Final Project Report: 10 Deadly Sins of Marketing

Running Head: THE DEADLY SINS OF MARKETING 1
Mutinta Siamuyoba
The 10 Deadly Sins of Marketing
EBS 5041/ Marketing for Managers
July 2021
Dr. Ayansola Ayandibu
September 12, 2021

THE DEADLY SINS OF MARKETING 2
Kotler and Keller’s 10 Deadly Sins of Marketing
In their study, Kotler and Keller (2016) identified the 10 deadly sins of marketing that
organizations must look out for to combat ineffectiveness or weakness in the development and
implementation of organizational marketing strategy. This study will concentrate on five of the
ten deadly sins of marketing identified.
Your company is not sufficiently market-focused and customer-driven
When a company is not sufficiently market-focused and customer-driven, it exhibits poor
market segment identification, inappropriate market segment prioritization, a lack of market
segment managers, employees who believe that dealing with customers is the responsibility of
marketing and sales, and no incentive to treat customers well.
Most products are heavily market and customer-reliant, and losing this focus can cost a
company a critical differentiation or aspect of competing in a global market. This is especially
true for high-tech products, where market conditions are highly volatile and product focus is
heavily influenced by trends and purchasing behavior. For instance, when Apple releases a new
and latest model encompassing certain features that appeal to customers, Samsung will come up
with a rather similar product to compete with the competitor products. Being market-focused
shows that a company must actively monitor the changes in customer buying patterns and react
to meet that demand. However, new products that are driven by technological innovations rather
than customer needs may fail to make a significant impact in the business world. Companies
must therefore incorporate customer focus into their product development and design to pay
close attention to the needs of their customers. This is what will and can drive long-term business
success. When products are geared towards customers, marketing must follow to ensure that
goods/services are marketed to the appropriate audience. Using the voice of the customer,

THE DEADLY SINS OF MARKETING 3
surveys, feedback tools and so on- is a good way to gain valuable insight into what customers
want, which can ultimately determine the firm’s direction (Dugal and Schroeder, 1995).
To solve this marketing problem of a company not sufficiently focusing on its markets
and not being customer-driven, companies must use advanced market segmentation techniques,
prioritize relevant segments of the market, and utilize a specialized Salesforce. A clear system of
company values should be developed, and employees should be encouraged to think more
customer-focused. A company should also make it as simple as possible for customers to contact
the company and respond to any inquiries.
Lanning and Phillips (1989) suggested five key steps an organization must take to
become market-focused. At the outset, the organization must understand the principles and
concepts of market focus. Only by intellectually and emotionally accepting this philosophy can
an organization prepare to climb these steps:
1. Segment the market by value delivery system.
2. Select the value delivery system to execute.
3. Formalize that decision in the business plan, each structured by the value delivery
system.
4. Execute and monitor these value delivery systems.
5. Build capabilities required for future imposition.
Your Company Does Not Fully Understand Its Target Customers
The business has no idea who its ideal customer is. The most recent customer survey was
conducted a few years ago. Customers are not buying as much of the product as they used to, and
competitors' products are selling better. Numerous customer returns and complaints have been
received.