Fundamentals of Marketing

Meaning of Marketing
The market is commonly referred to as a place where sellers and buyers carry
out transactions for the involvement of the exchange of services and goods.
Marketing is widely defined as the performance of the business activities that
direct the flow of services and goods from producers and consumers.
Definition of Marketing
According to American Marketing Association (2004) - "Marketing is an
organizational function and set of processes for creating, communicating and
delivering value to customers and for managing relationships in a way that
benefits both the organization and the stakeholder."
According to Eldridge (1970) - "Marketing is the combination of activities
designed to produce profit through ascertaining, creating, stimulating, and
satisfying the needs and/or wants of a selected segment of the market."

According to Kotler (2000) - "A societal process by which individuals and

groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering, and freely
exchanging products and services of value with others."

 Traditional Concept: The term ‘traditional marketing’ can be expressed as the

business activity through which goods and services directly move from
producers to consumers or users.
 Modern Concept: The term ‘modern marketing’ can be expressed as the
achievement of corporate goals through meeting and exceeding customer needs
better than the competition.
According to Philip Kotler, the term ‘marketing’ is a social and managerial
process by which individual groups obtain what they need and want through
creating, offering and freely exchanging product and services of value with
others.

Features of Marketing
There are four significant and crucial features of Marketing.
 Customer Value - Customer value is the process of marketing that
facilitates the exchange of the services and products between the buyers
and sellers.
 Needs and Wants - Needs and wants is another vital process of
marketing that helps groups or individuals to obtain what they need and
what they want.
 Exchange Mechanism - The exchange mechanism is the process of
marketing that involves the exchange of services and products for money
or some other products.
 Creating a Market Offering - The creation of market offerings like
taste, size, or quality that are available at a given location or outlet.

Nature of Marketing
The Nature of Marketing (or Modern marketing) may be studied under the
following points:
1. Human activity: Originally, the term marketing is a human activity under which
human needs are satisfied by human efforts. It’s a human action for human
satisfaction.
2. Consumer-oriented: A business exist to satisfy human needs, hence business
must find out what the desire of customer (or consumer) and thereby produce
goods & services as per the needs of the customer. Thus, only those goods
should be produce that satisfy consumer needs and at a reasonable profit to the
manufacturer (or producer).
3. Art as well as science: In the technological arena, marketing is the art and
science of choosing target markets and satisfying customers through creating,
delivering, and communicating superior customer value. It is a technique of
making the goods available at right time, right place, into right hands, right
quality, in the right form and at right price.
4. Exchange Process: All marketing activities revolve around commercial
exchange process. The exchange process implies transactions between buyer
and seller. It also involves exchange of technology, exchange of information
and exchange of ideas.
5. Starts and ends with customers: Marketing is consumer oriented and it is crucial
to know what the actual demand of consumer is. This is possible only when
required information related to the goods and services is collected from the
customer. Thus, it is the starting of marketing and the marketing end as soon as
those goods and services reach into the safe hands of the customer.
6. Creation of Utilities: Marketing creates four components of utilities viz. time,
place, possession and form. The form utility refers to the product or service a
company offers to their customers. The place utility refers to the availability of
a product or service in a location i.e. Easier for customers. By time utility, a
company can ensure that products and services are available when customers
need them. The possession utility gives customers ownership of a product or
service and enables them to derive benefits in their own business.
7. Goal oriented: Marketing seeks to achieve benefits for both buyers and sellers
by satisfying human needs. The ultimate goal of marketing is to generate profits
through the satisfaction of the customer.
8. Guiding element of business: Modern Marketing is the heart of industrial
activity that tells what, when, how to produce. It is capable of guiding and
controlling business.
9. System of Interacting Business Activities: Marketing is the system through
which a business enterprise, institution or organization interacts with the
customers with the objective to earn profit, satisfy customers and manage
relationship. It is the performance of business activities that direct the flow of
goods and services from producer to consumer or user.
10.Marketing is a dynamic processe. series of interrelated functions: Marketing is a
complex, continuous and interrelated process. It involves continuous planning,
implementation and control.
Scope/Functions of Marketing
The term scope of marketing can be understood in terms of the functions of the
marketing manager. The major purpose of marketing manager is to generate
revenue for the business by selling goods and services to the consumers. It lies
in insuring the customer needs and converting them into product or services and
moving the product and services to the final user or customer, to satisfy the
wants and needs of specific segment of customers with emphasis on
profitability and ensuring the optimum use of resources available with the
organization. The marketing manager has to perform the research functions and
exchange functions. They are discussed below:
A few functions of marketing that helps in the exchange of goods and services
are as follows.
 Product Development and Designing:- Product design plays a vital role
in the selling of a product. A company whose product is designed better
sells more products than the companies whose products are weakly
designed.
 Labelling and Packaging:- Packaging refers to the development and
design of packages for the products, while labelling refers to the
development and design of labels to be put on the package.
 Customer Support Services:- This refers to the services provided to
consumers such as adjustments, sales services, and handling customer
complaints. All the services aim to present maximum consumer
satisfaction.
 Analyzing and Gathering Market Information:- This is a crucial
function of marketing that quickly identifies the consumer’s needs and
helps to facilitate
 Warehousing or Storage:- A proper storage maintains the smooth flow
of products and services in the market. The need for storage is essential to
ensure the adequate stock of goods or products against unavoidable
delays or to cover up the contingencies in demand. Retailers and
wholesalers play a vital role.
Marketing Management Philosophies

