I used to think there was a lot of truth in "a good product will sell itself". However, I've come to realize this very much depends on the specific industry you're in.
Take online dating for example. Why do (most of) these guys spend insane amounts of money on marketing? I think it is because word-of-mouth for a good datingsite is held back by the social stigma that still surrounds online dating.
So you have a product, and people would rather not tell others they're using it. How would you raise awareness about it without resorting to traditional marketing?
There are a lot of counterexamples on "a good product will sell iself". Mainly in markets with a lot of suppliers, for example, think how long can it take to penetrate the market of CMS or CRM, even with an excelent product? or imagine a new NoSQL DB in the middle of the NoSQL hype.
Take online dating for example. Why do (most of) these guys spend insane amounts of money on marketing? I think it is because word-of-mouth for a good datingsite is held back by the social stigma that still surrounds online dating.
So you have a product, and people would rather not tell others they're using it. How would you raise awareness about it without resorting to traditional marketing?