Marriot Being a Marketer - Case Study Example

Task Case Analysis Case Summary Marriott has taken the outmost challenge being a marketer for his multinational. He markets more than 3000 hotels as well as a resort and runs about 16 brands that are available in 68 nations around the globe. The marketer offers excellent positioning and segmentation to the multinational business entity. The marketer utilizes several marketing strategies for his target market and offers the ideal segmentation for all the business undertakings around the globe. The marketer gives more concentration on the consumer than any other element to make the business a success. He utilizes market researches too obtain feedback that is usually utilized in the provision of the best services within the multinational business. Key marketing Issues Market research-Marriott utilizes market research to deal with certain marketing issues or create competitive advantages towards its competitors. The multinational utilizes different methods to collect information for market evaluations. Forecasting methods- Marriott utilizes dissimilar forecasting techniques for different brands offered within its business empire. Markets- Marriott is a business-to-consumer market since it comprises of consumers and purchasers of products without the intention of gaining any profits from the provided services. Market targeting-Marriott utilizes three strategies in market targeting for its products. The three strategies are concentrated, differentiated and undifferentiated target strategies. Market positioning-Marriott has successfully positioned its products in the thoughts of its consumers by providing products that effectively address their desires. Positioning has also assisted Marriott in marketing segmentation in several ways. Market segmentation-Marriott segments its market accordingly to suit all consumers visiting its hotels all over the globe. Segmentation has extensively done to group consumers according to the needs and preferences. Personal Case Analysis Marriot case introduces the basic and most imperative concepts in the market strategies. The case presents the difficulties that a marketer undergoes to keep the business running. Market targeting, segmentation and positioning offers the marketer with the best strategies to run the business. Marriott obtains a huge market share by operating on dissimilar countries around the globe. Case Questions 1. How is Marriott segmenting the market for hotel services? Marketing segmentation offers different or distinct groups of consumers with homogenous needs and characteristics (Shoba 1). Marriott has effectively segmented the market into Marriott and Renaissance consumers who bear dissimilar preferences. Renaissance customers presented the urge to open the windows up and look outside upon arrival in their presented rooms. The customers who spent their time within the Marriott’s property showed interest in undertaking various high-tech activities such as videoconferencing. Marriott has responded to this call through the institution of equipments such as most recent recording and communication gadgets within the meeting places. The property has also created affiliation with AT&T as well as Cisco to provide virtual meeting facilities. Marriott has also presented another segment within its brands that consist of customers and commerce travelers conscious about the environment. Marriott has responded to this segment through the development of model green hotels. The hotel brands bearing these green hotels are designed to hold communal spaces, and visitor’s room that are more oriented towards preserving water, and energy than the earlier versions. Marriott brand with the green hotels aims at operating in ecosystem friendly environs. The hotels in this segment offer pads manufactured from recycled paper and key cards developed out of recycled plastics. The achievers serve as another of the many segments that Marriott has developed. Achievers belong to the business travelers who bear the drive to carry out many dissimilar activities within a short moment. Marriott marketing executive and his team have presented an advertising campaign to bring awareness on productivity and performance. The people within SpringHill Suites present another segment that bear businesspersons who travel regularly, but find these suite hotels the preeminent place to relax and pause from the constant travels for a while. These consumers have also been established to be outstanding technological users with the most common being the mobile communication devices. In order to address the communication issues for this segment, Marriott utilizes both mobile marketing and traditional media to relay information to the rest of the globe. The Marriott’s have also developed downloads and other services that they urge the business class to utilize in its stay at hotels. Marriott also has the segment that offers hotel space for the firms requiring space to carry out meetings and seminars. The companies come with the attendant of the meeting external of the hotel and offer guest services during this meeting since some may take several days. 2. Which of the three targeting strategies is Marriott using? Explain Marriott utilizes three distinct targeting strategies within the diverse market. Marriott utilizes the undifferentiated strategy in which he uses a similar marketing mix for homogenous market (Brix, Konior and Richter 21). Homogenous market contains consumers with similar needs and characteristics. Therefore, they can be easily targeted by utilizing same marketing mix. For instance, the consumers that require environmentally friendly environs within Marriott have been easily targeted by utilization of similar marketing mix. Differentiated strategy requires or rather is effective in heterogeneous market bearing individuals, factions and corporations that share one or more attributes (Brix, Konior and Richter 21). Differentiated targeting strategy exerts personalized marketing struggles towards two or more fragments (Schragec 2). Marriott utilizes technology to aim at a number of guests within their premises where they offer videoconferencing, virtual marketing and communication media to reach out to the business people, regardless of their preferences within the hotels. Marriott also utilizes the concentrated targeting strategy for the multinational business entity where a firm or corporation exerts struggles towards a single market fragment through the utilization of one marketing mix (Brix, Konior and Richter 21). This has been presented by the targeting of companies for meeting and seminars that offers revenues in terms of services and stay. 3. As Marriott builds, more green hotels, should it reposition its hotel brands as being environmentally friendly? Why or why not? Repositioning aims at transforming a product to boost brand’s market distribution and productivity (Wong 7). However, in the case of Marriott business converting the hotels may not be a brilliant idea since it will alter the perception of the consumers mind. If a market repositioning has to be carried out, the management has to conduct a market research to determine the number that will still attend the hotels after the repositioning. However, repositioning may be suitable to offer diversity although the management will also be required to give the advantages of such a repositioning to consumers who drive the business (Wong 7). 4. What specific types of data should Marriott have in its customer database for segmentation purposes? Databases are a collection of data that are prearranged for unproblematic access and recovery. Databases aid in decision-making through analysis of the presented data. Databases utilized for segmentation ought to have segmentation variables that relate to consumer needs and feedback towards the presented products. The segmentation databases should have the four categories of the variables that are demographic, psychographic, behavior-related and physical variables. Conclusion Currently, Marriott and other firms necessitate the implementation of excellent strategies to carry out business dealing. The marketing strategies are formulated by taking into deliberation different aspects of marketing such as market positioning, targeting and developing dissimilar segments. Marriott has managed to settle in business through proper strategies for the multinational business. Works Cited Brix, Angelika, Konior, Bartosz and Richter, Stephan. Market segmentation and Positioning. Nov 14, 2006. Web. Jan 29, 2012. Available at < http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a0025537/php/ABWLs/FK-Marketing/store1/Theory5.pdf > Schragec. Target Markets: Segmentation, Evaluation, and Positioning. Sep 19, 2011. Web. Jan 29, 2012. Available at < http://www.uni.edu/~schragec/Chapter%206.pdf > Shoba. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. Dec 14, 2006. Web. Jan 28, 2012. Available at < http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/IIT MADRAS/Management_Science_II/Pdf/1_3.pdf> Wong, Sam. Segmentation – Targeting –Positioning. Oct 5, 2006. Web. Jan 29, 2012. Available at< http://www.public.iastate.edu/~sjwong/segmentation.pdf > Read More