Each and every company has its own idea on how the company will do
production, how it will sell and do the marketing of its product. For example, A
company which makes caps of very high quality with high selling rates and
invests lot of money to make their brand value (via marketing), this is their
marketing management philosophy, how they will be producing, marketing and
selling the product.
→ The five philosophies of marketing management are:

1. Production Concept
Production concept expresses that customers will favor products that are
generally accessible and not very expensive. Achieving high efficiency in
production, low cost as well as distribution on a mass scale is the usual focus of
the managers. This sort of business orientation is efficient in developing nations
where buyers are more attracted in getting the product than its attributes.

For instance, the local mobile handset producing organizations produce them at
a lower cost than the branded companies. Thus, consumers in these countries
would buy the handsets produced locally rather than the branded ones.

2. Product Concept
The product concept recommends that shoppers will favor items that have better
quality, performance and attributes instead of an ordinary product.

Two organizations which stand separate from the crowd when we discuss the
product concept are Apple and Google. Both of these organizations have strived
hard on their products and offer rich, ground-breaking as well as different
application products and individuals are passionate about these brands.

One issue which has been connected with the product concept is that it may
additionally direct to marketing myopia. Hence, organizations need to consider
developments and traits sincerely and give precedence to consumer needs.

3. Selling Concept
The selling concept basically reflects the possibility that customers won’t buy
enough of the organization’s products unless comprehensive promotional as
well as selling endeavors are undertaken by it.

This concept is utilized for merchandise which consumers do not normally

purchase, unsought products like insurance and so on. These products are
forcefully sold by finding the target fragment and sold on the high caliber of the
product benefits.
This concept lives up to expectations under poor suppositions that if consumers
are coaxed into purchasing a product then they will fundamentally like it.
Regardless of the fact that they dislike it, they’ll overlook their displeasure over
a period of time and purchase the product later on.

4. Marketing Concept
Marketing concept has developed over time, it emphasizes on organizations to
evaluate the demands of the consumers and produce products or services to
fulfill these wants better than the opposition. It is totally contradictory to the
‘manufacture’ concept in addition to sales concept as it stresses on the
consumers and their wants.

