September 98 - Governments Ponder the Magic of Marketing State and local governments are eager to launch a number of electronic commerce initiatives, but are unsure on how to market the services. Marketing L et's face it.
Marketing is an alien concept in the public sector.
State and local governments do many things, but finding new markets for upgraded services isn't one of them. Traditional marketing techniques, such as segmentation, don't always apply. Another problem is that marketing costs money and doesn't always pay back. Ford thought lots of marketing could turn reluctant buyers into eager buyers. It didn't work, and the Edsel has become a symbol of marketing hubris.