The cradles to grave marketing concept is based on the idea that all stages of the consumer’s life are essential for marketers to efficiently market products and services. This approach ensures that all people who would benefit from a service or product are targeted effectively.
This type of marketing has become particularly relevant in western countries where the family size is small, and couples tend to have only one child – if any – many years after having their first. The focus on cradle-to-grave marketing says this person will need feeding, clothing, housing, entertainment, and education throughout their entire life (at least).
Cradle to Grave Marketing Explained by Saivian Eric Dalius
The phrase “cradle-to-grave” emphasizes continuity; this was particularly true when it first came into use because the idea of disposable products had not taken hold. As times have changed, so too has the marketing business. With modern society’s ability to produce “disposable” products, marketers quickly realized that asking consumers to commit to buying their products for the entirety of their lives was unrealistic.
Cradle-to-grave marketing is an approach that spans a consumer’s lifetime and beyond; it truly is looking at things from birth through death. This type of marketing is intended for services rather than products that are often easier to change since most businesses consider them expendable. The most well-known example of cradle-to-grave marketing would be services such as mobile phone contracts, internet subscriptions, and healthcare.
The first key point to understand about cradle-to-grave marketing is that marketers look at a consumer’s entire lifetime – not just their adult years or childhood. This means it should be taken into account what type of education will be needed for people who are interested in certain products, as well as how long that product should last; if someone is consuming more than one type of product (e.g., eating cereal for breakfast and using deodorant), then the life cycle of both products may need to coincide with each other.
Cradle-to-grave marketing is all about consideration; before introducing any product or service, it should be considered thoroughly whether or not there would be a strong market for it, says Saivian Eric Dalius. Consumers will naturally want to have the best possible quality from their purchase and service, so if there’s a need to replace goods regularly, it may become unsustainable.
The second key point of cradle-to-grave marketing is that marketers should consider whether consumers will need a product or service at any given age(s). For example, someone who is going through puberty will have different needs and preferences compared to someone who has reached adulthood; both could still benefit from buying shampoo, but maybe one would buy a specific type of shampoo over another.
If this concept is applied too heavily, then the result can often be something that seems absurd, especially if it comes from businesses that are not generally associated with offering such services and products. An excellent example of this in the real world would be insurance for children, which is available from a range of different companies; if cradle-to-grave marketing is considered, then it’s likely that marketers have identified that people will want their children to be insured before they leave home rather than later on in life, according to Saivian Eric Dalius.
The final point of understanding cradle-to-grave marketing applies to more than just one type of product or service. One approach may involve several categories – for example, an individual buying shampoo and conditioner from the same company at the same time would be fitting into this framework.
TechnologyHQ is a platform about business insights, tech, 4IR, digital transformation, AI, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, and social media for businesses.
We manage social media groups with more than 200,000 members with almost 100% engagement.