Example: The Head and Shoulders shampoo initially arrived in a standard

formula and pack. In any case, with the progression of time the organization
understood the needs of the shoppers and adjusted their item and brought in a
variety in their cleanser line.
5. The Societal Marketing Concept
Societal Marketing has the observation that an organization must settle on great
promoting choices in the wake of considering customer needs, the prerequisites
of the organization and above all else the long term interests of the general
public. Societal Marketing is really a branch of the idea of Corporate Social
Responsibility and maintainable development. This concept urges organizations
to accomplish more than having a trade association with consumers, to go past
conveying products and work for the profit of the consumers and the society.

Example: The Body Shop International PLC is the first, common and moral
excellence brand. The organization utilizes just plant based materials for its
products. It is against Animal testing, backs group exchange; actuate Self
Esteem, Defend Human Rights and general security of the planet. They have
likewise their own philanthropy, The Body Shop Foundation, to support those
attempting to accomplish advance in the ranges of human and social equality,
ecological and animal security.
Marketing Management

Marketing management is the process of decision making, planning, and

controlling the marketing aspects of a company in terms of the marketing
concept, somewhere within the marketing system. Before proceeding to
examine some of the details of this process, comments on two aspects will be
helpful background.
In other words, Marketing management is “planning, organising, controlling
and implementing of marketing programmes, policies, strategies and tactics
designed to create and satisfy the demand for the firms’ product offerings or
services as a means of generating an acceptable profit.”
Institute of Marketing Management, England, has defined Marketing
Management as “Marketing Management is the creative management function
which promotes trade and employment by assessing consumer needs and
initiating research and development to meet them. It co-ordinates the resources
of production and distribution of goods and services, determines and directs the
total efforts required to sell profitably to ultimate user”.

According to Philip Kotler, “Marketing Management is the art and science of

choosing target markets and building profitable relationship with them.
Marketing management is a process involving analysis, planning, implementing
and control and it covers goods, services, ideas and the goal is to produce
satisfaction to the parties involved”.

Features of Marketing Management

1. Managerial Process:
Marketing management is a managerial process involving planning, organising,
decision making, forecasting, directing, coordinating and controlling. Stanley
Vance defines management as the process of decision making and controlling.
Every aspect of marketing, starting with identifying the consumer’s need and
wants, identifying the targeted customer, product planning, development,
pricing, promotion, distribution process requires planning, decision making,
coordination and controlling.
2. Consumer Centric:
All marketing activities are consumer centric. The consumers are the king.
Marketing activities are based on the premise of “make what the market wants”.
The principal objective of marketing is to create new customers and to retain
current customer. Marketing management performs the task of converting the
potential customers into actual customer.
This is possible through satisfaction of customer’s needs and wants by
delivering them, appropriate goods and services according to their needs and
wants, at right time and through convenient channel.
3. Research Analysis:
The basis function of marketing is identification of consumer’s needs and wants
.This requires continuous and systematic collection of data, analysis and
reporting of data relevant to marketing activities. This helps the management to
understand consumer’s needs, wants, preferences and behaviour of the
consumer towards firm’s marketing mix strategies. This helps in forecasting and
planning future course of action.
4. Planning and Development:
Marketing involves planning and development of goods and services.
Organizations make a continuous endeavour towards planning, development
and innovation of product and services so as to meet the changing demand, taste
and preferences of the consumers.
5. Building Marketing Framework:
Marketing activities are not just selling and distribution of ownership of goods
and services from the producer to the ultimate consumer. But it involves a series
of activities like research analysis, production, development and innovation,
advertisement and promotion pricing decision, selling and distribution,
customer relationship and after sales service.
All these functional areas of marketing must be effectively planned, organised
and built effectively to achieve best results. Marketing structure depends upon
the size of the enterprise, geographical coverage of the operation, number of
product lines, nature of product, size of customers.
6. Organizational Objectives:
All marketing activities are based on overall organisational objectives. The
marketer bridges the gap between overall organisational objectives of achieving
high profit and maximization of sales and consumer’s interest of satisfying
needs.
7. Promotional and Communication Process:
The ultimate objective of a firm is to maximise sales volume and profit. This
can be achieved through promotion and communication about the goods and
services. This function of marketing management enables the firm to provide
information about the product to the customers.
8. Controlling of Activities:
Marketing management performs the function of controlling of marketing
activities. Marketing management evaluates the effectiveness of marketing
activities, to judge the efficiency of marketing personnel and the plans. This
process involves measuring the actual performance with the standard and
identifying the deviations and taking corrective actions.

