This article actually started thanks to a conversation I had with my cousin, who’s a marketing director for a real estate company.
He once shared with me how he sees marketing not as a checklist or a static plan, but as a feedback loop. The idea stuck with me. It made me realize that what we often call “marketing” is really a dynamic cycle — something that repeats, but evolves at every stage.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized something was missing from the usual way we talk about it.
The classic 4 P’s or 7 P’s of marketing — Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, and Physical Evidence — are usually presented like a static list, as if you just set them and forget them.
But in reality, they move within this cycle. They appear, reappear, and constantly adapt as the cycle progresses.
And here’s where the breakthrough came for me.
I started to see this cycle not just as a simple loop, but as a spiral. One that tightens and refines with every iteration.
Early on, the loops are wide and exploratory. But with every pass, it sharpens — drawing you closer to the perfect fit between your product and the market. Eventually, the changes become so subtle they are almost invisible to the outside observer — but for you, they are everything.
Stage 1: The Startup Spiral — Building the Cyclorama
When I built my own cyclorama studio, this spiral showed up immediately.
It started with Research — I observed a clear demand. Cycloramas were popular for video production and photography, especially here in Montreal. Clients were renting them nearby, sometimes just minutes away. I noticed competitors charging good rates, photographers favoring them for commercial shoots, and even my own clients hinting at the need for such a space.
Then came Development — physically building the cyclorama. But here’s the thing: the research didn’t stop. It looped back constantly. I was still asking: how do I light it right? What mistakes do others make? What dimensions make the most sense? This is why I tend to group Research and Development together as “R&D” — they constantly bounce off each other.
Once built, I moved to Delivery — launching it into the market. Promotion started modestly, mostly word-of-mouth and client referrals. Pricing was based on earlier research, but was still open to adjustment.
Then came Analysis — or what you might usually call Feedback. But it’s more than just hearing opinions. It’s about studying patterns: What did people like? What didn’t they? Were there limitations they hadn’t mentioned upfront but were apparent in how they used the space? This new data wasn’t generic anymore — it was specific to my cyclorama.
And so the next spiral began.
Stage 2: The Software Spiral — Iterating Through Releases
Now, let’s imagine you’re launching a new piece of software.
Research starts with discovering pain points — maybe creators need faster rendering, better AI-powered editing, or simpler workflows. This insight might come from customer reviews, competitor analysis, or online communities.
Development builds the first version. But just like the cyclorama, research doesn’t pause. Beta testers, internal teams, and early feedback constantly shape decisions.
The Release (note how “delivery” becomes “release” here) gets the product into users’ hands. Pricing, packaging, and platform choices (the classic P’s) all come into play.
Then, Analysis delivers the most valuable data yet — actual user feedback, crash reports, feature requests, and usage patterns. This is where the spiral tightens. Version two isn’t made in a vacuum. It’s a direct response to what you learned.
And if you keep cycling, each release gets sharper — from major updates to tiny refinements.
Stage 3: The Precision Spiral — The Formula One Business
This is the part most people forget: the spiral never ends, it just gets tighter.
Look at Apple. Every year, people ask the same question: How do they get away with just releasing another iPhone with small changes, and still have people lining up for it?
The answer? They’re deep inside the spiral.
Apple’s Research is hyper-focused — it’s not about guessing if people want phones. It’s about details like battery performance in different climates, consumer psychology behind pricing, and region-specific purchasing behaviors.
Development isn’t about reinventing the iPhone from scratch. It’s about tweaking, perfecting — like fine-tuning a Formula One car. Minor design adjustments, optimized chipsets, improved user experience.
Delivery is masterfully orchestrated: product launches, availability across global platforms, precise pricing, and massive promotional campaigns — all working together like clockwork.
And their Analysis is on another level. Every customer interaction, Genius Bar visit, product return, and online review feeds data into their next cycle. The spiral is tight, but it still turns — and every micro-adjustment pays off.
The Spiral vs. The Loop
The traditional feedback loop metaphor is helpful, but limited. It suggests you keep circling the same track.
But a spiral? A spiral narrows. Each turn is closer to the target. The first cycles are bold and experimental. Later, they are precise, focused, and surgical.
And here’s where I’ll borrow from Seth Godin, who put it perfectly: Your product doesn’t have to be great to get started — it just has to be good enough to enter the cycle.
Once you’re in the spiral, you will make it great. The cycle itself will refine it, as long as you listen.
Your Next Step
If you’re wondering whether your product or service is “good enough” to start — it probably is. What you need now isn’t another round of silent preparation, but to put it out there, collect feedback, and enter the spiral.
And if you want help figuring out how to position it properly, adjust your strategy, or even spot gaps you’re missing — I offer a free marketing and content strategy report tailored to businesses like yours.
It’s simple — fill out the form, and I’ll personally create a mini roadmap to help you enter your own marketing spiral.
