Hello, this is Matsubara, CRM Evangelist.

"Is it possible for companies and consumers to co-create products and services? If that allows people to become the person they want to be, to achieve self-realization, then that would be a new form of marketing."

—Philip Kotler (on the concept of Marketing 4.0)

"From 'management' to 'co-creation.' In the era of CRM 4.0, it is crucial to resonate with the deep-seated psychology of customers, requiring an approach similar to psychology—in other words, 'corporate psychology.'"

—Arcus Japan (Definition of CRM 4.0)

When these two terms are placed side by side, we can see the "intersection" of ideas. Marketing 4.0, proposed by Kotler, and CRM 4.0, proposed by Arcus Japan—these two, though born from different academic backgrounds and practical contexts, share a surprisingly deep ideological convergence.

From Marketing 1.0 to 4.0: A Look at the Transformation of Our View of Human Nature

The evolution of Kotler's marketing theory is a history of "how companies have perceived their customers." Marketing 4.0 refers to marketing that satisfies customers' "desire for self-actualization." The desire for self-actualization is the desire for people to unleash their potential and become the person they are meant to be.

When this evolution is compared with the history of CRM development, a "coincidence of ideological trajectories" becomes apparent.

Marketing 1.0 (product-centric) corresponds to CRM 1.0 (customer information management). We are entering an era where "customers are managed as members of the market."
Marketing 2.0 (customer-centric) corresponds to CRM 2.0 (platform-based CRM). We are entering an era where "customers are analyzed as emotionally driven targets."
Marketing 3.0 (human-centered) corresponds to CRM 3.0 (personalized CRM). Kotler states that it is important to pursue the story behind a product and to empathize with specific products and people, and that we are entering an era where "customers are beginning to be treated as human beings with their own values."
Marketing 4.0 (Self-Actualization) corresponds to CRM 4.0 (Creative CRM). We are entering an era where "customers become agents and co-creation partners striving for self-actualization."

Marketing and CRM, while having different academic lineages, have followed almost the same timeline in the evolution of the customer perspective. And both aim for "self-actualization" and "co-creation" as their ultimate goals.

The three core concepts of Marketing 4.0 and their connection to CRM 4.0

Core Concept ① "Self-Actualization" - Supporting customers in becoming the person they want to be.

In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Kotler argues that the first four stages—physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, and esteem needs—are already met, and that self-actualization needs are the focus of modern marketing.

The "emotion x meaning x self-actualization response" defined by CRM 4.0 is a direct response to the "customer's desire for self-actualization."

If Marketing 4.0 is about designing an appeal as a brand that supports self-actualization, then CRM 4.0 is about deeply understanding the unique self-actualization context (ICX) of each individual customer and continuing to resonate with them over the long term. EMOROCO's "Self-Actualization Context Field" is a device that records the individual context of "President Tanaka's self-actualization being giving back to the community on the 30th anniversary of the company's founding."

Core Concept ② "Co-Creation" — The shift from 4P to 4C

In Marketing 4.0, Kotler argues that the marketing mix will change from "4P" to "4C". The 4Cs consist of four elements: Co-Creation, Currency, Communal Activation, and Conversation.

In an interview, Kotler said, "Until now, companies have unilaterally created products and presented them to consumers with the question, 'Are you going to buy it?' or 'Are you not going to buy it?' But I started thinking about whether it would be possible for companies and consumers to co-create products and services, like with Lego or Harley-Davidson."

The CRM 4.0 concept of "from 'management' to 'co-creation'" perfectly aligns with Kotler's placement of "Co-Creation" at the top of his 4Cs. If co-creation in Marketing 4.0 means "customer participation in the design of products and services," then co-creation in CRM 4.0 means "continuously creating the relationship, meaning, and values ​​themselves with the customer."

Core Concept ③ "The 5A Theory" - A journey to cultivate customers into "advocates"

Marketing 4.0 does not aim for product "awareness and purchase" as its ultimate goal. Its goal is to turn customers into fans of the company's products and get them to "recommend" them. Kotler's "5A" model describes the customer's journey as Aware → Appeal → Ask → Act → Advocate, with "Advocate" as the final goal.

