In the evolution of commerce, there was a time when the customer was an afterthought. This was Marketing 1.0 —a philosophy driven not by feelings, relationships, or data, but by the physical product itself.
You wouldn’t want to live entirely in Marketing 1.0. But you also can’t build a modern skyscraper without a solid foundation. Every time you buy a generic hammer or compare laptop specs on a spreadsheet, you are a Marketing 1.0 customer—and that’s perfectly fine. marketing 1.0
As manufacturing became global and technology diffused, every competitor could build a “better mousetrap.” Cars had four wheels. TVs had screens. Detergents cleaned clothes. The features became identical. In the evolution of commerce, there was a