From a marketing perspective, a product or service cannot exist in a vacuum. It only becomes a viable, marketable asset when bundled with its price, positioning, and the overall brand image built around it.
To sell successfully, we must first understand how consumers perceive our offers. Not all products are viewed equally; depending on the consumer’s needs, a product can be an absolute necessity, a convenience, or a non-essential luxury item.
The Golden Rule of Product Policy: Before trying to sell anything, you must clearly define who needs it and who has the means—and willingness—to buy it.
Perception of necessity is entirely subjective. For a software developer, a high-performance computer is an absolute necessity and a core tool of the trade. For an agricultural worker, however, that same computer sits much lower on the priority list. This is why precisely defining your target audience is non-negotiable.
The Three Dimensions of Quality
When analyzing the quality of our product, we must distinguish between three distinct marketing dimensions:
- Objective Quality: The tangible, undeniable technical specifications of the product, including its features, parameters, and physical packaging.
- Subjective Quality: The product’s value as perceived through the eyes of the consumer. This measures how effectively the product satisfies the specific emotional and functional needs of the customer.
- Economic Quality: Unless we are dealing with pure luxury goods, consumers will always evaluate value for money. They look for products or services that provide the longest possible lifespan with the lowest possible maintenance or ongoing costs. (This dimension directly bridges into pricing policy).
Steps to a Successful Product Launch
Once you have established what you are selling and who your audience is, the product must be refined to its optimal form. It is highly recommended to test your offering—ideally within a controlled test market—before executing a full-scale launch.
When introducing a new product to the market, stellar marketing campaigns must be backed by rock-solid logistics: you must secure a sufficient initial stock and ensure that the product is seamlessly accessible to your customers.
So, what comes next after entering the market? Find out in our upcoming article!