A relational approach into MARKETING

Three different business cases. Three different examples that possibly define the strategic marketing orientation of today and tomorrow in financial services industry. All of three below indicated examples want customers' "share of wallet" asking for trust, loyalty and commitment.In other words these three firms desire to build a relational approach with their clientele. I could not agreee more in such a business / marketing approach!! Santander promises to be "simple, personal and fair" in brand revamp. By the way, this is a great advert! . HSBC invites customers to "create their bank" AND Barclays promises a "relentless customer focus" to rebuild trust.

Showcasing the Greek Tourism product

The philosophy of Marketing Greece incorporates synergy, innovation and integrated strategic planning and implementation. More specifically, Marketing Greece is a strong proponent of synergies between the varying forces within Greek tourism operators, emphasizing on innovation, and the utilization of the industry professionals’ accumulated knowledge. Along these lines, Marketing Greece strives to bring together the above resources and utilize modern trends and practices of marketing and digital communication in order to upgrade the Greek Tourism Product and, ultimately, propel the country’s economic and social development. For more information: http://www.marketinggreece.com/en-GB/strategy

Budgets Shift To Content Marketing CMO’s Say

"CMOs agree that content marketing is important to their business, and many expect to see a positive ROI from their content marketing efforts this year. Accordingly, this year they are shifting budget towards content marketing, a new study from Mass Relevance & The CMO Club found".
http://www.chiefmarketer.com/social-marketing/budgets-shift-content-marketing-cmos-say-28022014

Chief Marketing Officers survey results 2014

http://www.cmosurvey.org/results/

Customer's purchasing power

The traditional image of organizations and their markets with two distinctly defined actors, the buyer and the seller, dissolves into a complex network
Gummesson (1995)

Let's consider some facts in the business world and use the example of smart phones to rationalize our discussion.
1. Big customers are getting bigger posing a threat for organizations that have to constantly improvise and produce faster solutions to the customers' needs - see the developing story of RIM.
Research in Motion is the company behind the BlackBerry product line. Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. The BlackBerry product line includes the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, the award-winning BlackBerry smartphone, software for businesses and accessories. BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. The management of RIM prepares now to launch the much delayed BlackBerry 10 operating system in the hope of making up ground lost to Apple and their iphone line and eventually Samsung and its brand new Galaxy S 111 line.

The launch of the BB10 operating system, seen as integral to the company’s ability to regain some of the market share it has lost to its rivals, has been pushed back until the start of next year, while falling sales have led to double-digit revenue drops.BlackBerry has an 11% smartphone market share in the UK, according to Ipsos Mori data for April. Apple’s iPhone is the most popular smartphone in the UK, with a 19% share, while 15% of smartphone owners have an Android device.

2. Customers are rationalising their product / services supplier base simply because "the winner takes it all"

3. Customers have become more product / services sophisticated due to media and communication patterns. Most arguably, any new product - brand information travels extremely fast and customers know safely more now about their future purchases

4. Customers prefer tailor-made solutions asking for differentiation. Who is the supplier and through which distribution channels who will be able to provide this sense, this feeling of differentiation?
5. The cost of serving customers is no doubt increasing - we now need now more and better equipped points of sale, close to the customer
6. In this sense, suppliers and customers are developing new ways of working together - thus a need for developing relational sales-reps

However, it is also true, that suppliers are still interested principally in volume generation. Whilst suppliers are somehow interested in the potential for ‘added value’, most still do not measure account profitability.
How organiztions react to the increasing customer power? 
Do we feel that the solution reflects on plain transactional marketing or shift progressively towards a relational approach focusing on the Total Value that a Customer generates for an organization?
In my opinion, management of a customer focused firm should never forget the good - old marketing recipe total customer value parameters:

TOTAL VALUE OF CUSTOMER =

[CUSTOMER LIFE TIME VALUE + RELATIONSHIP BENEFITS] X ECONOMIC RISK

In differentiating a total product / service offer compared to competition, line management has an opportunity to maximize offers to customers (e.g. the relationship benefit focus). No doubt, the relationship benefit may be at risk if the relationship goes badly. Maybe, the relationship benefit be obtained anyway, even without the relationship. However, the relationship focus increases the probability of benefit for all parts involved during the buyer - seller transaction process.

