What Is Marketing?

Ask two different people and you will probably get two different answers. Definitions usually focus on the sale of products, and Marketing and Sales are often thought of as being two sides of the same process. Indeed, many dictionary definitions list "market" as synonymous with "sell". In this respect Marketing is an outbound process and is used to help sell the product to the customer. Marketing is also, however, used frequently to describe the inbound process of product definition and even product management.

 You start off performing market research for a new product to determine what the key requirements are for that product, what your target market is, and how the product should be launched. Once the product is ready to release, you will perform the actual product launch including channel enablement. As part of the product launch and as an on-going process you will conduct demand creation activities to stimulate customer interest. More market research will identify product enhancements, or even the next product to develop, and the whole cycle starts over again.

Center Marketing can help you with all of these phases of the marketing cycle, acting as an extra resource to provide guidance and expertise, or just an extra pair of hands.

Who Are We?

Center Marketing is managed by John Willoughby, the CXO. That stands for both Chief eXecution Officer and Chief eXcitement Officer - he's the one who gets things done and brings a contagious level of energy to any project. John has an extensive experience in all aspects of marketing and has served as director of marketing in companies ranging from start-ups to large corporations. Research, strategy, product management, outbound marketing, product launch, partnership programs...he has a proven track record of successfully marketing both hardware and software products.

After receiving a BSEE with High Honors from Worcester Polytechnic, John spent the early part of his career as an engineer, engineering manager, and operations director at several computer companies. This gives him a unique technical depth that let's him build marketing plans based on an actual understanding of the products, their uses, and the target customer's challenges.

Technical wizardry is provided by Reto Lichtenseteiger, the Director of Technical Operations. Reto has nearly twenty years of technical management, system administration, and Unix and TCP/IP networking experience at leading network and computer companies including Akamai, BearHill Security, Mitsubishi Electric, ActiveIQ and M/A-Com. Most recently he was Director of Operations at NameMedia. He has management and technical leadership for system administration and software development groups with a focus on scalability and reliability of services.

An expert in transmedia installations and marketing campaigns, Reto specializes in social media technology including WordPress blogging software, phpBB forum environments, and SQLServer database solutions.