Marketing Convergence

Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large as defined in the dictionary. In simple terms, marketing refers to the action done by a person who promotes and sells a product or a service. Marketing may also refers to a business wherein it promotes and sells their products and services to the costumers. How about convergence? What does marketing convergence means? Actually, I really do not know the word convergence not until I heard that word during the discussions last Monday. Convergence according the books is the occurrence of two or more things coming together. In terms of technology, convergence may refer to the tendency of different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks.

In marketing or in business, one primary goal to make it more progressive is to promote their products in a sense that everyone must know about it and that every individual would use it. Promoting a particular product well may lead to the development and growth of the company or business. The progress of a company sometimes depends on the way they endorse their products and services to the consumers or costumers. During those early days, one way of promoting products is to print tarpaulins on roads, give flyers, and offer free taste and many more. But now, there were only few of the companies who promote their products in that way because most of the people in the business industries promote their products online in today’s modern world or simply because the businessmen wanted to engage their business in technology. Before, when you order a food, you have to be present in a fast food chain before you can enjoy their products but today, online buying as well as online delivery is now being developed and adapted by most of the food establishments as well as other business industries. Most of the commerce nowadays evolves in promoting their products using the internet. And we cannot deny the fact that most of the percentage of the people were already connected in a technological world wherein they wanted to get something in just few clicks.

                It was once said that the Internet changed everything. It is true that due to the technological advancements, lots of changes occur particularly in the business industry nowadays. It is because the power of new technology basically creates new opportunities and possibilities for costumers as well as for the companies. Most of the time, businesses change their strategic plans to produce a better idea, just as what I have mentioned before about food industries who are now starting to engage in online buying and online delivery. E-business and traditional business when combined and put together may result to something different and something new. This is one way of creating new trends in marketing convergence.

Before, what the producer gives is what the consumer gets. But now, there is what we call the ‘Death of the Consumer’ who gives rise to the so-called Prosumers as the new trend of marketing convergence exists. Because every business wanted to provide their services to the costumers at their contentment, they developed a new strategic plan wherein a costumer can demand what he wants to the producer. For example he wanted to buy a car but does not like the design of the car’s chair; every costumer can now customized the design just as what they wanted to have. They are now the ones who have taken the chances to demand on to something.                       

Another trend also of marketing convergence is the use of the Internet in buying and selling products. We now have these websites such as the Sulit.com or the AyosDito.com who allows every consumer to become a producer by selling their own products. In which one can buy and sell products online. There were also some of the branded companies who display their products online for the costumers who cannot afford to go to the said establishment just to buy their product.

Marketing convergence also occurs in the fusion of two different fields when combined together will create a much better result and produces more chances of being in the field of greater opportunities. According to the book of Yoram (Jerry) Wind, Vijay Mahajan, and Robert E. Gunther which is the “Covergence Marketing: Strategies for Reaching the New Hybrid Consumer”, they explore the five areas in which the convergence seems to lead to a very powerful combinations that is also important in a business success. These are the five areas in which some of the most interesting fusion or combination concepts can be developed:

·   Customerization - convergence of customized and standardized offerings and messages. In this area, customers were allowed to become co-producers in developing and customizing products and services of the company.

·   Community – Convergence of virtual and physical communities. In this modern world, the internet creates and develop virtual community that draws people together even at different continents.

·   Channels – Seamless convergence of call, click and visit. Companies need to design strategies that combine the strengths of online and offline approach.

·   Competitive Value – convergence of new and traditional competitive value equations and pricing models. Companies can also add value equation by adding information, entertainment and education to their traditional value propositions.

·   Choice Tools – convergence of new search engines and decision tools for consumers and company-provided advice.

These were the areas in which marketing convergence helps create new and effective opportunities to everyone who desires to put up a business. Companies can use and create variety of strategies plans to improve their means of promoting their products to the consumers. We cannot deny the fact that the world in evolving every day. In just a blink of an eye, new discovery is developed. One way of coping up to the changing world is by adapting to it so that you will never be on the last list. There were lots of opportunities in convergence that every businessman must know.