Product and Service Marketing - Essay Example

?Marketing Discussion p. 350 There are many ways to differentiate products and services, but one of the most common ways is by changing a product slightly to fit a certain age group. Products and services that are tailored for my age group are more likely to appeal with me because I identify with the values that those products or services stand for. If these products or services were not differentiated, then I doubt that I would think about purchasing them. Brands such as Wal-Mart excel with differentiation because the company has a wide range of customers (Thompson). Because of this, each age group is considered differently than other ones. Another way to differentiate products is by offering different levels of a product. Because everyone does not have the same disposable income, it may be difficult for everyone to be able to afford a certain product of high quality. For this reason, a like product can be substituted for high quality good but at a lower price. For me, I do not necessarily need the latest product available, so if there is something that fills a need and I can get it cheaper then I would go with that. One brand that excels on differentiation is Apple, whose iPhones have different plans and prices depending on the package that is chosen and also the iPhone number. When a new iPhone comes out, I do not have to go for the latest one because I am satisfied with my current one. Work Cited Thompson, Althea. “Competitive Strategies for Wal-Mart.” 2012. eHow. 28 October 2012 . Marketing Debate p. 378 Product and service marketing are highly related because the same basic principles still apply in most cases. In both forms of marketing, the attention of the customer still has to be caught and some sort of value has to be on offer to convince a consumer to part with their money. If a customer does not understand how a product or service benefits or can be useful in some way, then any type of marketing will fail. It is up to marketers to identify target markets and then come up with strategies to reach those target groups; this is true for both product marketing and service marketing. Where it is perhaps different is that in service marketing the customer cannot view the service that they want to buy. This is why service marketing needs to involve some sort of demonstration of the product. Very often services that are to be offered are shown to the consumer so that they feel convinced to of the benefit of it. In television marketing services are usually shown with a random member of the public so that consumers can see the service in action. On the other hand, in product marketing the marketer only needs to explain the benefits of the product because the customer can witness the product for themselves. Additional information may need to be provided to assure the customer that they are receiving a high quality product, but generally they can make a decision for themselves based on their feelings.   Marketing Discussion p. 410 As a consumer, I would prefer perceived-value pricing because I would want to get the best bang for my buck. I only have limited funds so I want to try and stretch my finances as far as it will go. This means that I have to be picky when it comes to purchasing a product and only get what I need, not what I would like. Whenever I am making a purchasing decision, the value of a product is very important to me because I want to receive something in return for parting with some cash. Although I often don’t have a lot of disposable income, I would rather pay a little more and get a high-quality product than pay a cheaper price for a piece of crap. Durability is major factor in my purchasing decision making because I want a product to last and not have to replace it within a short time. I would prefer a firm to employ slightly higher prices for most of the year and then offer discounts on occasion. This is because I am the type of shopper who likes to go and check out all the specials when they are on and I am more likely to purchase something. Because of this, I would say that I have very little product loyalty and prefer to shop around for the best deals. If prices stayed the same, then I would probably be more loyal to one brand and not try to find another one. Marketing Debate p. 442 Channel images must be consistent with the brand image because customer perception defines a product’s success or failure. Using an incompatible channel in which to sell products will only alienate customers and not increase the customer base. For a brand to be successful, it has to connect with consumers, and this is best done by using channels that consumers are comfortable with. Another method to use is repetition. That is, to repeat a message over and over again using the same channel so that consumers feel comfortable with the brand. Consumers need to feel an attachment with a product, and they can only experience this if the product is marketing in a way that is consistent with the product’s values. For example, it would make sense for a mobile phone brand to use internet technologies to promote the product because consumers understand where the product is coming from. Part of a product’s success derives from a loyal customer base, and this can only be achieved by selling products in specific channels that relate to the product. A bad example of using channel images that do not relate to a product being sold would be a knitting needles advertised online. Older people are more likely to use knitting needles, but very few of them use the internet. Product exposure would be very limited and it is likely that the product would not connect with consumers. Channel images must connect with brand image because customer attitudes are often based on how a product is presented to them. Marketing Debate p. 