Marketing Principles and Interests
Dis 1
- What is marketing (use your textbook and Internet sources)? Provide an example of marketing.
- What interests you about marketing?
- How do company and marketing strategy relate to each other?
Dis 2
Choose an organization (not one that you plan to use for your final project – marketing plan). Answer the following questions based on that organization.
- What are some technological advances that affect marketing today?
- How is/can an MIS (see your textbook) be used for marketing purposes?
- How can a CRM be used for marketing purposes?
Dis 3
Choose an organization that markets to consumers (not one that you plan to use for your marketing plan assignment). Answer the following questions based on that organization.
- There are various factors influencing consumer behavior (see your textbook discussing characteristics affecting consumer’s behavior – cultural, social, personal, psychological…). Select two factors/characteristics and discuss how the target consumer’s behavior can be influenced by the same. Provide examples.
- Of the four types, what type of buying decision behavior would the target consumer that you described above, represent? Analyze.
Dis 4
Identify and describe a product that might be used on a daily basis. Then respond to the following questions about it:
- As a marketer of that product, who would be your target market?
- Create a differentiation strategy that would lead to a competitive advantage.
- List some features of the product you identified above.
- Now, review the three levels of product (Chapter 8). Discuss all three levels relating to that same product. What is the marketing implication of your list of features of the product versus the three levels of product analysis?
- At what stage of the PLC is this product? Discuss how the marketing mix changes based on the stage of the PLC.
Dis 5
Respond to the following questions:
- Find a company whose strategy is value based pricing. Is this an effective pricing strategy? Discuss.
- Find a company with a different pricing strategy. Identify the strategy and its success or failure in your own opinion.
- Discuss partnerships in marketing channels using an example.
- Provide an example of disintermediation and how this could be a threat.
- Discuss 3 trends and developments in retailing and wholesaling.
Dis 6
Consider any product or service, describe it, and respond to the following questions regarding it. Do not use the product you intend to use for your final project (marketing plan).
- Find what Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) methods (tools) are being used by the marketers of that product/service. Summarize 3 main IMC methods (tools) including 1 that must specifically be a form of advertising.
- Are these effective, in your opinion? If yes, justify and explain. If not, recommend what IMC they should implement instead.
- Describe the role of either ‘personal selling’ or ‘sales promotion’ in relation to this product/service. Can either one of these be used effectively? If yes, how? If no, why not?
Dis 7
Personal selling involves an understanding of how to handle objections of potential customers/buyers. Consider a product/service that could be sold through personal selling (through a sales person).
- What objection, query or concern could a consumer have relating to that product/service before purchasing?
- How could a salesperson overcome that objection or answer the query or concern effectively for the consumer?
Dis 8
Consider a company/organization (do not use the company you used for your marketing plan) that is U.S. based but has potential to enter a foreign market (or one that is in the U.S. and other countries but has potential to expand to a country that it is not in). Answer these questions:
- Which market entry strategy would be a good option for this company/organization considering what product/service it markets and its current business approaches and strategy (in other words, look at ‘How to Enter the Market’).
- Review the Figure entitled ‘Sustainable Marketing’ in Chapter 20. Which concept is this company/organization employing OR which concept should it employ?
- Research and list some privacy and/or security considerations in marketing that the company should account for.