Functions of marketing management are:

1. Assessing the Marketing Opportunities:
Determination of marketing objectives and assessment of the marketing
opportunities for the firm, is an important function of marketing management.
The constantly changing market conditions and opportunities make it
imperative for the marketing management to come out with planned progammes
to meet the challenges, and reap the opportunities.
2. Planning the Marketing Activities:
Planning is an important managerial function. Planning of marketing activities
is a crucial task and involves numerous steps. It involves planning effective
strategies to achieve the desired marketing objectives. It is concerned with
formulation of policies relating to product, price, channels of distribution,
promotional measures, forecast of target sales etc. Planning provides the basis
for an effective marketing for the enterprise.
3. Organising the Marketing Activities:
Another significant function of marketing is organising it implies determination
of various activities to be performed and assigning these activities to right
person, so that marketing objectives are achieved. In the light of the changing
concept of marketing, it is necessary that the organisation structure is flexible
and accommodative. This will help in better interaction between organisation
and environment.
4. Co-Ordinating Different Activities of Enterprise:
Even the best of planning will not be rewarding if there is improper
coordination between different activities of the organisation. Marketing
involves various activities and these are inter-related and interdependent.
Product decisions, pricing strategies, channel structure research activities all
require proper coordination. Only then the objectives can be achieved.
5. Directing and Motivating the Employee:
A good direction is a must for effective performance of marketing functions.
Direction helps in rightful performance of the work. Different leadership style
are practised to guide the subordinates. A leader directs his subordinates and
ensures through effective supervision, that the performance is as per planned
specification. At the same time, it is necessary that employers are properly
motivated. Motivation not only helps in better performance by the employee but
also holds him back to the organisation for longer periods.
These days organisations are very serious as far as their motivation policies are
concerned. New ways of motivation are being introduced so that the employee
gives his best of services.
6. Evaluating and Controlling Marketing Efforts:
In order to have a profitable venture, marketing manager must on a continuous
basis, evaluate the marketing efforts. This will help him in knowing the
deficiencies if any, which can be corrected beforehand only and proper
adjustments can be made with the changing environment. Controlling is a
managerial function concerned with comparison of actual performance with the
standard performance and locating the shortcomings if any, finally corrective
measures are taken to overcome the shortcomings.

Consumer Behaviour
Meaning and Definition:
Consumer behaviour is the study of how individual customers, groups or
organizations select, buy, use, and dispose ideas, goods, and services to satisfy
their needs and wants. It refers to the actions of the consumers in the
marketplace and the underlying motives for those actions.

1. According to Engel, Blackwell, and Mansard, ‘consumer behaviour is the

actions and decision processes of people who purchase goods and services for
personal consumption’.

2. According to Louden and Bitta, ‘consumer behaviour is the decision

process and physical activity, which individuals engage in when evaluating,
acquiring, using or disposing of goods and services’.

Nature of Consumer Behaviour:

1. Influenced by various factors:

The various factors that influence the consumer behaviour are as follows:
a. Marketing factors such as product design, price, promotion, packaging,
positioning and distribution.

b. Personal factors such as age, gender, education and income level.

c. Psychological factors such as buying motives, perception of the product and

attitudes towards the product.

d. Situational factors such as physical surroundings at the time of purchase,

social surroundings and time factor.

e. Social factors such as social status, reference groups and family.

f. Cultural factors, such as religion, social class—caste and sub-castes.

2. Undergoes a constant change:

Consumer behaviour is not static. It undergoes a change over a period of time
depending on the nature of products. For example, kids prefer colourful and
fancy footwear, but as they grow up as teenagers and young adults, they prefer
trendy footwear, and as middle-aged and senior citizens they prefer more sober
footwear. The change in buying behaviour may take place due to several other
factors such as increase in income level, education level and marketing factors.

