Week 6 Marketing Myopia assignment PDF

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Apply the five key propositions of the New Marketing Myopia to John Lewis....

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University of South Wales

Faculty of Business and Society

Strategic Marketing– MK4S34-V2-18949

New Marketing Myopia

Comson Laureta Efese R1905D8550560 Despo Georgieu 27/09/2020

During the past half-century, marketers have heeded Levitt's (1960) advice to avoid “marketing myopia” by focusing on customers. In this article, the authors argue that marketers have learned this lesson too well, resulting today in a new form of marketing myopia, which also causes distortions in strategic vision and can lead to business failure. This “new marketing myopia” stems from three related phenomena: (1) a single-minded focus on the customer to the exclusion of other stakeholders, (2) an overly narrow definition of the customer and his or her needs, and (3) a failure to recognize the changed societal context of a business that necessitates addressing multiple stakeholders. They offer five propositions for practice that will help marketers correct myopia: (1) map the company's stakeholders, (2) determine stakeholder salience, (3) research stakeholder issues and expectations and measure impact, (4) engage with stakeholders, and (5) embed a stakeholder orientation According to Mintel Blog (2013), Christmas is a key period for retail brands, with sales in December 40% higher. John Lewis has stuck to a carefully constructed formula for their Christmas advert in 2015, the Man on the Moon. The advert stuck to a song everyone knows thereby mapping the company’s stakeholders. According to Ruth Simmons, CEO of music agency Sound lounge John Lewis selects tracks that are familiar and loved, with strong top lines that tell a story of love, relationships, and reconnecting. Sheffield (2015) stated that the company is said to bring psychologists into the process to help them emotionally engage with viewers by carefully reviewing the soundtracks of the advert. Unlike most advertising, the John Lewis adverts aren’t used to directly sell products to the viewer. They’re not looking for someone to come into the store the following day. It’s about having an emotional connection with the shopper to reinforce the brand, which can have a halo effect into the following year advert strategy The 2015 Christmas advert features an unlikely relationship between a little girl and a very old man who lives in the moon. The message is that John Lewis embodies the spirit of Christmas across all ages – and that gift-giving can forge that connection for the loneliest people, who need Christmas love the most. Instead of pushing products, John Lewis is using images and music to

trigger an emotional response in the viewer. According to Brown (2015), the little girl is counting down the days until Christmas, she was waiting to give something. That sparks memories which creates a connection. This pulled the trick of harking back to history to connect with the viewer. Based on the above, it can be seen that John Lewis had stuck to the same strategy for the last five years. It’s all about thoughtful gifting and going the extra mile for someone you love at Christmas. It’s about getting something right for the brand and most importantly something customers love.

References Butley S. (2015) John Lewis Christmas Advert 2015: raising awareness for Age UK. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/nov/06/john-lewis-christmas-advert-age-uk (Accessed: 27 September 2020). Levitt, T. (1960) ‘Marketing myopia’. Harvard Business Review, 38, 45–56. Mintel Blog (2013) What can brands learn from John Lewis’s Christmas Advert. Available at: https://www.mintel.com/blog/media-and-advertising-market-news/john-lewis-chrismas-advertfor-2013 (Accessed: 27 September 2020). Sheffield, H. (2015) John Lewis Christmas advert 2015: Five emotionally manipulative techniques behind the Man on the Moon. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/john-lewis-christmas-ad-2015-fiveemotionally-manipulative-techniques-behind-man-moon-a6723626.html (Accessed: 27 September 2020)....