Marketing Information Issues - Assignment Example

Marketing Questions Section Question 6 The development of technology has come with many advantages which are to thebenefits of both the consumer and the marketers or retailers. With the emerging technologies, companies can readily afford to keep records as well as data of their customers without asking them every now and then what they need. This has been possible through the use of scanner data. Companies use scanner data in keeping the information about the products they stock which are aimed at benefiting their clients through giving them the necessary information they need concerning the products. These information’s may include the price of the commodity, date of manufacture and expiry date, nature of the product among other things. These informations provided are very important for both the customers and the companies in realizing the purchasing nature of the customers as well as in setting the prices of the commodities. Some of the information captured in the card from scanner data includes demographic factors of the client. The demographic data are date of birth and gender; customer’s contact address as well as residential area. They also include the customers name and national identification number. These information’s which are captured are very important for the companies as they help the company to strategize in efforts to enjoy competitive advantages over their competitors. They are useful in designing promotional strategy as it may only allow certain groups of customers who may have the card to enjoy certain discounts from the company. It will therefore be cost effective for the company when they use this cards with all the information contained (Khazanchi and Besley, 2012). Section 2 Question 2 The picture below present the package of choice which provides the good job in providing information related to the benefits of the product, safety, the manufacturer and direction to consumers on how to use the product. http://www.4imprint.com/product/113551/Managing-your-Weight-Pocket-Slider This package is very important to the consumer due to information it has which are relevant to the consumers. It educates the consumers on the ways of managing their weight loss which has become a challenge in the modern society. It does this by educating the consumers on how to do grocery shopping, exercise and smart eating. The product itself is very important in improving the individual’s health and has also been packaged in a bio-degradable package which makes it to be environmental friendly product which brings some benefits to the consumers. The company producing this package is responsible for a number of community sensation programs which are aimed at improving healthy living through eating habits. Obesity has been one of the diseases that people have been experiencing leading to overweight as a result of failures to observe what one takes. Through the cause undertaken by the manufacturer, many people will be helped and they will get the necessary information on how to curb the opportunistic diseases which comes as a result of unhealthy diet. The cause will also lead to change of mind concerning the traditional diets which have been on our tables over the years. This package is therefore very important as it provides all the basic information’s which one may need in deciding to buy the product. Section 3 Question 5 The following are the ten grocery items that I picked from the stores. 1kg onions, 1kg tomatoes, 1kg kales, 1kg banana, 1kg oranges, 1 kg mangoes, 1kg soya beans, 1 packet apple fruits, 1piece cucumber and 1 piece ginger. The table below shows different prices of the grocery items at different stores. The prices are equivalent to dollars. Grocery item Wal-Mart Safeway Whole Foods 1kg Onions 4 4 4 1kg Tomatoes 3 4 3 1kg kales 6 5 7 1kg bananas 10 8 7 1kg oranges 7 8 6 1kg mangoes 5 6 7 1kg soya beans 12 12 10 1 piece ginger 2 2 2 1piece cucumber 2 2 3 1 packet apple fruits 10 10 11 total 61 61 60 The store which had overall best price was Whole Food. It was cheaper by one dollar from other stores visited. The three stores stocked all the selected items which were shopped and they were all available. There are a number of factors which might have affected the differences in the prices between the stores which were visited. Demand and supply might have influenced the prices since some stores don’t have steady supply of the grocery items which puts higher demand leading to the prices fluctuation. The location of the stores also affected the prices since some are located in densely populated streets which put higher demand from the consumers hence pushing the prices. Section 4 Question 1 The fastest and least expensive way to deliver a pair of Nike sneakers to Rome, Italy will be through air freight. DHL transport and logistical company offers affordable and reliable logistical services to European countries on a daily basis. Air freight will be the fastest means and affordable to deliver the product which will reach the destination with minimal interference to the client’s satisfaction. The company can organize for a chartered plane which will ensure the product is timely delivered as expected by the client. The cost will depend on the weight of the product but it will not cost more than 20 dollars