Modern marketing techniques - Essay Example

?MARKETING The process through which needs as well as wants of persons are determined and appropriate procedures are adopted in order to deliver products or services which are required to meet the wants and needs is called marketing. The marketers are therefore strategic group of persons who carry out promotions and ascertain that products are moved from the producer to the final consumer. Moreover, certain services following sales are also included within the marketing services. Marketing entails a wide range of activities which span from production, transportation, processing, packaging, advertising as well as sale. Case studies of research studies that have been done in the recent past reveal that majority of modern marketing techniques are basically used to deal with consumers’ behaviors. Singh and partners reason that human behaviors in purchasing as well as consumption are greatly influenced by attitudes or preconceptions about the specific product or service. This imply that consumers are driven by some preconceived ideologies about goods or services and this influences the decision making process by the consumers. Attitude would refer to the ideological conception that exist in one’s mind about the product and which greatly influence the buying habits of the consumer. They sought to study the consumer behavior and the green marketing through special focus on gasoline products. By collecting data through surveys and then analyzing them through regression method, the group found supportive evidence that the consumers’ behaviors have greatly influenced the marketing procedures within the context of gasoline products in that most preference is now banked on the environmental friendly gasoline products. This has therefore the implications that majority of suppliers of the energy products such as the gasoline products are driven to market their products in ways that are most appealing in manners of environmental appeal. This explains the modern branding mechanisms that are adopted by the firms dealing with these products (Singh et al, 2011, p.101). The character or traits that are exhibited by consumers are what is called the consumer behavior and is revealed while searching for, purchasing, using, disposing and evaluating products as well as services that are useful and through which they gain the utility required. Through these considerations then, consumers are influenced in making decision as well as spending their resources for the satisfaction of need and wants. The information that marketers get from the consumers is thus seen to be very important while directing o n the appropriate marketing procedures as well as practices in order to achieve efficiency within the market. This describes why majority of modern marketing revolves around consumer behavior while carrying out a market analysis, target market selection, market-mix determination as well as the marketing strategies mostly reliable within a certain market segment (Bello, 2008, p.1-4). This therefore explains the various marketing mechanisms that are in use today, and which are determined by the consumer behaviors exhibited. Advertising is one tool of marketing and which describes a mechanism that is employed by marketers to pass across valuable information to the potential customers in a bid to win their attention in purchases. As an avenue for informing, advertising is efficient in customizing the consumers’ behavior through appealing to their emotions as well as through group identity. A study carried to ascertain the relationship between effective advertising and the behavior of consumers in buying revealed that there is actually strong evidence to link the consumers’ behavior to the advertisement activities. An in depth analysis also revealed a strong relationship between emotional appeal as well as the consumer purchasing behavior (Abideen and Saleem, nd, p. 55). This therefore revealed that there is a strong base to ascertain that consumers purchase more the goods or services with which they have strong emotional link. These findings thus confirmed and explained the fact that most of modern days marketing practices are influenced by the consumer behaviors. Firms or marketing agencies must therefore adopt mechanisms that are more emotionally appealing to the consumers in order to realize the expected results from marketing activities. Moreover, by establishing that consumer behaviors have a relationship with the emotional identity, producers are in a position to design and produce goods that will be satisfactory to the consumers and which will have the emotional satisfaction needed. Marketers today have a tendency of responding to the customers’ behaviors through various mechanisms or ways. These ways are however dependent on customers’ behavioral response to the urge to have their needs and wants met. Among the major ways that have in the recent past characterized marketers responses to these behaviors is the market segmentation. This refers to the specialization of marketing approaches to focus to various market groups. This is by taking the consideration that the entire market frame is composes with different categories of people who could be potential customers. However, depending on certain group characteristic, the different groupings require different approaches in marketing in order to be effective in targeting them. For instance, marketing strategies targeting the elderly may not be effective through the digital advertisement and promotions; whereas