According to Pigues and Alderman (2010) there are six reasons why companies lose:
1) We do not understand the customer's perspective
2) There is not enough quantitative rigor
3) Data collected never finds its way into planning or execution
4) We rely on individual surveys versus a continuous process
5) The organization is not aligned or involved
6) There is no systematic playbook

Dried Tomatoes and Asparagus innovative production

GEOTHERMICA HELLAS LTD has been active since 1996 in Xanthi Prefecture and is based in Neo Erasmio, near the Nestos River Delta. The company's main activities focus on the primary and secondary agricultural sector. The use of geothermal energy is a key tool conferring to the company comparative advantages.Today the company boasts considerable experience and know-how in the exploitation and management of low-enthalpy geothermal fluids. It has geothermal boreholes with fluids at 60°C, enabling the production of asparagus out of season, whereas during the summer months the company develops geothermal drying and dehydration of agricultural goods activities, mostly of tomatoes. The end-products are sold under the AGRECO FARM trade name. At Neo Erasmio/ Xanthi, Geothermica Hellas Ltd has created a model drying plant for the production of dried tomatoes. The tomatoes are carefully selected from stringently quality-controlled fruit grown on the fertile plains around the Nestos River Delta, and are dried at moderate temperatures using geothermal energy. Before drying, each tomato undergoes an elaborate process of pre-washing, washing, sorting and cutting. The drying process is carried out in tunnel ovens with a total fresh fruit capacity of 10,000 kg. The hot air, which is not recycled, is introduced into the ovens in a continuous flow with a renewal rate of 700 times per hour. The air is heated to 55-58°C by geothermal fluids (from a borehole 300 metres deep) circulating in tube-type heat exchangers. The tomatoes are batch-dried, not belt-dried, with the raw fruit loaded on stainless steel grill trays. Asparagus THE KING OF ALL VEGETABLES HEALTHY AND TASTY DELIGHT WITH ONLY A FEW CALORIES The consumption of asparagus is recommended to all those engaging in mental labour as it provides the body with many vitamins and minerals. Fresh asparagus contains asparagine, a substance which "cleans" the blood and the kidneys and is useful to those suffering from anaemia and heart problems. It is rich in folic acid and helps in the division of cells during growth, in the tissue regeneration process, in the production of red blood cells by the bone marrow as well as in the prevention of cervical cancer. Asparagus contains extraordinary antioxidants and anticarcinogens with anti-inflammatory and antimycotic agents. It constitutes an excellent diuretic and has a beneficial effect on the kidney, liver and intestine. Asparagus, with its delicate taste and aroma, is considered by gourmets as a symbol of culinary refinement. It does not contain fat and cholesterol and is low in calories. Two magnificent products differentiated on the ground of Geothermal Energy in NEO ERASMIO, XANTHI, GREECE. Geographically, the area of Neo Erasmio, Xanthi, is located along the eastern banks of the Nestos river mouth and belongs to the sedimentary area of the Prinos – W. Nestos basin, which in its turn has developed in the geotectonic zone of the Rodopi land mass. The geothermal field expands around the Erasmio village, reaching Avato in the north, Maggana in the east, the Nestos River in the west and the coastal zone in the south. The whole region, covering an area of 40 km2, has been subject of geological, stratigraphic and tectonic investigations, which also covered the area's features. The located geothermal deposit which expands around Neo Erasmio, Xanthi, constitutes a typical example of a low-enthalpy geothermal field where the stratified aquifers are fed by a system of active faults in the bedrock of the Rodopi zone. Based on extensive geothermal investigation, it was established that the main geothermal anomaly expands on an area of 15-20 km2, with geothermal gradient reaching 25°/100 m and a relevant high heat flow as well as quality and chemical composition of the geothermal fluids being such that they lend special features and a special typology to the particular Geothermal Deposit "Geothermal Reservoir". Based on the systematic temperature measurements and production tests of the five active boreholes, the confirmed and immediately available for use thermal energy capacity exceeds 15 MWth. The geothermal fluids that have temperatures reaching 40-65 °C are localised at easy accessible depths (200-350 m). Their quality is excellent, a fact that renders their management easy and low-priced in terms of pumping and transfer. Common stretches of land are available for allotment in the area for the installation of processing plants as well as greenhouses.

Entrepreneurs Need Creative Thinking After the Idea

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe their initial idea and inspiration requires the most important creative thinking. Experienced entrepreneurs will tell you that the initial idea is the easy part, and it’s the later implementation, and the competitive business marketing that are the real creative challenges.