and it will be delivered within 24 hours since there are daily charter planes. What is required is the customer to visit the nearby DHL branch and filling the form which also contains the receiver details and making the payments. The second and third option will involve the use of ocean shipping and road. Ocean shipment is very safe and it will minimize the time taken to reach the destination. This is because it carries a lot of loads which intern gives it the convenience of travelling slowly to reach the destination. Upon reaching and docking in Europe, the company will deliver the product through door to door delivery which will also take little time. The charge is approximately 40 dollars which is the minimum charge as per the current DHL rates. Road or railway is the third option and it’s not effective since there is no road linking American continent hence it will have to rely on air or ocean freights in order to deliver the parcel. This might take up to one week depending with the schedules of the other means of logistics. The charges are approximately 50 dollars due to the nature of coverage that it has to undergo. Section 5 Question 2 http://www.cspinet.org/booze/alcohol_advertising_targets.htm The advert above is an example of the adverts being criticized by Hacker (2002). The advert is targeting young children as well as teenagers who are perceived to be aggressive consumers of these products. The advert does not observe the age differences and targets anybody across the nation as long as one can read and see the adverts. They use the elements which catch the fancy of the young children making them to be swayed and buying the products. The adverts also don’t observe the time since they appear on the televisions at family viewing time making young teenagers vulnerable. Question 3 The following advert represents the target group which is the Hispanics and blacks who don’t own homes. It is meant to influence them towards buying their own homes as many of them have remained homeless over long time. http://www.diversemag.co.uk/general-issues-detail/advertising-to-uk-ethnic-groups-65/ The following advert is an example of adverts targeting particular social class in their jobs categories. This is because of the spade that is characterized by certain jobs meant for those in lower class. http://www.advirtues.com/2011/09/09/making-and-breaking-social-class-distinctions/ The advert below targets those who believe in Jesus. The intention of the advert is to sway them to God through the church called Mormom and it is very linked to Christian religion. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005997/Mormonism-seeks-rebrand-new-generation-Romney-Huntsman-launch-White-House-bids.html The advert below is meant for the urban residents for those who wants to have internet access as well as checking on the traffic. This is because the advert bears the picture of a camera as well as vehicles stuck on traffic which is a feature in major urban centers. The advert below is meant to target the children who thought to be having a very special purchasing power. They are easily influenced into buying when they see their favorite pet and other things which attracts their attention. http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/marketing/marketers_target_kids.cfm Section 6 Question 1 Consumers have been resending positively to the adverts displayed on the social media. This has made the phenomenon to be highly rated in terms of the consumers influence since many consumers find the adverts relevant. Social media provides the consumers with the opportunity to interact with the company’s products which enable them to air their voices concerning the products hence being heard. Many consumers have been influenced by the social media adverts since it comes at the right time for them when they are relaxed making them to be relevant in their objective as well as reaching the target group. Many consumers are able to get more information concerning the products through online interaction which has become relevant to them over the years (Haines, 2012). Similarly, many consumers have been influenced into getting into deals with the companies which advertises making them to increase their market dominance and enjoying the competitive advantage. With more and more consumers resorting to social media adverts, they continuously increase there involvement and being empowered on the products hence being of benefits. Many consumers have also been able to save on time in knowing on the new products in the market which have also saved the amount which would otherwise been used in travelling to know more about the product in question ( Berthon , Sarican and Pehlivan, 2011). Works cited Berthon Pierre, Sarican Funda and Pehlivan Ekin. “Mining messages: Exploring consumer response to consumer- vs. firm-generated ads”. Journal of consumer behavior. 10 . 6. (2011). pp. 313-321. Print. Hacker George. Alcohol advertising: are our kids collateral or intended targets? 2002. Web. May 2, 2012. Haines Douglas. Manufacturer and retailer power in retailer response to trade discounts. 2012. Web. May 3, 2012. Khazanchi Deepakand and Besley Fred. Scanners: How one strategic technology has revolutionized the retailing business .2012. Web. 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