the technique would be most appropriate for the young generation segment. Marketers are continuously acknowledging the differences within the market groups that are stipulated on age difference. Certain marketing procedures will be more appealing to the young generation than they are to the elderly and vice versa. This therefore has necessitated the marketing groups adopt the mechanisms that are seen to be most effective in targeting the distribution in age. Understanding the behavioral characteristics of consumers at the different age segments is critical in adoption of favorable target strategies as well as in segmenting strategies. Through the natural segmentation by age, the marketers are therefore able to address the various segments effectively and accurately through adopting the moist relevant tools such as advertising through various channels while targeting the different age cohorts (Howel, nd, p.21-22). Studies have revealed that modern marketing has had much of perception of consumer behaviors interpreted on gender basis. This therefore imply that the modern marketing have relied on gender differences in designing and implementing marketing strategies through which in the long run they are able to respond to the consumer behaviors. The consumer behavior researchers reason that the way gender (men and women) are represented in marketing is a critical feature in the overall success of marketing strategies and the respective consumers behavioral reactions. Customers are however influenced by their gender character while responding to needs as well as wants and thus influencing their purchasing habits. Marketers have therefore no option other than adopting favorable mechanisms in the practices of marketing in order to be effective in addressing these concerns within the market systems. The consumption in bulk as experienced by firms have necessitated, macro-level marketing. Through the macro marketing strategies, the emphasis is not just marketing for the goods to be bought by consumers but rather there are also adjustments within the production capacity of these firms. These firms adopt mass production methods in order to address the bulk requirement by the consumers. The bulk production necessitates bulk transportation through which the firms realize economies of scale all through the production process. The marketing techniques also realize reduction in overhead costs as the marketing procedures are carried out together (Anon, nd, p.593). All subsequent marketing processes within the macro-marketing strategies enjoy the economies of scale; for instance within transportation, storage, promotions and advertisement among others. In an analysis of individual companies and the adoption of specific marketing techniques tgo make the most out of the consumer behavior; we shall analyze the AURIZON Company. The company has well segmented regional focus which exploits the advantage of resource distribution as well as the consumer distribution. There are such regions as the Bowen Basin, Surat as well as the Galilee basin which are well endowed with coal while other regions such as the Western Australia which is well endowed with Iron (Smith, 2013, p. 40 of 69). As a transport company, the AURIZON Company exploits her strategic advantage in marketing within the context of the resources distribution within the area of exploitation as showed by the segmented areas. Production advantages within the different areas necessitate adoption of favorable techniques that are cost effective and whose relevance can be identified there. Another company within the Australian security exchange is the Academies Australasia Group Limited, which in the financial report presented by the different departments showed a continued profitability despite the environmental challenges that continue to be experienced within the continent. The same marketing technique of segmenting the market is seen to produce favorable results within the different regions where the group has established colleges (Noble, 2012, p. 1-2). As the reported, the over sees constituent colleges played a greater role in substituting the economic hardships that were encountered within Australia. In conclusion, marketing is seen to entail a wide range of activities which span from production, transportation, processing, packaging, advertising as well as sale. Human behaviors to a great extent influence the marketing strategies and techniques. It is also worth acknowledging that different marketing strategies are most appropriate within different perspectives than in others. Bibliography Abideen Z. U. and Saleem S. nd. Effective advertising and its influence on consumer buying Behavior. European Journal of Business and Management ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online) Vol 3, No.3 p. 55 Anonymous, nd. Ethical Marketing in a Consumer-Oriented World: Appraisal and Challenges. Chapter Twenty-Two p.593 Bello L. 2008. Consumer behavior. MKT 724. National Open University of Nigeria 2008 p.1-4 Howel R. nd. Market Segmentation: the Importance of Age Cohorts. p.21-22 Noble S. 2012. Academies Australasia Group Limited annual report. 29 August 2012. ACN 000 003 725 Company Announcements Office Australian Stock Exchange Level 4 p. 1-2. Singh et al. 2011. Green Marketing and Consumer Behavior: The Case of Gasoline Products. Journal of Transnational Management, 16:84–106, 2011 p.101 Smith D. D. 2013. Aurizon, Half year report analysts presentation. Aurizon Holdings Limited. 20 February, 2013. p. 40 of 69 Read More