More Sense-and-Respond and Less Make-and-Sell

Markets today, says Day, are changing more quickly and behaving less predictably
than in the past. As a result, traditional make-to-forecast firms with their hierarchical structures and command-and-control systems are finding it more difficult to compete. Day predicts that the future belongs to “sense-and-respond” organizations. He writes, “These market-driven companies win by establishing a dialogue with each customer and providing personalized responses to their unpredictable requirements. They have the ability to search out, capture and intercept clues about emerging customer requirements, and then build to order by deploying modular capabilities that can be combined and reused in many different ways. These firms also learn from each interaction . . . [so] . . . the relationship created through these interactions keeps getting smarter.”
So there you have it. Marketing is dead or dying. The Ps are in trouble. Quick-fix marketing schemes don’t work, and we are in the middle of all kinds of troubling market transitions that turn everything inside out and upside down. It’s enough to give any marketer a chronic case of indigestion and a migraine chaser. Need something to pick you up? How about this here are a few declarations from our gurus that we are sure all marketers
will find comforting:
Marketing is important! Marketing is essential! Marketing is strategic!
Marketing is central to business! Marketing is THE only path to growth!
Marketing is the engine that drives performance!
As you might guess, our gurus have some answers. Some say the road to marketing salvation is through branding; some say it comes through managing customer relationships; others say the path to righteousness is through building customer equity; and some say well-being is found in word-of-mouth buzz. We’ll get to all of these in the remaining chapters, but for now let’s sum up the key ideas we have discussed so far.