Cosine Field Marketing Agency of the Year 2011

Field marketing is a traditional discipline and yet one of the few growing industries in a recession-ravaged UK. With the increased use of new media and the growing popularity of smartphones, it's more difficult than ever for businesses to attract new customers, and even more difficult to ensure customer loyalty when they have. Field marketing is a proven and effective way of improving brand experience, helping businesses to understand the changing needs of their clients and ensuring that they meet consumer expectations. Cosine field marketing is just one of the many field marketing agencies that are designed to help companies adapt and evolve in a market place that is both highly competitive and constantly in a state of flux. There are numerous disciplines involved, and these may be used individually or combined to ensure a specific and agreed return on revenue expenditure. These disciplines may include or combine any of the following- mystery shopping, highly targeted direct selling, the promotion of brand opportunities, sampling and demonstration and organising events and roadshows, to name but a few. All are designed to develop the relationship between the consumer and a specific brand, enhancing their experience of the brand in the process. You can split marketing into two types; the old marketing mix (the four P's) and the new marketing mix (the four C's). The old idea is based on the idea of marketing being a series of functions, each one capable of working in isolation. The four P's approach is based on a business structure and therefore does not prioritise the relationship between brand and consumer. This perspective is simply not synonymous with the marketing needs of the average consumer in the 21st century. However when you look at the four P's from a customer's point of view (this practice is known as self-recognition criteria) then what you end up with is the four C's; these being cost, convenience of buying, concept, communication, customer relationship and consistency. The success of this marketing strategy lies in the fact that a customer's needs are seen as everyone's concern. Each mechanism of the marketing machine has a part to play, so that every time a customer comes into contact with your brand, the consumer/brand relationship can be developed further. This is particularly important in a time when customers are demanding more from products and brands than ever. Consumers are informed in a way that they simply were not back when the four P's approach was the dominant marketing strategy. They demand far more from products, brands and services and the old approach simply do not meet these expectations. One of the main reasons for this is the rigidity of the former approach. If a particular marketing strategy used for one firm was successful, then the same model would be used again, even if targeting a completely different audience. This failure to recognise consumers as individuals ultimately means failure to successfully market your brand. Each person is affected by their social environment, childhood, education and life experiences; and no two will ever be the same. This highlights the importance of developing marketing plans based specifically on the needs of your client, and not relying on a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. The most difficult task that any firm faces when trying to develop a brand is managing to occupy and just as importantly, to retain a place in a customers mind, if a firm can successfully achieve this ownership then half the battle is already won.