Marketer's Mantra: Obsolete Thyself!

Michelle Ellis has a mantra for Internet marketers and visionaries: Obsoletethyself. Obsolete thyself. Obsolete thyself.

Probably the most painful checkup, next to visiting the dentist, is the iMarketing checkup. What’s that mean? Let me explain.

I belong to an Internet marketing discussion group, and recently someone asked if Theodore Levitt’s railroad analogy still holds true in today’s Internet world, or if the Internet and IT have changed the rules. Having earned my MBA several years ago, that concept was about the only thing I remember from my graduate marketing class.

The principle is simple. About four decades ago, Levitt wrote about how the railroad industry suffered from marketing myopia, or marketing short-sightedness. The railroad industry believed that it was the end-all/be-all form of transportation, and it failed to realize that automobiles, trucks, and airplanes could eventually become viable forms of transportation.

The railroad industry was severely devastated because it failed to obsolete itself; it failed to evolve as the needs of their customers evolved.

The moral of the story is a classic marketing principle that everyoneshould begin to use as a daily mantra — I know I do. Obsolete thyself. Obsolete thyself. Obsolete thyself. You must obsolete your business before your competitor does.

To answer the question on the viability of Levitt’s thesis: Yes, it still applies and always will. Especially in the Internet world, where we see obsolescence happening as we speak.

Will e-commerce obsolete the brick-and-mortar store? There is no telling. Will e-commerce severely devastate the traditional store? Ask Amazon.com.

The very process of rewriting the rules leading to e-commerce and e-business and beyond is precisely the principle of obsolescence in action. So all you marketing visionaries, flex those x-ray vision muscles, and let’s get the proper perspective on what lies ahead of us.

But let’s not stop here, because there will always be something coming up to obsolete what we are doing in e-commerce and e-business today. It hasn’t been invented yet, but it will be.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior
Whitepaper | Mobile

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people
Whitepaper | Digital Marketing

Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy
Report | Digital Transformation

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

1m

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource