Page 6 - SMJune-July 2014

Helen McIntee is a director of the Institute of Marketing Management and president of the African Marketing Confederation (AMC). She is inmyopinion also a business school lecturer, published author and an accomplished public speaker. She has an MBA from Wits Business School and is a Chartered Marketer. informed insight infront Whatever happened to the simple choices? Do consumers really need – or want – seemingly endless product choices? Helen McIntee thinks a return to the KISS principle is long overdue. oST oF uS Are FAMIlIAr I, for instance, just want waterproof Hatchback, Sedan or Max. or what with the old adage that ‘life black mascara. But at the counter I’m about the Polo GTi or Cross? Mis all about choices’, which hit with overload and a shop assistant With or without leather seats, ma’am? is certainly preferable to having no who can’t really help because she has Manual or auto? With or without cruise choice at all, à la Henry Ford’s famous to be loyal to the brand and insists control? And so it goes on … 1909 pronouncement that buyers of that all the variants are “superb”. I, for I have it on good authority that the Model T could “have any colour one – and several of the friends I asked all these products do sell well, but as long as it’s black”. However, I do – simply fee the ‘confusion factor’, eventually the purchase decision seems feel that some companies have taken to be mostly made on price – not the things too far and we’re seeing market mag wheels available as a standard segmentation gone mad! feature, or the range of upholstery Take mascaras, for example. each We’re seeing colours. Which reminds me: weren’t we, cosmetic brand seems to be offering market segmentation as marketers, taught never to position a choice of fve or six different products. on price? While I’m sure there are women gone mad I’m also told that, 20 years ago, one who prefer ‘waterproof’ over ‘non- vehicle manufacturer needed only four waterproof’, are there really viable types of oil flter for the entire range. market segments for the plethora of Nowadays, the service department products that seem to comprise each preferring to purchase the mascara at a needs to have 127 on hand! How does mascara range? supermarket, where there is a choice of this make sense from a supply even if we accept that the one and you can just pop it in the trolley chain perspective? manufacturers have done their along with the bread and milk. The Don’t get me wrong; I am not ‘anti- homework and that there is, indeed, same applies to many cosmetics and choice’ and enjoy having multiple meal enough demand in each category to perfume ranges … and as for coffee! options and a decent wine selection warrant the extensive range, where Another topical example is the at the bottle store. I recently went to a does that leave the consumer? lash automotive industry. First you need to restaurant that had a 30-page menu lengthening, lash thickening, lash navigate your way through the huge and I became so confused that I settled defning, lash conditioning, black, number of brands and manufacturers: for a ham sandwich … only to be told, brownish-black, brown, blue-black, what makes VW better than Audi, or “Certainly, madam. Would you like brown, lash-separating wand, curved wand, Hyundai better than Kia? But that’s white, rye or health bread? oh, and we round-ended brush … the list seems only the starting point. Now you need have Parma, hickory or country ham.” both endless and confusing. to distinguish between the Polo Vivo I rest my case. Keep it simple, stupid! 4 strategicmarketing June–July 2014