3. Varies from consumer to consumer:

All consumers do not behave in the same manner. Different consumers behave
differently. The differences in consumer behaviour are due to individual factors
such as the nature of the consumers, lifestyle and culture. For example, some
consumers are technoholics. They go on a shopping and spend beyond their
means.

They borrow money from friends, relatives, banks, and at times even adopt
unethical means to spend on shopping of advance technologies. But there are
other consumers who, despite having surplus money, do not go even for the
regular purchases and avoid use and purchase of advance technologies.

4. Varies from region to region and country to county:

The consumer behaviour varies across states, regions and countries. For
example, the behaviour of the urban consumers is different from that of the rural
consumers. A good number of rural consumers are conservative in their buying
behaviours.

The rich rural consumers may think twice to spend on luxuries despite having
sufficient funds, whereas the urban consumers may even take bank loans to buy
luxury items such as cars and household appliances. The consumer behaviour
may also varies across the states, regions and countries. It may differ depending
on the upbringing, lifestyles and level of development.

5. Information on consumer behaviour is important to the marketers:

Marketers need to have a good knowledge of the consumer behaviour. They
need to study the various factors that influence the consumer behaviour of their
target customers.

The knowledge of consumer behaviour enables them to take appropriate

marketing decisions in respect of the following factors:
a. Product design/model

b. Pricing of the product

c. Promotion of the product

d. Packaging

e. Positioning
f. Place of distribution

6. Leads to purchase decision:

A positive consumer behaviour leads to a purchase decision. A consumer may
take the decision of buying a product on the basis of different buying motives.
The purchase decision leads to higher demand, and the sales of the marketers
increase. Therefore, marketers need to influence consumer behaviour to increase
their purchases.

7. Varies from product to product:

Consumer behaviour is different for different products. There are some
consumers who may buy more quantity of certain items and very low or no
quantity of other items. For example, teenagers may spend heavily on products
such as cell phones and branded wears for snob appeal, but may not spend on
general and academic reading. A middle- aged person may spend less on
clothing, but may invest money in savings, insurance schemes, pension
schemes, and so on.

8. Improves standard of living:

The buying behaviour of the consumers may lead to higher standard of living.
The more a person buys the goods and services, the higher is the standard of
living. But if a person spends less on goods and services, despite having a good
income, they deprives themselves of higher standard of living.

9. Reflects status:
The consumer behaviour is not only influenced by the status of a consumer, but
it also reflects it. The consumers who own luxury cars, watches and other items
are considered belonging to a higher status. The luxury items also give a sense
of pride to the owners.

Market Segmentation
Segmentation refers to a process of bifurcating or dividing a large unit into
various small units which have more or less similar or related characteristics.
So, Market segmentation is defined as the segmentation or division of markets
into various homogenous coups of customers, each of them reacting differently
to promotion, communication, pricing and other variables of the marketing mix.
Market segments should be formed in such a way that difference between
buyers within each segment is as small as possible.
According to Philip Kotler, “Market segmentation is sub-dividing a market
into distinct and homogeneous subgroups of customers, where any group can
conceivably be selected as a target market to be met with distinct marketing
mix”.
According to William J. Stanton, “Market segmentation consists of taking the
total heterogeneous market for a product and dividing it into several sub-market
or segments, each of which tends to be homogeneous in full significant
aspects”.
According to R. S. Davar, “Grouping of buyers or segmenting the market is
described as market Segmentation.”
The main aim of market segmentation is to prepare separate programmes or
strategies to all segments so that maximum satisfaction to consumers of
different segments may be provided. In the words of Philip Kotler, “the purpose
of market segmentation is to determine difference among them or marketing to
them.”

Characteristics of Marketing Segmentation –

Another aspect is the criteria for effective targeting of market segments. The
marketers will have to select one or more segments to target with an appropriate
marketing mix.
For a segment to be viable, it must have the following characteristics:

I. Identification:
To facilitate division of the market in various segments based on certain
common characteristics relevant to a particular product or service, the marketers
must be in a position to identify these characteristics. It is easy to identify
certain segmentation variables because they are easily visible or observable.
These are demographics such as age, sex, marital status, education and
occupation. This information about demographic variables can be obtained
either through observation or through research (by using questionnaires).
Similarly, geographic segmentation (region, city size, density of area and
climate) can easily be identified as they are observable or through mapping. But
there are certain characteristics which are not easily identifiable.
These could be a part of the psychographics, like benefits sought or lifestyle.
And it is such intangible consumer behaviour characteristics which will help the
marketers, to use it as a base for market segmentation.
II. Measurability:
Another important characteristic ascertains the degree of measurability of the
size and purchasing power of the segments. The marketer must be able to
determine the size of the market that is to find out how many people are there in
the segment and where they are located.
The marketer must be able to measure the sales potential of the particular
segment and also be able to determine the extent of influence of the marketing
mix elements on the particular segment. For instance, a restaurant may want to
improve upon the F & B services offered by it.
The size of the customers will include regular customers as well as occasional
customers, the latter may eat and drink (especially the youngsters) to rebel
against their parents. A knowledge of such consumer behaviours, though
difficult to measure will be useful to the marketer.
III. Accessibility:
The extent to which the market segments can be reached and served is another
area of concern. The consumers must be accessible or available to the
marketers. For instance, a company which sells ‘skin care products’, may find
that heavy users of its brand are teenagers and young women, who are frequent
visitors at fast-food centres and beauty parlours.
But unless the firm is able to get more information on places or store
preferences and exposure to various media’s it will be difficult to reach this
consumer segment. Because once the firm has found a medium that reaches
their consumers, it can communicate with it’s target segment effectively.
Marketers try to reach their consumers through “differentiated marketing for
differentiated consumer profiles “.
IV. Substantiality:
Another matter of concern for the marketer is the extent to which the segments
are large enough and worthy of investment. For a market segment to be
worthwhile, it must have a large number of people with specific needs and
interests. The size of the large segment must be big enough to be economically
viable. The size of the market is not the only indicator of the economic
worthiness of the segment.
It is also necessary to undertake consumer research methodology to determine
whether the consumers are dissatisfied or only partly satisfied with the existing
products and whether they are willing to pay for the firm’s product. The target
segment should be a large homogeneous group worth focusing with a tailored
marketing programme.
For instance, a company may observe that ‘retired persons’ prefer to have a
rocking chair. But going by the problem faced of space availability in houses,
the size of the market is shrinking in nature. In this case the particular segment
will not be substantial to make it a market.
V. Stability:
Marketers would like to target consumers whose behaviours can be predicted.
The marketers want to be sure of the stability of the consumers in terms of their
demographic and psychological characteristics and wants and needs which are
likely to grow faster over a period of time. Marketers would like to avoid ‘fads’
which may disappear one day because it is unpredictable in terms of durability.

Importance of Market Segmentation –

Some of the importance of market segmentation are described below:
1. Co-Ordination of Product and Marketing Appeals – As market segmentation
presents an opportunity to understand the nature of the market, the seller can
adjust his thrust to attract the maximum number of customers by various
publicity media and appeals.
2. Better Position to Spot Marketing Opportunities – As the producer can make
a fair estimate of the volume of his sale and the possibilities of furthering his
sales in the regions where response of the customers is poor.
3. Allocation of Marketing Budget – It is on the basis of market segmentation
that marketing budget is adjusted for a particular region or locality. Specific
budget can be allocated according to different market segments.
4. Meeting the Competition Effectively – It helps the producer to face the
competition of his rivals effectively. The producer can adopt different strategies
for different markets taking into account the rival’s strategies.
5. Effective Marketing Programme – It helps the producer to adopt an effective
marketing programme and serve the consumer better at comparatively lower
cost. Diverse marketing programmes can be attached for various segments.
6. Evaluation of Marketing Activities – Market segmentation helps the
manufacturer to find out and compare the marketing potentialities of the
products. It helps to adjust production and using his resources in the most
profitable manner. As soon as the product becomes obsolete, the product line
could be diversified or discontinued.
Bases for Market Segmentation
1. Geographic Segmentation:
Geographic location is one of the simplest methods of segmenting the market.
People living in one region of the country have purchasing and consuming habit
which differs from those living in other regions. For example, life style products
sell very well in metro cities, e.g., Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai but do
not sell in small towns. Banking needs of people in rural areas differ from those
of urban areas. Even within a city, a bank branch located in the northern part of
the city may attract more clients than a branch located in eastern part of the city.