When we break down the roles of these 5A's, we see a complementary structure where Marketing 4.0 handles Aware to Ask, and CRM 4.0 handles Act to Advocate. If Marketing 4.0 is about "attracting potential customers," then CRM 4.0 is about "deepening those attracted customers into co-creation partners."

Kotler and ARCUS Japan: Five points of ideological agreement

Point of agreement ① “Human-Centric”

Marketing 4.0 aims to "upgrade human-centered marketing and incorporate it into business." The definition of CRM 4.0, "a new generation of CRM built on the foundations of purpose, empathy, and sustainable relationships," is also moving in the same direction. The idea of ​​"placing the existence and happiness of the customer as a human being, rather than the logic of the company, at the center" is a common conclusion reached independently by Kotler and Arcus Japan.

Point of agreement ②: "Integration of self-realization and co-creation"

The goal of Marketing 4.0 is to support people in becoming more authentically themselves. At the same time, this inevitably includes "connections with others and a better society" that go beyond selfish desires. This "balancing of self-actualization and connections with others" aligns with the CRM 4.0 philosophy of "creating social value together as co-creation partners while resonating with the self-actualization context of individual customers."

Point of agreement ③: A power shift from "vertical to horizontal"

Kotler discusses "from vertical to horizontal" as a fundamental trend in Marketing 4.0. This represents a shift from a vertical, one-way direction—company → customer—to horizontal dialogue between customers and between companies. This perfectly aligns with the CRM 4.0 philosophy of "co-creation through horizontal connections," encompassing purpose-driven approaches, Web 3.0 compatibility, and DAO communities.

Point of agreement ④: "A holistic understanding of human beings"

Kotler's "digital anthropology," which includes netography (the study of human behavior in online communities) and empathetic research (a method of deeply engaging with communities and conducting direct interviews), aligns with the direction of CRM 4.0's "holistic analysis—overall optimization including health, lifestyle, thoughts, and social relationships." Both approaches share the perspective of "understanding customers not as partial data points, but as holistic beings living within social relationships."

Point of agreement ⑤: "Advocate = Sustainable relationship"

Kotler's 5A framework, which places "recommendation" as its ultimate goal, and CRM 4.0, which places "sustainable relationships" at its core, are simply different ways of expressing the same reality. A "customer who becomes a spontaneous recommender" is essentially the same as a "customer who co-creates within a sustainable relationship."

Implementing the "Marketing 4.0 Philosophy" with EMOROCO CRM Lite

We will implement the three core concepts of Marketing 4.0 as field designs in EMOROCO CRM Lite.

The "Self-Actualization Context Field" (text) records the client's "ideal self/company," the ultimate state the business aims for, and why they are doing this job. It is a tool for framing the next proposal from the perspective of "how it can contribute to this client's self-actualization context."

The "Co-creation Achievements Field" (text) records the challenges we have tackled together with this client, the difficulties we have overcome together, and the successes we have achieved together. It is a mechanism to reflect on "the history we have created together" when there is a change in personnel or when making proposals, in order to pass on the depth of our relationship.

The "Recommendation Intent Field" (selection-based) allows you to set the following options: Actively recommends / Likely to recommend if asked / Not yet at the recommendation stage / Unconfirmed. When the recommendation intent is updated to "Actively recommends," a task is automatically generated to consider deepening the ambassador's involvement.

Summary – The division of roles between Marketing 4.0 and CRM 4.0

What Marketing 4.0 will do: Communicate purpose, appeal to self-actualization, design the 5A framework (Aware to Ask), and acquire leads.

What CRM4.0 (EMOROCO CRM Lite) will do: understand and record the unique self-actualization context of each customer who visits; design the 5A's Act-to-Advocate model; deepen the relationship with co-creation partners; and cultivate a network of advocates.

Kotler designs the journey of prospects becoming recommenders, and Arcus Japan designs relationships where recommenders become co-creation partners—when these two philosophies are integrated, "lasting co-creation with customers" is realized.

Related article: [What is CRM 4.0? — The latest CRM philosophy and practices that realize "co-creation" with customers]

Related article: [Purpose-Driven Management and CRM 4.0 - How to Turn Customers Who Resonate with Your Company's Philosophy into Long-Term Fans]

Related article: [The philosophical gap between CRM 3.0 and CRM 4.0: A shift from "analyzing customers" to "resonating with customers"]