Marketing 2.0: Customer-Oriented Marketing (4C) Era, was the second stage of modern marketing. It began at the end of the 20th century from the 1990s which was called the customer-oriented era.

Time enters the 1990s, which is the era of computers and an era of more intense competition. At this time, due to the explosive growth of the number of products of the same type, enterprises may not be able to sell their products when they are produced and put into the market. Only products that meet the needs of consumers can sell well. Therefore, enterprises should care about what consumers want. Instead of just caring about what you want to sell. The concept of 4C came into being.

4C is the abbreviation of the four English words Customer (Customer), Cost (Cost), Convenience (Convenience), and Communication (Communication). These four words inherit the 4P concept one-to-one to adapt the new marketing era with customer-oriented.

First, customer thinking inherited product thinking. Product thinking assumes that products are known and immutable, while customer thinking assumes that products are variable, and may not even appear at all. Enterprises need to understand what customers need before producing the products that customers need. Because the concept of customers includes all kinds of people, it is impossible for a product to meet all the requirements of customers, so another concept derived from customer thinking – Market Segmentation, which means that companies do not pay attention to all Customers, but a “customer group” or a group of “target customers” of specific attributes.

Second, cost thinking inherited price thinking. Due to the development of the economy, the number of competing companies has gradually increased, and many similar products have appeared on the market. Therefore, manufacturers are no longer in a state of exclusive monopoly but need to face many competitors. At this time, the price of the product is no longer decided by the manufacturer but should be set around the needs of the customer group in terms of price, function, and design. Enterprises should consider which functions the product can achieve and which customers it can satisfy under different cost structures. Therefore, cost thinking is also customer-centric thinking.

Third, the convenience of 4C has inherited the channel of 4P. At this time, consumers have more and more similar choices in the market, and the right to speak is more biased toward consumers. Therefore, companies no longer choose a particular channel to ensure that customer needs are met, but prioritize customer convenience. Suppose your business belongs to the auto repair and maintenance industry. At this time, you can’t just consider where to set up a car repair shop for cheap rent, but you must consider where your customers are. Even if you have opened a repair shop nearby, you also need to consider other convenient customer practices. If it is not convenient for the customer to come to the store, you may have to go to the customer’s home or office to pick up the car, drive the car directly to the auto repair shop, and return it to the customer after it is repaired.

Fourth, 4C communication inherited 4P promotion. Promotion is one-way, which is the process of generating information or promotion plans through enterprises and delivering them to customers, while the concept of 4C communication emphasizes two-way communication. Enterprises no longer push information unilaterally, but need to listen to customers’ opinions, so that Both parties understand each other better and form healthy communication with customers.

There is also a well-known key synonym for this era, which is called “the era of the brand”. At this time, the marketing focus of the enterprise is to create the mental positioning of consumers, that is, the building of the brand and the communication of brand value. For example, the slogans that hit people mind like, “Impossible is nothing. (Adidas)”, “The world’s local bank. (HSBC)”, “Just do it. (Nike)”, “Think different. (Apple)”, or “Just 15 minutes” for a pizza bakery, and those are all very representative 4C marketing activities.