470 Manufacturers should feel free to sell private labels as a source of revenue because this is important in a capitalist market. Capitalism revolves around firms being free to pursue the strategies that they think will benefit them the most, and if selling to private labels is part of this, then so be it. While it may seem unethical, firms that participate in this sort of behavior are not breaking the law in any way so they should not be criticized for only thinking of their own brand. A free market determines that consumers have the right to choose from any number of brands. If this was not so, then the government would dictate to firms how they should be run. However, this goes against the principles of a free economy, so manufacturers should have the choice to do whatever they want. Anyway, ultimately it will be down to the customer to decide whether or not to stick with a brand, so critics of manufacturers selling to private labels should let market forces determine how a brand performs. If a brand is found to be misleading consumers, then it is likely that the brand will suffer because of the bad publicity surrounding it. Consumers hold greater power in a free market, so they have the choice of what products to buy. If a brand confuses consumers so that they are confused about private labels, then that brand will suffer the consequences in terms of lower sales. Marketing Discussion p. 470 Stores like Wal-Mart appeal to me because of their commitment to offer quality goods at low prices. I always want to buy good quality products that last a long time so I don’t have to replace them and also I don’t want to have to pay a lot because I often have limited funds. Another reason why I am loyal to Wal-Mart is because the firm promotes corporate social responsibility (Izzo). This makes me feel comfortable shopping there because I know that the company is one that can be trusted. Of course profit should be important, but the considerations of customers should also be taken into consideration. Being environmentally friendly makes me feel better about shopping there because I know that my money will benefit someone less fortunate than I. Firms that try and rip customers off do not appeal to me because they are only concerned with making a profit and are not considered about social responsibility. For the in-store experience, I like that everything is laid out in an easy manner because it is very easy to find a product when walking into a Wal-Mart store. If I only have limited time to go shopping, then I want to be able to get what I need as fast as I can. Wal-Mart makes shopping easy for its customers by having a layout that it easy to move around and find things. Also, every Wal-Mart store’s layout is the same or very similar, so it makes the customer feel comfortable in store. Work Cited Izzo, Dr. John. “What Walmart Teaches Us about CSR.” 15 August 2011. Reuters. 28 October 2012 . Marketing Discussion p. 497  The Apple website contains many forms of communication (Apple Inc.). Apple has an innovative website just like many of its products. Part of Apple’s success is offering a customized consumer experience that allows someone order their products any way that they like. For products such as the iPod, the customer can see all the specifications of the product and the benefits that it provides. This is true of all of the Apple products advertised on the website. It is very easy to compare different models because Apple focuses on showing the differences between models of the same product. One medium that is used to make a connection with a customer is the use of video to explain how their products are relevant today. The layout of this website is easy to follow and there are back links to every important or related product. The use of graphics reflects many of Apple’s products in that there is a strong focus on connecting with the consumer through the product. Part of Apple’s success is that consumers are attracted to the brand because of the benefits that are on offer. Almost all of the Apple products are presented in exactly the same way, and this is the sign of a strong brand because it knows what is successful and then repeats it. There is not too much experimentation when it comes to new products because the brand already has a loyal brand following to take advantage of. Work Cited Apple Inc. 2012. Apple Inc. 30 October 2012 . Marketing Discussion p. 530 Some of my favorite TV ads are shown during the SuperBowl. The reason why the SuperBowl is so popular with advertisers is because an unprecedented number of people watch each year. Also, the half-time advertisements have become so popular that they are almost an event themselves. Some people deliberately only watch the advertisements due to the expectation and hype surrounding them. Because so many people watching these advertisements at that time, advertising companies are going to make sure that they are funny yet also connect with the viewer. Humor and comedy are a large part of the marketing strategy because of the short nature of these advertisements. Most advertisements only run for 30 seconds because of the prohibitive costs that marketers pay to air them during this high viewership time. These TV ads are very effective in the short term because everyone is talking about them for days after, but I am not so sure about the long term. I would guess that little brand equity is built through these TV ads, but they do use humor to make people laugh. However, brands keep on coming back each year to advertise specifically during the SuperBowl, so there must be some benefit for the part of the advertiser. Probably due to the high expense, often only the big name brands can afford to advertise during this time, but it would be nice to see some smaller brands being promoted. Marketing Discussion p. 