Ranganathan's Philosophy: Looking at Modern LIS Marketing

1. Looking at modern LIS marketing mantra through Ranganathan's lenses Dinesh K. Gupta V M Open University, Kota dineshkumargupta@vmou.ac.in

2. In this presentation,we will discuss • How Marketing has been practiced ? • How did LIS Marketing theories evolve? • How does LIS Marketing practices and theories fit into Ranganathan’s Philosophy? • Whether Ranganathan’s Approach can be useful for LIS marketing theories?

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5. Beginning of Marketing • The term ‘marketing’ was first used as practice in the beginning of 20th century (Bartels ,1951) • There are three There should be three considerations: personal salesmanship and sales management., advertising, neither salesmanship nor advertising but, common to both (Butler, De Bower and Jones ,1914)

7. Source: Selected References on Markets and Marketing, Special Libraries (1913) covering literature from 1991-2013

8. Marketing Function • The chief marketing functions in addition to actually effecting sales, are the assembling and dividing of goods, the grading, sorting, packing and standardizing of goods; the transportation of goods; the storing of goods from time of production to time of consumption, the financing of transactions; and assumption of risks taking (Converse,1921)

9. Functional Analysis

11. Looking at Library Marketing • ..This ideal presupposes in him the zeal and sympathy which incite to study and research, with which must be combined the care for detail and the firmness of character that belongs to the efficient man of business (Macfarlane, 1898, Library Administration)

12. Library Marketing Terms

13. Marketing vis-a-vis Library Functions

16. Defining Marketing… ‘Marketing is theperformance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services fromproducer to consumers’ -National Association of Marketing Teachers, 1935 Distribution and Transportation Key Activity

17. …about Marketing • The conceptual development and theories of marketing started developing in 1950s and 1960s (Tadajewski and Jones, 2014). • Prior to this, emphasis was placed on producing products without regard for consumer needs or demand, coupled with the intent to sell (Simpson, 1984). • Product differentiation and market segmentation was introduced (Smith, 1956).

18. Marketing Mix • The term ‘marketing mix’ was introduced with 12 elements: product planning, branding, pricing, distribution channels, personal selling, advertising, promotions, packaging, display, servicing, physical handling, and fact-finding and analysis(Borden,1965)

19. McCarthy (1964) offered marketing mix, often referred to as the 4Ps: product, price, place and promotion. Four Ps

20. Books are for use Marketing implications Optimum use of resources, facilities and services. Acquiring appropriate information material and ensuring sufficient resources and services are available for the use of users. Convenient location, effective signage, and longer opening hours; helping hands for using resources and services. Philosophy of Librarianship Marketing implications

21. Every reader his/ her book Marketing Implications Meeting users need satisfactorily Collecting and interpreting information, understanding the needs of users and matching with the organizational resources.

22. Every book its reader Marketing Implications Reaching out to users Publicizing value and benefits, promotional campaign, advocacy, public relations, personal communication, etc.

23. Save the time of user Marketing Implications User benefits and preferences Repackaging information into appropriate form, availability of information when they need. Ensuring quality of services and offerings.

24. Library is a growing organism Marketing Implications Adapting to future user needs Mobilizing resources, Dealing with uncertainty about future user needs, new services, new customer groups, etc.

25. What is our business.. Libraries are essentially ‘service’ institutions ‘information’ as the core to the business of library and information centers Guiding Principle ‘Right Information to the Right user at the Right Time’

26. Ranganathan vis a vis Marketing • “Looking at Ranganathan’s philosophy, one can see that he matched the function of a library with that of a store, used shop analogy for libraries, referred work of librarians as that of canvassing agent, users as customers, and above all librarianship as salesmanship. Ranganathan advocated for such business connotations favorably even when the marketing was not transplanted to nonprofit organisations” (Gupta, 2016).

27. Salesmanship is the art of building up appreciation of the value or the desirability of a service, idea, or ideal, so that it is accepted and satisfaction follows its adoption. (Ranganathan, Reference Service and bibliography, 1940) books are after all artificial entities. Appreciation of their value does not come naturally. It has to be induced deliberately. This cannot be done except by personal methods. (Ranganathan, Reference Service and bibliography, 1940)

28. To state in brief outline a general philosophy of life and “ to stress idealism and the spiritual values related thereto.” Its chief concern is social ethics developed from the point of view of a particular “Value Philosophy.” (Ranganathan, Reference Service and bibliography, 1940) Thus, money rules the world. It determines the status of men as well as the value of the .services rendered by them. Unfortunately, people are prepared' to benefit by a service only in proportion to the value set on it by money. (Five Laws )

