Out of the Box

Shelf Life Key to Good Marketing

By Menachem Lubinsky on February 23 2007

“Shelf life” has become a very common term used by marketers not only to describe the products they handle but also the marketing programs that they direct. Consumers, of course, are very conscious of dates on perishable products and other goods. Purveyors of food products know that their challenge is to sell as much product as possible within a few days of the date stamped on labels, containers, and boxes. The closed bag of pre-cut vegetables in the garbage can might have had an expiration of a day earlier. It was thrown out because the perception, not always the reality, is that the product is not fresh and potentially not good for you.

Some manufacturers recognize that a good opportunity for success is to create products that have a longer shelf life, thus assuring longer placement on shelves and winning browning points with consumers about keeping products longer in their homes. They have used this added value feature as a marketing asset. Dairy companies always felt challenged to produce milk that had a longer shelf life and indeed there are a number of milk products in the market that have a much longer shelf life.

“Shelf life” is also commonly used to predict the longevity of an idea. For example, someone who is marketing a revolutionary diet will succeed only as a long as their no studies to refute its value. Often an item that is clearly seasonal may have a specific timeframe in terms of shelf life, albeit that the same product makes a return appearance next year at the same time. Technology is another good example of something that has a shelf life only because a new generation of the product will no doubt replace the current edition. The camera being sold in the camera store has a shelf life. The implication is that a good many ideas and products have a designated “shelf life.” On the flip side, there are some ideas and products that have an endless shelf life, either because they are the leader or because they are so integrated into everyday living that they just go on living. A good example is the umbrella. If you look at photos from the ‘50’s you are likely to see the same mix of umbrellas that you will see in an umbrella stand today, without the corporate logos, of course.

Researchers have found that even ads, slogans, and other messages can fall prey to an overextended welcome and go on beyond their natural shelf life. These findings came to light recently for a certain brand of teen wear as marketers sought to pinpoint the reason for the decline, which was otherwise well greased from a marketing support point of view. At one time the now defunct Eastern Airlines marketed their “whisperliner” as an aircraft that does not make as much noise as other conventional aircraft. They would show ads of people relaxing on an airline seat with a slogan like “Relaxation as it Should be, on a Whisperliner.” This would obviously fall on deaf ears today as air travel has dramatically changed and customers are more interested in conveniences, on-time arrivals, and good service.

Some books are said to have a shelf life while others are of the timeless nature. A class in literature may still read a novel that is 1,000 years old, but a more modern book could be passé within a few months.

Understanding and properly evaluating shelf life is an important exercise for the manufacturer and the marketer. Some products have a finite shelf life which means that any marketing campaign should factor in the life of the project. It would not be wise to launch a major marketing campaign for a product that is at the end of its life cycle, unless there is evidence to suggest that the campaign would either prolong the life of the product or resuscitate a “dead” idea or concept.

Technology has presented marketers with just such a challenge. We know that technology is subject to rapid change and as soon as a product makes it to market, there is already a research and development team working on the next generation of the product. There is a window in which to maximize sales, but properly defining that window becomes the marketer’s challenge. It also means that the marketer is very knowledgeable about the industry and has a very good sense of when the next generation of goods will hit the market.

I have seen many ideas and products fail because of an erroneous perception of shelf life. I have read business projections that were based on faulty estimates of shelf life, which subsequently led to huge losses. There is a science to predicting shelf life, including assessing the historical record of previous versions, being aware of changes in the environment, and planning conservatively.

Ironically, shelf life applies to any concept, even if it does not involve profits. Fundraisers know that when they raise money for a specific cause, the donor’s attention span has a certain shelf life, particularly those campaigns which seek to trigger an emotional response to an event, unless it is possible to keep the need alive.

Predicting shelf life can be tricky but one thing is for sure, this article will have a long shelf life.

Menachem Lubinsky (mlubinsky@lubicom.com) is President & CEO of LUBICOM Marketing Consulting (www.lubicom.com, 718.854.4450) a firm that specializes in strategic business and not-for-profit planning and implementation. LUBICOM is also well known for its role in developing such major events as Kosherfest, Jewish Expo and Jewish Marketplace.

Out of the Box is a collection of strategic marketing articles that Lubicom has published on various topics, trends and ideas in the marketing world. The articles have been published in the Hamodia weekly newspaper circulated on three continents to a readership of well over 100,000.

The name, "Out of the Box" is a term used frequently in business nowadays to describe creative thinking that is not the norm. It is meant to help a business pull away from the pack or separate oneself from the competition. It is to some extent fraught with risk, simply because it is not the run of the mill thinking, but it is at the same time the key to reaching the next opportunity.