St. Luke's It would be easy to diss the everyday practice of Marketing, so we won't dwell on the subject - for long. As if bananas were primarily intended for some other purpose. Silliness aside, we believe that the key tenets of the Marketing Age are what is holding business back from competing in the Creative Age. Customers can't possibly tell you how they will respond to something they've not seen before. When you're designing a new car, you may be three, four or even five years ahead of the market.
Consumers tend to filter their research responses through what they know already.
Which is why European cars have all looked the same until recently. Bold design informed by the consumer not led by them. Which is not at all useful. It is asking the wrong questions of the wrong people. One of the results of the success of the marketing revolution has been that businesses have realised that brands are important.