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One of my favorite marketing articles is "Marketing Malpractice: The Cause and the Cure," written by innovation guru Clayton M. Christensen, Intuit cofounder Scott Cook, and Taddy Hall of the Advertising Research Foundation.

Published in the December 2005 issue of Harvard Business Review, the article teaches important lessons about developing and differentiating products in today's crowded markets, including crafting the most effective messages.

Wrong From the Start

Christensen and his coauthors point out that product developers and marketers often set themselves up for failure right from the start by defining target segments in terms of customer types (contractors, homeowners, small businesses, large corporations) instead of customer needs. To develop and promote products that make headway in crowded markets—or even expand markets—companies should focus on the "job" that customers want accomplished.

Their article expands on the legendary observation made by Harvard Business School marketing professor Ted Levitt: People don't want a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.

Almost every marketer has heard this maxim, but many fail to act on it.

The Right Approach

Look at the "job" performed by McDonald's shakes, the authors write. Observing and interviewing shake buyers and sales patterns, researchers found that a surprising number of shake sales were made during breakfast hours. Researchers discovered that many people who bought these morning shakes had long, boring commutes and needed something that would last most of their commute so they wouldn't be hungry again at 10 a.m.

In other words, these customers bought the shakes to perform a specific job: to satisfy their hunger and allay their boredom while being quick and convenient to purchase and easy to consume behind the wheel.

Christensen and his coauthors give examples of what McDonald's might do to improve its shakes' performance of this "job" and hence increase morning shake sales: Include fruit to make people feel more positive about the shakes' nutritional value. Sell prepaid cards to speed checkout, and include a card dispenser next to the register. No doubt you can come up with a few ideas yourself.

"Wait just a minute," you're thinking, "Didn't they end up with a new customer segment—long-distance morning commuters?" Absolutely. Their point is that the conventional way of slicing and dicing customers into segments overlooks opportunities. By homing in on a cluster of customers united by the "job" they use your product for, you have a better chance of finding an untapped segment.

What's more, the "jobs" approach advocated by Christensen, Cook, and Hall not only helps in designing better products but also lends crucial insight into the best way to promote products.

Building Brand Equity

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathryn Roy is managing partner of Precision Thinking (www.precisionthinking.com), a consulting firm helping B2B technology companies boost the effectiveness of their marketing and sales organizations. Reach her via Kathryn@precisionthinking.com or Twitter (@karoy1).