Operating in complex markets often requires collaboration with other businesses to satisfy a customer’s whole need. This is nothing new. Geoffrey Moore wrote about the importance of whole product marketing in his seminal book Crossing the Chasm. Regis McKenna is credited with coining the phrase “whole product”, but it was Moore who popularised and expanded on it (you can find more info here).
For purists and academics, Kotler’s five product level model offers very similar insight and Davidow’s 1983 book The Marketing Imagination also introduced the whole product concept. If you can help untangle who created what first, why not contact me?
Anyhow... just about any decent marketer in the tech sector, which is well-known for being steeped in complexity, will know that complex customer needs are seldom solved by a single vendor. That’s why whole product marketing matters and why most vendors are already doing it with their channel partners, even if they haven't coined it as such.
I wanted to explore this more, so, Unicorny invited Don Campbell, Head of Alliance and Partner Marketing at superfast growth technology company Endava, to talk to us in the studio. You can hear the full interview here.
Four parts to the whole product
Moore outlined four different parts to the whole product; the core product, the expected product, the augmented product, and the potential product.
Let's illustrate whole product marketing concept using an enterprise MIS platform as an example. I asked GPT to help me generate this content and I’m publishing it unedited, but italicised, as I think it’s pretty good for our purposes.
Core Product
The core product is the basic MIS platform that allows an organisation to collect, store, and manage data, and generate reports. It includes essential features like data management, reporting, and analytics capabilities.
Expected Product
These are the features that organisations usually expect from an MIS platform. These could include user-friendly interface, data security, real-time data updates, integration capabilities with other software and systems, and customisation options to fit the organisation's specific needs.
Augmented Product
These are the additional features or services that differentiate the MIS platform from competitors. For example, offering a dedicated customer support team, advanced data analytics capabilities, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) integration for predictive analytics, or mobile access for remote work scenarios.
Potential Product
These are the transformations and additions that the MIS platform might go through in the future. For example, the platform could be updated with new features such as advanced data visualization tools, integration with emerging technologies like blockchain, or enhanced customization options based on customer feedback and evolving market needs.
The approach to take with Whole Product Marketing
Crossing the Chasm was written in 1990 and published in 1991. That’s almost 17 years before the concept of DevOps was born and 11 years before agile. Yet, many of the principles that drive whole product marketing look and sound very similar to DevOps and agile principles.
Here’s the headline info.
Understanding the Customer Needs
A thorough understanding of the organization's needs is essential. This could involve conducting surveys, interviews, or focus groups with potential customers to understand their pain points, expectations, and requirements.
Product Development
Developing a product that not only meets the core and expected needs of the customers but also includes augmented features that differentiate it from competitors.
Communicating the Value
Marketing communications should not only focus on the core and expected product features but also highlight the augmented and potential aspects of the product. This could be done through various channels like the company website, brochures, online ads, webinars, and case studies.
Customer Support and Feedback
Providing excellent customer support and actively seeking and acting on customer feedback to continuously improve the product and add new features that address emerging needs.
By addressing all these aspects, a company can effectively market its MIS platform as a complete solution that meets the current and future needs of an organization, differentiates it from competitors, and ultimately delivers more value to the customer.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, many vendors will already be using a version of whole product marketing. But, because many don't study the work of Moore and others, they may be taking a evolutionary rather than a planned approach to their partnerships.
If you'd like to find out more about this subject area, why not get in touch?
