So, What Is This Thing Called Edumarketing?

We Live in a Society driven by information.Today, your customers are likely to hold you to
Information provides the building blocks uponvery high standards when it comes to providing
which knowledge is constructed. Today,them data and information necessary for them
knowledge is the real currency of business-thecreate knowledge and understanding. Ultimately
stimulus that drives our economy and thus ourhelping them make the best purchase possible.
livelihoods.Education based marketing, edumarketing,
Two of the most revered thinkers of the pastprovides an opportunity for the marketing
100 years, Peter Drucker and Philip Kotler, werecommunicator to connect with customers in a
clear in their characterization of the contemporaryway centered that delivers high-percieved value.
business environment. That is, we now live in aInstead of overwhelming people with a
knowledge society.self-inflated message, the marketing
Peter Drucker noted this transformation in hiscommunicator presents an educational basis for
book The Post Capitalist Society, exhorting, "Thathelping the customer find the proper solution to
knowledge has become the resource, rather thantheir idiosyncratic issue. And this changes the way
a resource. Further, "This factyou create and exchange messages about your
changes-fundamentally-the structure of society."products and services.
According to Kotler "the passage from anHow does it work?
Industrial Economy into an Informational EconomyThe main task for marketing communicators has
is introducing new considerations that question thebecome every bit as much that of an educator
suitability of conventional marketing thinking inas it is an informer and entertainer. Certainly a
developing today's and tomorrow's marketinggreat many consumer products will continue down
strategies."the path of least resistance-that is, to simply
Why Edumarketing?entertain in the hopes of building brand image or
The past ten years have seen tremendousmanipulating one-time sales.
tumult in the field of marketing. We live in aHowever, what is quickly becoming a prominent
media-rich world in which information bombards uspart of the marketer's tool kit is the use of
from all angles. In his compelling book, Influence:educational techniques to help build loyalty resulting
The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdiniin sales.
states, "You and I exist in an extraordinarilyTake for example the ordinary cereal box.
complicated stimulus environment, easily the mostCheerios adorns its box with its "Heart Healthy"
rapidly moving and complex that has ever existededucational messages. Cheerios uses the cereal
on this planet."box to educate customers on the issue of
These views suitably describe the world we livecholesterol and, of course, how Cheerios can be a
in, where information and knowledge are centralpart of reducing cholesterol.
to our existence. The advent of computers, theThis new approach to marketing relies on
Internet, wireless communication, and othereducating the customer, and for that different
technologies are presenting new opportunities forprinciples of marketing apply. The new marketer
marketing practitioners.must understand principles of learning and for
One of the areas is that of partnering withsophisticated products and services-get
customers, both business-to-business andthis...learning theory.
business-to-consumer, to create a learningAnother example, small industrial detergent maker
experience in which the customer learns-both howChemStation ( supplies thousands of products in
to better define their problem and how to besthundreds of industries. ChemStation sells industrial
solve this problem.cleaning chemical to a wide variety of business
In this new reality, it's the customer who, for thecustomers, ranging from car washes to the U.S.
most part, runs the show.Air Force. Whether a customer is washing down a
Customers are using technology to learn aboutfleet or a factory, a store or a restaurant,
the company behind the product and servicesChemStation comes up with the right cleaning
they purchase along with dissecting everysolution every time.
element of the product via self-education-and thatChemStation partners with customers working
fundamentally changes everything.with them to custom-design solutions to their
Capturing the customer's attention is no longerunique cleaning problems. ChemStation works with
possible by simply putting your message "outeach individual customer to concoct a soap
there." An emphasis on knowledge creation callsformula specially designed for that customer.
for bold changes.This works because many business buyers prefer
What has to change? The way you communicate.to buy a packaged solution to a problem from a
The fast pace of today's marketplace-whateversingle seller. ChemStation sells its intellectual
your industry-has changed the way customerscapabilities to firms that need solutions.
want to do business. Marketing has become lessAnother firm that excels in the edumarketing
about pushing messages out to people, and morearena is Butterball, a leader in the marketing and
about empowering them to make informedselling of turkeys. Customers can visit the
purchase decisions.Butterball web site ( for information on cooking
Rather than engaging in a manipulative process,and carving a turkey.
marketing communicators should look to informButterball's web site receives over 500,000
and educate potential customers, providing themvisitors during the Thanksgiving week accessing
with insight and information they need to make anits timely features and tips. However, the
intelligent decision. Doing this is the new way ofdedication to education is found in the fact that
building customer loyalty.the Butterball help line (1-800-BUTTTERBALL) is
This paper discusses a new method ofstaffed by 50 home economists and nutritionists
understanding and influencing the customerwho respond to more than 100,000 questions
through communications that inform and influence.each November and December.
This method is called edumarketing.BMW has capitalized on its edumarketing
Edumarketing is the activity initiated by acapabilities. They offer an exiting a training
company that is designed to influence changes inprogram for young drivers. As a part of its
knowledge, skills, or attitudes of"Ultimate Driving Experience" tour, BMW offers to
customers-whether individuals, groups, orteach people how to drive their cars-at fast
communities.speeds! The offer: "Experienced professional
Cognitive psychology, and particularly researchdrivers will be on hand to guide you through a
dealing with how people learn, tells us that peoplevariety of exhilarating driving techniques designed
use existing perceptual filters and mentalto hone your abilities - and make you a safer,
representations when making decisions.more confident driver. " The benefit: Drivers
Numerous studies verify that thinking involvesturned on by their new driving capabilities and
three constructive elements-that together driveready to engage in a conversation about how to
they way people learn. These elements areintegrate these capabilities into their daily driving
cognition, emotion, and the context in which thehabits.
thinking takes place.Gone are the days when advertisers could simply
Edumarketing emphasises influencing the path totell the world about their new and wonderful
purchase using education-based marketing thatproduct or service. Today's customers are smart.
informs, instructs and educates. Weaving togetherThey have access to information from a wide
the cognitive, emotional and social components ofrange of sources-and they use it. Firms must go
learning.beyond the simple show-and-tell of yesteryear.