The Strategic Principle of Marketing

The fundamental goal of marketing, particularly in technology, is to invent complete products and drive them to commanding positions in defensible market segments.

This principle breaks down into three core responsibilities:

1. Invent Complete Products: Go beyond the core device or technology. A product is the entire solution a customer buys, including documentation, support, brand reputation, and the confidence they have in the supplier. Marketing's job is to invent this complete package.
2. Achieve a Commanding Position: Aim for dominance in your chosen market. A market position of less than 15% share is rarely profitable, while a share over 30% almost always is. The goal is not just to participate, but to win.
3. Secure a Defensible Market Segment: Do not attack the entire market. Instead, divide the market and conquer a specific niche. Build barriers to entry that make it uneconomical for competitors to challenge you on your turf.

Following this principle is the most reliable path to sustainable profitability. Deviating from it—by chasing mindless market share, selling incomplete products, or failing to segment—is a strategy for failure.