29. The money spent on such a staff comes back to the nation in ever-increasing measure in the saving of the precious time of its best brains. That this is an economically sound proposition can be inferred from the fact that commercial and business libraries, maintained by business houses, ungrudgingly pay for an adequate Reference Staff. They know the economic value of time. But academic libraries seem to be lacking in their power to perceive the value of time and are hence halting in appreciating the need for such a staff. (Five Laws )

30. Looking at the History of Library Marketing Renberg traces history of marketing since 1876 and goes till formal marketing starts taking place She conforms occurrence of term advertising (1896), outreach (1897), extension work (1909) [Renberg, Greta, Marketing library services: how it all began, In Sevard, R., Ed., Adapting Marketing.., K G Saur, 2000]

31. Broadening the Concept of Marketing • marketing is a pervasive societal activity that goes considerably beyond the selling of toothpaste, soap, and steel. Political contests remind us that candidates are marketed as well as soap; student recruitment by colleges reminds us that higher education is marketed; and fund raising reminds us that ‘causes’ are marketed. (Kotler ..Broadening.. 1969) • Eventually this trend reversed and consumers realized they could demand for choices. Hence was born marketing, a consumer demand-oriented product concept by 1970s(Koontz, Gupta and Webber, 2006).

33. Defining Marketing… ‘Marketing consists of individual and organizational activities that facilitate and expedite exchange relationships in a dynamic environment through the creation, servicing, distribution, promotion and pricing of goods, services, and ideas’ -American Marketing Association, 1985 Exchange, Creation, Servicing, Promotion Pricing Key Activity (ies)

34. Marketers talk about Key aspects • Environmental Analysis • Market • Competition • Market Research • Customers • 4 Ps • Marketer • Some other Important aspects: • Branding • Image • Value • Funding • Quality • Technology

35. Marketing is Everything • The scope of marketing becomes so wider to the Marketing is Everything (McKenna, 1991) when marketing becomes customer driven, the boundary between product and services is blurred; marketing becomes job of everyone from top to bottom and back office to the frontline, marketing eliminates the gap between production and consumption as technology offers to make solutions in real time, and many more.

36. Role of Marketing extends with Technology • Technology comes first, the marketing follows… • Technology embodied: • adaptability, • programmability, • customisability • marketing that delivers on those qualities Source: (McKenna, 1991), Marketing is Everything

37. This falsifies the fear made by author like (Luck,1969) who opposed the ‘broadening marketing concept’ saying that ‘If marketing is so many things, then it is nothing.’

39. Marketing is everything… • 14 Ideas to Effective Marketing: • Signage strategies • Stock management • Inspiring displays • New books strategy • Departmental Policies • Favourites Policy • Entertainment Policy • Customer Care • Retail Strategies • Your refreshment offer • Internal marketing • External marketing • Partnership and Network marketing • Merchandising www.bobsbooks.com.au/catalog/index.php?cPath=32

42. Marketing makes People Centred User Individuality Responsiveness Relationship Technology Processes Support Choice Offer Values Aspirations Desire Users Come First Always!

43. Context, not the content will win… Value Proposition to Customer Value Proposition to Customer Content (knowledge, Substance) Content (Knowledge, Substance) Context (Environment, Environment of transactions) Context (Environment, Environment of transactions) Infrastructure (Delivery or Backbone) Infrastructure (Delivery or Backbone) Market Place Market Space Source: Rayport and Sviokla, Managing in the Market space, World Executive Digest, Sept. 97, p.18-20

44. Every Product is Service and a Product • Even Data, information has replaced the actual product • Product life–time reduces drastically Information Life Cycle Acquisition Creation Application Organisation Sharing Information Use Storage Information Management Use Retrieval Dissemination Access, Lending [Wilson (2005): Extended life-cycle of Information]

45. Focusing on Customers, not Competitors.. Know your Competitors http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/ You never know who your Competitors are? Copying competitors is a race to the bottom

46. Know the Customers New Generation of Information Users… • Gen Y • Gen X • Google Generation • Face Book Generation -Well Informed -More demanding -Do not Want to wait -Loyalty Shifts Faster -Share their opinion freely -Formation of New Social Groups

47. More recent functions of marketing and libraries • Sharing • Publishing • Collaborating • Socializing • Branding and Rebranding • Relations building

48. Serve Answer Engage Link Entertain Tell a story Teach Create Do Action verbs imply dynamism and impact Books, eBooks Magazines Websites Buildings Rooms Desks Stations Programs Nouns can be warehoused and ‘cut’ Translate Resources into service

49. Marketing is not only important for sellers but also for Customers

50. Best LIS Marketing Practices: Awardees of IFLA Marketing Award, 2002-2012)