Marketing is different from what it once was. Its concept has exponentially evolved over the decades. Marketing has reached a new level with the advent of professional translation services. And it has become a tool for firms to penetrate foreign markets. So let us describe each era, meanwhile highlighting the role of translation companies.
Let us review the major milestones in the evolution of the marketing concept.
Production Era And Technical Translation
In this era, the focus of companies was to produce at a large scale to meet consumers’ demand because it was assumed that the consumers were most interested in product availability and price. And not necessarily the features of the product. Hence, we saw organizations focused on high production with low costs and mass distributions.
People craved mass-produced goods. Therefore, the companies of that era often disregarded sales and marketing.
Example:
The Waltham Watch Company
During the 1850s, we saw that the Waltham watch company utilized division of labor to produce watches at a massive scale. Moreover, technical translation services played an important role in this scenario. They allow Waltham to distribute technical content to their workers in different languages.
The Ford Motor Company
The Ford motor company implemented the ‘production concept.’ It focused on producing automobiles in large quantities but using only standardized components. This allowed them to achieve greater efficiency and diminished costs.
The key factor in Ford’s implementation of the production concept was the development of the assembly line. In 1913, Ford introduced the first moving assembly line. It allowed for the mass production of automobiles much faster than ever before. By using standardized parts and a continuous production flow, Ford reduced the time required to assemble a car from 12 hours to just 93 minutes.
On the other hand, we also witnessed an important part played by technical and engineering translation services. The LPSs ensured that the workers who spoke a different language could understand the instructions, so they didn’t stop the production flow.
The Sales Era And Business Translation
In the sales era, we saw the focus was on selling. And companies began to invest more in sales and promotion. Eventually, a more sophisticated form of marketing was brought into the picture vis-a-vis mass advertising and branding to differentiate products.
Example;
Procter & Gamble
P&G’s focus on the selling concept can be traced back to the early 20th century when the company struggled to sell its Ivory soap. Ivory soap was a high-quality product at the time, but it was not selling well. P&G realized it needed to create demand for the product and started using innovative marketing techniques to promote it.
One of the most successful marketing techniques P&G employed was creating a strong brand image for Ivory soap. The company used print advertisements and other forms of marketing to promote the product and created a recognizable brand identity that consumers could easily identify. Moreover, P&G utilized business translation services. They were able to offer translations of their advertisements in multiple languages so that a wide number of consumers could be engaged.
Marketing Department And Document Translation
In this era, companies began establishing legal marketing departments and developing marketing strategies to increase sales. The emphasis was on understanding consumer needs and developing products that met those needs.
Example:
Coca Cola
In the early 1950s, Coca-Cola began working with advertising agencies to create new advertising campaigns that would appeal to a wider audience. One of the most successful campaigns of this era was the “Things Go Better with Coke” campaign, which used catchy jingles to promote Coca-Cola as a refreshing and fun drink. Furthermore, Coca-Cola took advantage of professional document translation services. These agencies were able to translate Coca-Cola’s advertising campaigns into multiple languages.
Marketing Company And Translation Services
In the marketing company era, we saw that companies began to view marketing as a key function that needed to be integrated into all aspects of the business. The goal was to create a “marketing company” that was customer-focused and market-driven. Meanwhile, professional business translation services enable a company to translate product offerings into the consumer’s native language.
Example:
Johnson & Johnson
During the 1960s to the 1980s, Johnson & Johnson underwent a significant transformation in their marketing strategy, which led them to be known as a “marketing company” rather than a healthcare company.
They invested heavily in marketing campaigns, advertising, and public relations to achieve this. They also strongly emphasized product development and innovation, ensuring that their products met the needs of their target customers and had a competitive edge in the market. Moreover, they took assistance from the best translation services company of that time to ensure their marketing campaigns were available worldwide to all kinds of consumers.
Conclusion
In this article, we highlighted the evolution of the marketing concept. And they discussed the role of translation services along the way. However, the important thing to understand is that the natural progression of the marketing concept was toward the consumer-centric concept. And that’s what every firm aims to do, i.e., to ensure their customer is satisfied with their offering.