companies whose applications power 3G eg from modem makers to appliance manufacturers and everything in between . There are decisions like how to decide who to license to? How much of Q's marketing efforts are devoted to proactively pursuing certain identifyable industries or applications that have strong time to market or inherent financial value? How much effort is devoted to reactive licensing situations? What's the policy?
(More boring stuff) - The marketing plan is broken down by product or product groups. It is broken down by geographic area and/or country. It is broken down by time increments and reviewed and readjusted as the unexpected occurs. The short term result is evaluated and compared to the the long term year plan. What’s working? What’s not working?
What is the marketing position? Why is Q’s marketing so quiet and shy???
What is missing here? And how can we facilitate its completion.
I would seriously like to get a handle on this! |
