Competence-Based Marketing

Marketing is in ferment as traditional advertising declines in efficacy. With buyers increasingly savvy, how can companies resist relentless commodification and distinguish themselves from rivals? An increasingly popular approach is to emphasize one's expertise in the business, as distinct from...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Harvard business review 2004-12, Vol.82 (12), p.26
Main Authors: Golfetto, Francesca, Mazursky, David
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Advertising
Business to business commerce
Market strategy
Textile industry
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Marketing is in ferment as traditional advertising declines in efficacy. With buyers increasingly savvy, how can companies resist relentless commodification and distinguish themselves from rivals? An increasingly popular approach is to emphasize one's expertise in the business, as distinct from the quality of one's product. Such competence-based marketing is especially persuasive in business-to-business relationships that involve hard-to-assess goods or follow-on services. No enterprise demonstrates this approach better than a group of yarn makers in the Tuscany region of Italy.
ISSN:0017-8012