2. Demographic Segmentation:
Demographic variables such as age, occupation, education, sex and income are
commonly used for segmenting markets.

(a) Age:
Teenagers, adults, retired.

(b) Sex:
Male and female.

(c) Occupation:
Agriculture, industry, trade, students, service sector, house-holds, institutions.

(i) Industrial sector:

Large, small, tiny.
(ii) Trade:
Wholesale, retail, exporters.

(iii) Services:
Professionals and non-professionals.

(iv) Institutions:
Educational, religions, clubs.

(v) Agriculture and cottage industries.

(d) Income Level:

Above Rs. 1 lakh per annum, Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh, Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 50,000
per annum, i.e., higher, middle and lower.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

(e) Family Life-cycle:

Young single, young married no children, young married youngest child under
six, young married youngest child over six, older married with children, older
married no children under eighteen, older single, etc.

3. Psychographic Segmentation:
Psychographic means measurement of psychological characteristics. Hence,
psychographics is about measurement of inner characteristics of an individual.
Inner psychological characteristics such as personality, self- image, perception,
attitude, and motivation play a role in driving consumer behaviour. Under this
method consumer are classified into market segments on the basis of their
psychological make-up, i.e., personality, attitude and lifestyle. According to
attitude towards life, people may be classified as traditionalists, achievers, etc.

(i) Personality – In segment markets marketers have used personality variables.

They endow their products with brand personality that matches to consumer
personalities.

(ii) Beliefs – It is a parameters of segmentation utilised by marketers to sell

products. People according to their situation and bringing-up develop their own
beliefs. For example, people develop religious beliefs as per the religion they
follow. And their purchase behaviours are greatly influenced by their beliefs.
Not only during festivals but in normal life also people with different religious
beliefs develop different lifestyles and different behaviour as consumer.

(iii) Values – On the basis of core values some marketers segments i.e., belief
systems that consumer attitudes and behaviour. Core values go much deeper
than behaviour or attitude and determine, at a basic level, people’s choices and
desires over the long term. Marketers who segment by values believe that by
appealing to people’s inner selves it is possible to influence their outer-selves,
their purchase behaviour.

(iv) Lifestyles – As lifestyle reflects the overall manner in which persons live
and spend time and money it is considered as an important factor. It is
behavioural concept enabling us to grasp and predict buyer behaviour. Lifestyle
concept has interdisciplinary approach as it involves sociology, culture,
psychology and demography. Lifestyle concept as a basis for segmentation is
quite reasonable and desirable.

4. Behavioristic Segmentation:

In this method consumers are classified into market segments not the basis of
their knowledge, attitude and use of actual products or product attributes.

(i) Benefits – The marketer identifies the benefits a customer looks while
purchasing a product.

(ii) Occasions – Buyers / customer can be distinguished as per the occasions in

which they purchase or use a product.

(iii) User States – A product is determined by the usage different groups

undertake.

(iv) Quality Consumed – The quality consumed at a certain period serves as

the basis of distinctions.

(v) Buyer-Readiness stage – Whether a consumer is ready or prepare to

purchase also serves as the basis of segmentation.

(vi) Loyalty Status – The behaviour of customer that suggests their loyalty to
brands.

(vii) Attitudes – At different stages of life, people have attitudes that

determines their purchasing power that works as per their moods.