563 The corporate website of Facebook is similar to the site that is used by consumers on their Facebook accounts (Facebook). The context is very basic with the same shade of blue used for the outline. The reason for this is to try and make consumers feel as comfortable as possible when they have any queries for the Facebook marketing team. Also, the corporate site is a part of Facebook itself and does not have a different platform. This makes it easy for people to share their concerns whenever they have any. Content does not take up the whole website, but it is enough to provide some background. Community is an area where Facebook does well because the site is very interactive. Users of Facebook can share their concerns with Facebook administrators at any time through a number of different means. The community aspect is perhaps the greatest feature of Facebook because it provides open discussion about many issues that users have. Customization and communication are two of Facebook’s strong points. Facebook is always looking for ways to try and improve the user experience, so implementing recommendations from Facebook users is an important part of this process. For connection, Facebook does allow other affiliates to advertise on Facebook. Advertising on Facebook is very lucrative because of the opportunity to appeal to a wide range of consumers that can be defined by location and/or age or gender. For commerce, this is the one area where Facebook struggles because it does not make much money. Work Cited Facebook. Careers at Facebook. 2012. 30 October 2012 . Marketing Discussion p. 591 The last product that I bought was the new iPhone 5 (Apple Inc.). The reason is that my other iPhone was a little out of date and also I wanted to remain popular among my peers. Apple uses it iPhone to make consumers feel like they always need to upgrade if they are to remain current, and I guess this works pretty well with many people, including me. This product is being talked about as the best Apple iPhone yet, so I am sure that it has a relative advantage over the rest of the smart phone market. If it were not for all the hype, then I probably wouldn’t buy the latest version because I have no real need for it. Like all Apple products, compatibility is an important component because the company always wants its customers to update their products and so they make it as easy as possible to do so. The is part of the appeal because it is really easy to make the switch over to the latest model, and I think that Apple does this deliberately in order to encourage its loyal customers constantly upgrade. The product it very simple to use and does not require any assembly. Finally, Apple communicates really well with its customers so that everyone knows when the next release is. The product launches of new Apple products are very much anticipated and consumers look forward to them much more than product releases of other brands. Work Cited Apple Inc. 2012. Apple Inc. 30 October 2012 . Marketing Discussion p. 617 Apple is one of my favorite brands because I always get the new iPhone whenever it comes out (Apple Inc.). Part of the reason why I like this brand so much is that the products do not cost too much and also great service is provided. I know that iPhones are made in factories in China and other third world countries, but that doesn’t really bother me because all I am concerned with is that I get to buy an iPhone for a cheaper price than competing products. If Apple produced its products in America, then it would have to pay its workers far more for their labor, and this added cost would be passed onto the consumer like me. I am not too sure about the working conditions in those factories, but because I cannot be sure, I have no problem buying Apple products. If I knew absolutely that workers were in harsh working conditions, then I might think twice. However, knowing this does not change my perceptions of quality and satisfaction because Apple iPhones are of high quality and they can be bought very cheaply. Whenever most people go down to the store to buy a product they do not consider where the product was made or how they were made. The two factors that consumers take into consideration are price and quality, and if these two requirements are met then most people don’t have a problem. Work Cited Apple Inc. 2012. Apple Inc. 30 October 2012 . Marketing Discussion p. 648 Corporate social marketing does have an effect on my personal consumer behavior because I don’t want to support products that are involved in unethical practices. If I can be absolutely sure that a brand is unethical, then I would not buy it. If I could not be sure then I would still purchase the product because there is no reason for me not to. Anyone can make accusations but unethical behavior has to be proven before I would take any drastic action. There was a time when Nike’s practice of using child labor to make athletic shoes was big in the news (Greenhouse). Also, there was a problem with poor working conditions and forcing employees to work overtime for very little pay. I avoided all Nike products during that time because I would have felt uncomfortable wearing those products. I think that most people think the same as me because they don’t want to be associated with a brand that has a negative image. Peer pressure is a big thing with this issue because people don’t want to be seen to be supporting an unethical brand. The role of the media in these cases is really important because otherwise we would not know when these events happen. However, I think that once the media forgets about an issue like this one then people go back to their old habits. Work Cited Greenhouse, Steven. “Nike Shoe Plant in Vietnam Is Called Unsafe for Workers.” 8 November 1997. The New York Times. 30 October 2012 . Read More