Marketing Management
Market Research
Name the six steps in the marketing research process as discussed in the Kotler text.
Why is it important to include all of these steps in the research process?
Why is the first step the most important?
Strategic Marketing Planning
Why is it important for a company to have a well written mission statement?
What key points do you think need to be included in the mission statement?
Should a mission statement also be a marketing tool?
Consumer Buying Behavior
What are some of the factors that influence consumers' buying behavior?
Have the purchasing habits of your parents and/or grandparents influenced your buying behavior?
If you were to open your refrigerator and cupboards and compare the contents with those of your parents, would you find some brands in common?
Target Market Selection
What are some of the challenges faced by marketers as they attempt to define their target markets?
How necessary is it to fine-tune your Marketing Plan so that your target market is clearly defined and measurable? Why is extensive research necessary?
Branding
Procter & Gamble (P&G) perhaps epitomizes the ability to create highly successful brands and marketing efforts. Read the Breakthrough Marketing case study about Procter & Gamble on page 239 in chapter 9 of your e-text.
Given our study through the first three weeks, to what do you attribute P&G's success and its ability to continually grow its business? Were you to project into the future, what recommendations would you make to P&G marketing executives, especially as to where the company might be vulnerable?
Competitive Strategies
When developing a marketing plan, you can't stop with just identifying your competitors. You also need to clarify your position in the market compared to those competitors and outline an appropriate strategy for dealing with them.
Consider Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, two successful companies that compete with each other. Discuss some competitive strategies each company can adopt and some specific actions needed to support those strategies. Tie your comments to our Kotler textbook.
Pricing Strategies
As part of the Marketing Mix, PRICE, P, is important to the marketer. Yet when we look at price, it is more than just a dollar figure. What does price represent to the consumer? What does price represent to the marketer?
Marketing of Services
How is the marketing of services different than the marketing of a product? What are the challenges of marketing a service? How is marketing shoes different from marketing shoe repair?
Channels of Distribution
As part of the Marketing Mix, Place, or Channels of Distribution, is important to understand. What is the difference between Direct channels of distribution and Indirect channels of distribution?
It has been said that "channels of distribution may be the best opportunity for a sustained competitive advantage." Based on your Kotler text, would you agree or disagree? Why?
Retailing,
Wholesaling, and Logistics
Describe Market Logistics. What are some of the steps necessary for market logistics planning? Please provide an example.
Marketing Communications
Describe Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). Why is it so important in the 21st century for marketers to embrace this? What are some of the concerns of the marketer when it comes to creating an IMC approach via the promotional mix components of advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, and personal selling?
Advertising Effectiveness
Select an advertisement to which you have recently been exposed. It can be in any paid communications medium, such as TV, radio, newspaper, or magazine. The ad that you select should be one to which others in the class can easily relate, such as Verizon's "Can you hear me now?" ads or the Aflac ad (with the white duck that squawks "AFFFFLAAAAAAAC!")
Evaluate the ad from a consumer perspective. Why do you feel the ad was created in the first place? What is the MESSAGE that the ad is attempting to communicate? What do you see as this ad's major strengths or weaknesses? Do you think the ad was a success?
International Markets
Kellogg Company (you know them as Kellogg's, makers of Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, and a variety of other cold cereal products) celebrated its 100th anniversary a few years ago in 2006. As with many companies, it has attempted to expand internationally.
Click to view all the countries where Kellogg can be found.
Take a look a few of the websites for Kellogg Company in other countries. How do their marketing efforts in these countries differ? Do they offer the same products everywhere? What are some of the major concerns and considerations related to international expansion on which Kelloggs should reflect when deciding to venture into these countries?
Ethics and Social Responsibility
Customer complaints about Toyota cars suddenly accelerating were initially downplayed by Toyota Motor Sales in December 2009, which initially stated that it was caused by the driver's side carpeting getting in the way of the pedal. Toyota's announcements at the beginning of 2010, however, suggested that the real culprit was a defective gas pedal. This resulted in many calls for an investigation, as the initial claim about the carpeting was seen as apparent camouflage for a more serious situation, one that is alleged to have resulted in hundreds of Toyota cars suddenly accelerating and unable to stop, as well as several passengers dying in accidents.