Manufacturers were primarily concerned with product innovation and not with satisfying the needs of individual consumers during the Product Orientation Era (also called the Product Era). This era occurred roughly in the post–World War II period before the rise of the Marketing Era, spanning around the 1940s to 1950s. During this time, companies focused on creating products with new features or improvements, believing that a better product would naturally attract customers, rather than tailoring products to specific consumer needs
. Before this, in the Production Orientation Era (early 1900s to 1920s), manufacturers focused mainly on mass production and availability, assuming that products would sell themselves if they were affordable and widely available, with little emphasis on consumer preferences. Henry Ford’s Model T is a classic example, where the car was offered in only one color because the focus was on production efficiency, not consumer choice
. The shift to focusing on satisfying individual consumer needs came later with the Marketing Era (1950s onward), when companies began tailoring products and marketing strategies to meet customer desires and preferences, marking the beginning of modern marketing concepts
. In summary:
- Production Orientation Era : Focus on mass production and availability, minimal concern for individual consumer needs.
- Product Orientation Era : Focus on product innovation and improvements, but still limited attention to individual consumer preferences.
- Marketing Era : Focus on satisfying consumer needs and tailoring products accordingly.
Therefore, the era when manufacturers were concerned with product innovation but not yet with satisfying individual consumer needs is the Product Orientation Era.
