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I have always believed that when there are two opposing viewpoints, and they are primarily centered around belief systems, that the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. Such is the case, I believe with this debate. On one hand you have those who primarily see marketing as merely the promoting, and in most cases pushing, a certain product, concept, or value onto an unwilling, or at least unprepared, consumer. On the other hand you have those who describe marketing as merely the process through which value is created for a consumer by various means of communication.

Who is right?

Well, I am going to plant myself firmly on the fence here, at least for the moment. I can see both sides of the argument. As a consumer I feel that sometimes I am being told that I want, or at least should want, certain things:

• Beer commercials promote a lifestyle that appears on the surface to be exciting and glamorous, something, at least superficially, that I may want;
• Sports related shoe commercials seem to promise me that I will perform better if I wear their shoes;
• While diet products suggest that by merely consuming them I will lose weight, be more attractive to the opposite sex, and get that promotion I have been wanting.

All of these point me to a want, or need, that I may have not realized I had.

Now I will jump off the fence.

The problem here lies in what we perceive marketing to be. One of the myths in the recent epic of marketing suggests marketing is nothing more than promoting, or advertising a product.

Marketing, however, is not synonymous with Advertising.

It is a communication process; in effect, almost an educational process for both the consumer and the organization.

My ‘need’, or want, to be a better athlete comes from within me. Nike is merely exploiting that desire.

Advertising is just one small piece of an entire process. To blame the whole marketing process for my ‘wanting’ to acquire a product or lifestyle, based on an advertisement, is ignoring the other processes involved in developing the whole concept.

Suggesting that my ‘needs’ are driven by advertising also takes personal responsibility out of the equation. I make the decision as to whether or not I am going to purchase the product, or pursue the lifestyle.

I am not forced by the advertising to do that. Nike, or any other organization, has simply done their homework, and determined that there is a desire for the image that their product represents.

James Stephenson is an IT and Business Consultant with over 25 year of experience.

His firm specializes in helping small to medium sized businesses use their information technology and business resources effectively.

He can be reached through his websites and blogs at:
http://www.scc-i.com
http://consultingvision.blogspot.com

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Microsoft Word 2003 has this great and foolproof functionality to create borders and shades with which you can whip up your own stationeries and fliers in no time.

For example, let’s say you have an import-export business and you’d like to create a stationery that visually signals a world-wide involvement.

1) Create a blank new document (File > New > Blank Document).

2) Select Format > Borders and Shading… from the main menu. (Word menu options that display a dialog box are always followed by an ellipsis — three dots).

3) In the PREVIEW box on the right, click the left top button, displaying a selected TOP BORDER.

4) From the ART drop-down list at the bottom center, select the WORLD GLOBE clip art.

5) To make each individual shape smaller or larger, use the WIDTH field.

6) To have a FRAME all around your stationery made up of the same clip art, select BOX option from the SETTING list on the left.

7) Under the top border, type in your business name, contact info, and all the other relevant information.

To add a background color to your text, use the SHADING tab.

9) Save your document as a Document Template (.dot) and you are done.

Try all the other options in the ART drop-down list. I especially like the STARS and other GEOMETRIC borders further down the list. They make an eye-catching graphic addition to your document that will never fail to grab interest.

Borders and Shading is great to create garage sale flyers and small business brochures too. Try and find out for your self all the endless ways in which this functionality can help you design your own marketing materials.

Ugur Akinci PhD is the author of “101 Ways to Power-Up Your Writing” – Tips and Advice from a Fortune 500 Writer.

He offers free writing tips through his email newsletter. Subscribe today at http://www.writer111.com and claim your free gift!

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