Core

A dog-meal company was holding its annual convention. The Advertising Director spoke of an interesting new retail scheme that would ‘revolutionize the industry’. The Marketing Director extolled the company’s decision to introduce the latest state-of-the-art refresher-training program for ‘the best damned sales force in the business.’

Finally, the CEO rose to make his remarks, ‘we heard from all our Departmental Heads about their wonderful plans. I have only one question. If we have the best advertising, the best marketing and the best damn sales force in the business, how the hell do we sell less dog food than everyone else?’

The silence in the Convention Hall was broken by a small voice from the back of the room: ‘Because the dogs hate it!’

While packaging, promotion, positioning and projection are crucial to ensure value to the product, the eminence of the produce cannot be ignored. But so often we forget the main thing and focus on the marketing only. It is important to ensure the surface wrapper does not hold within a hollow or lesser core.

The core is the foundational part which is primary over the secondary enveloping parts. For an individual, core character is more important than clothing and other drapes. For a team, core synergy remains higher than aesthetics and apparel. For a community project, core purpose is greater than public relations or publicity.

Of course, the envelope can empower the core. But it is pertinent to note that the surface packaging cannot override the core. Otherwise, we will focus only on the surface and ignore the fundamental forte. Hence, we should focus on values, vision and purpose so that we, and the casing, remain centrally aligned to a strong core.

Focus on the core first and then the casing…

Sans strong roots, shoots struggle in rising!

~ Pravin Sabnis