So what is this called Edumarketing?

We live in an information-driven society. Information provides the basic components on which knowledge is built. Today, knowledge is the real currency of business – the stimulus that drives our economy and therefore our livelihood.

Two of the most revered thinkers of the last 100 years, Peter Drucker and Philip Kotler, were clear in their characterization of the contemporary business environment. In other words, we now live in a knowledge society.

Peter Drucker noted this transformation in his book The Post Capitalist Society, exhorting: “That knowledge has become a resource, rather than a resource. Furthermore,” This fact fundamentally changes the structure of society. “

According to Kotler, “the transition from an industrial economy to an informational economy is introducing new considerations that question the suitability of conventional marketing thinking to develop the marketing strategies of today and tomorrow.”

Why Edumarketing?

The last ten years have seen tremendous uproar in the marketing field. We live in a media-rich world where information bombards us from every angle. In his compelling book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini states, “You and I exist in an extraordinarily complicated environment of stimuli, easily the most complex and fastest-moving ever on this planet.”

These views adequately describe the world we live in, where information and knowledge are fundamental to our existence. The advent of computers, the Internet, wireless communications, and other technologies are presenting new opportunities for marketers.

One of the areas is to partner with customers, both business-to-business and business-to-consumer, to create a learning experience in which the customer learns both how to better define their problem and how to better solve it.

In this new reality, it is the customer who, for the most part, runs the show.

Customers are using technology to learn about the company behind the product and services they buy, as well as analyzing each element of the product through self-education, and that fundamentally changes everything.

It is no longer possible to capture customer attention simply by putting your message “out there”. The emphasis on knowledge creation calls for bold changes.

What has to change? The way you communicate.

The fast pace of today’s market, whatever your industry, has changed the way customers want to do business. Marketing has become less about messaging people and more about empowering them to make informed purchasing decisions.

Rather than engaging in a manipulative process, marketing communicators should seek to inform and educate potential customers, providing them with the knowledge and information they need to make an intelligent decision. Doing this is the new way to build customer loyalty.

This document discusses a new method of understanding and influencing the customer through informing and influencing communications. This method is called edumarketing.

Edumarketing is the activity initiated by a company that is designed to influence changes in the knowledge, skills or attitudes of customers, whether they are individuals, groups or communities.

Cognitive psychology, and in particular research dealing with how people learn, tells us that people use existing perception filters and mental representations when making decisions.

Numerous studies verify that thinking involves three constructive elements that, together, drive the way people learn. These elements are cognition, emotion, and the context in which thinking takes place.

Edumarketing emphasizes influencing the purchase path through education-based marketing that informs, instructs and educates. Weaving the cognitive, emotional and social components of learning.

Today, your clients are likely to hold you to very high standards when it comes to providing them with the data and information necessary for them to create knowledge and understanding. Ultimately helping them make the best purchase possible.

Educational marketing, edumarketing, provides an opportunity for the marketing communicator to connect with customers in a focused way that delivers high perceived value. Rather than overwhelming people with a self-inflated message, the marketing communicator presents an educational foundation to help the client find the right solution to their idiosyncratic problem. And this changes the way you create and exchange messages about your products and services.

How does it work?

The main task of marketing communicators has become both an educator and an informer and animator. Certainly, a lot of consumer products will continue down the path of least resistance – that is, simply entertaining in hopes of building a brand image or manipulating unique sales.

However, what is fast becoming an important part of the marketer’s toolkit is the use of educational techniques to help build loyalty and generate sales.

Take, for example, the ordinary cereal box. Cheerios decorate your box with their educational “Heart Healthy” messages. Cheerios uses the cereal box to educate customers on the topic of cholesterol and, of course, how Cheerios can be a part of lowering cholesterol.

This new approach to marketing is based on educating the customer and, for this, different marketing principles are applied. The new marketer needs to understand the principles of learning, and for sophisticated products and services, get this … learning theory.

Another example, the small manufacturer of industrial detergents ChemStation (www.chemstation.com) supplies thousands of products in hundreds of industries. ChemStation sells industrial cleaning chemicals to a wide variety of commercial customers, from car washes to the US Air Force.Whether a customer is washing a fleet or a factory, a store or a restaurant, ChemStation always presents the proper cleaning solution.

ChemStation collaborates with clients who work with them to design custom solutions for their unique cleaning problems. ChemStation works with each individual customer to develop a soap formula specially designed for that customer.

This works because many commercial buyers prefer to buy a packaged solution to a problem from a single seller. ChemStation sells its intellectual capabilities to companies that need solutions.

Another firm that stands out in the field of edumarketing is Butterball, a leader in the marketing and sale of turkeys. Customers can visit the Butterball website (www.butterball.com) for information on how to cook and cut a turkey.

The Butterball website receives more than 500,000 visitors during Thanksgiving week to access its features and timely tips. However, the dedication to education lies in the fact that the Butterball Helpline (1-800-BUTTTERBALL) has 50 home economists and nutritionists answering more than 100,000 questions each November and December.

BMW has capitalized on its edumarketing capabilities. They offer an exciting training program for young drivers. As part of its “Ultimate Driving Experience” tour, BMW offers to teach people how to drive their cars at high speeds. The Offer: “Experienced professional drivers will be on hand to guide you through a variety of exciting driving techniques designed to hone your skills and make you a safer and more confident driver.” The benefit: Drivers excited about their new driving skills and ready to engage in a conversation about integrating these skills into their daily driving habits.

Gone are the days when advertisers could simply tell the world about their wonderful new product or service. Today’s customers are smart. They access and use information from a wide range of sources. Companies must go beyond the simple show and story of yesteryear.