What are the pros and cons of hiring a traditional CPG marketer vs. a Service Marketer?
CPG examples - P&G, Unilever, Kraft
Service examples - iTunes, Scottrade, Netflix
Clarification added February 9, 2009:
More specifically, what is the rationale you are using to make this decision.
Good Answers (3)
Matt G.
Managing Partner MICA Consulting - Marketing Interactive Creative Advertising recruiting and consutling firm
Best Answers in: Staffing and Recruiting (2), Compensation and Benefits (1), Advertising (1)
Alan,
Tough question - The necessity to qualify past performances and the other integral parts of the hiring process can't be overlooked, but on a macro level this is MHO.
The traditional service marketer is able to move left to right brain more fluidly, based on the career choice to associate themselves with something that is fundamentally "untouchable". The career progression of being successful in any one of your service company examples shows a high level of measurement as well as creativity. In my experience, the ability to think on both sides of the brain has become integral to any top performing marketing exec.
Your service examples are really consumer products in that they are tangible goods. However, to answer your question: a traditional CPG marketer is usually working with a tangible product of defined value and generally a defined brand image. He/she is used to dealing with measureable goals and defining strategies against share of market objectives. Tactical tools are known and also quantifiable, such as promotions, packaging, collateral support. A good CPG marketer knows how to use these tools to best effect. On the other hand, a service marketer is selling something that is usually very intangible and tough to measure in terms of cost and value to its intended users. As Matt says, there is more need for both the left and right side of brain to come up with strategies and programs that will be of relevance to the user. In my experience, successful marketers of intangible services can more easily and effectively cross over to traditional product marketing. It is much harder for a traditional CPG marketer to cross over to selling intangible services.
Regina J.
Sales, Marketing and Operations Turnaround/Growth Executive
Best Answers in: Viral Marketing (1), Lead Generation (1), Using LinkedIn (1)
Those marketers who gravitate towards CPG tend to prefer to be able to put their hands on their product. Their product marketing is focused on small differences or virtually no differences except for cosmetic different intheir product (e.g. cereal). Hence, they come up with branding and all these nifty characters like Tony the Tiger. The sales cycle for these products is very short and the dollar amount is low, and volume is the name of the game.
The service marketers typically does not enjoy CPG marketing because they prefer the challenge of marketing services, and like how they have to get the target audience to wrap their minds around their services. Marketing is not easily focused on the service itself but the concept or benefit behind it. Copywriting is more challenging. The sales cycle can be long (for million dollar sales) or short (low ticket item), and this also gets you 2 segments of different marketers. A person who does not like a long sales cycle will gravitate towards the lower ticket item. In addition, the long sales cycle also usually means a greater complexity to the service which is not what every marketer can handle.
To hire the best candidate, you need to determine fit in the type of marketer based on whether your firm's product is simple or complex, has a long or short sales cycle, and has tangible or intangible benefits.
