PROBLEM-LED MARKETING

A shift in perspective.

There's a problem with how most companies are going to market - they skip right over the problem they solve.

We need to approach the problem we solve for our customers from a new perspective.

We believe customer problems define market categories that demand product solutions and brands to create those solutions. In other words, all market value depends on the size of the problem you solve.

Instead of identifying ourselves as brand-led, product-led, or customer-led, companies that succeed will be those who define themselves as problem-led.

The problem with brand-led companies is that they end up spineless, telling whatever story is necessary to close the next deal or satisfy the next internal whim. Eventually, they grow to a specific size, realize nothing is holding them together, and implode. Money is great; the right money is better. A beautiful brand is great; a coherent, mission-driven brand is better.

The problem with product-led companies is that they create great stories within their own four walls. They're just like the online troll who lives in his mom's basement but considers himself a Maserati aficionado and a dating expert - their sense of grandeur is delusional. Our job as marketers is to study our customers and discover what interests them, uncover the questions keeping them up at night, and build products that answer them.

The difference between customer-led and problem-led is that if you are going to be in business, your customer cannot have all the answers. Sure, they need you to understand what they are trying to do, but it is a mistake to be fully customer-led. The problem is that most people can’t imagine a future they are not actively experiencing, and asking customers what they want is a good way to lose your market position.

Our customers need us to have ideas about where we are taking them; they need us to build new products to support them on their journey. They need you to create new categories and new lenses on business. They need you to be problem-led.