Marketing Target
Market targeting is a process of selecting the target market from the entire
market. Target market consists of group/groups of buyers to whom the company
wants to satisfy or for whom product is manufactured, price is set, promotion
efforts are made, and distribution network is prepared.
Definitions:
1. We can define the term as: Market targeting is a process of selecting the
target market from the entire market. Target market consists of group/groups of
buyers to whom the company wants to satisfy or for whom product is
manufactured, price is set, promotion efforts are made, and distribution network
is prepared.

2. It involves basically two actions – evaluation of segments and selection of the

appropriate market segments. In this relation, market targeting can be defined
as: Market targeting is an act of evaluating and selecting market segments.

3. Finally, we define market targeting as: Market targeting consists of dividing

the total market into segments, evaluating these segments, and selecting the
appropriate segments as the target market.

Procedure of Market Targeting:

Market targeting procedure consists of two steps:
1. Evaluating Market Segments:
Evaluation of market segments calls for measuring suitability of segments. The
segments are evaluated with certain relevant criteria to determine their
feasibility.

To determine overall attractiveness/suitability of the segment, two factors

are used:
i. Attractiveness of Segment:
In order to determine attractiveness of the segment, the company must think on
characteristics/conditions which reflect its attractiveness, such as size,
profitability, measurability, accessibility, actionable, potential for growth, scale
of economy, differentiability, etc. These characteristics help decide whether the
segment is attractive.

ii. Objectives and Resources of Company:

The firm must consider whether the segment suit the marketing objectives.
Similarly, the firm must consider its resource capacity. The material,
technological, and human resources are taken into account. The segment must
be within resource capacity of the firm.

2. Selecting Market Segments:

When the evaluation of segments is over, the company has to decide in which
market segments to enter. That is, the company decides on which and how
many segments to enter. This task is related with selecting the target market.
Target market consists of various groups of buyers to whom company wants to
sell the product; each tends to be similar in needs or characteristics. Philip
Kotler describes five alternative patterns to select the target market. Selection of
a suitable option depends on situations prevailing inside and outside the
company.

Alternative Strategies (Methods) for Market Targeting:

Basically five alternative patterns/strategies are available.

Company may opt for any one of the following strategies for market
targeting based on the situations:
1. Single Segment Concentration:
It is the simplest case. The company selects only a single segment as target
market and offers a single product. Here, product is one; segment is one. For
example, a company may select only higher income segment to serve from
various segments based on income, such as poor, middleclass, elite class, etc.
All the product items produced by the company are meant for only a single
segment.

Single segment offers some merits like:

(1) Company can gain strong knowledge of segment’s needs and can achieve a
strong market position in the segment.

(2) Company can specialize its production, distribution, and promotion.

(3) Company, by capturing leadership in the segment, can earn higher return on
its investment.

It suffers from following demerits like:

(1) Competitor may invade the segment and can shake company’s position.

(2) Company has to pay high costs for change in fashion, habit, and attitude.
Company may not survive as risk cannot be diversified.

Mostly, company prefers to operate in more segments. Serving more segments

minimizes the degree of risk.

2. Selective Specialization:
In this option, the company selects a number of segments. A company selects
several segments and sells different products to each of the segments. Here,
company selects many segments to serve them with many products. All such
segments are attractive and appropriate with firm’s objectives and resources.

There may be little or no synergy among the segments. Every segment is

capable to promise the profits. This multi-segment coverage strategy has the
advantage of diversifying the firm’s risk. Firm can earn money from other
segments if one or two segments seem unattractive. For example, a company
may concentrate on all the income groups to serve.

3. Product Specialization:
In this alternative, a company makes a specific product, which can be sold to
several segments. Here, product is one, but segments are many. Company offers
different models and varieties to meet needs of different segments. The major
benefit is that the company can build a strong reputation in the specific product
area. But, the risk is that product may be replaced by an entirely new
technology. Many ready-made garment companies prefer this strategy.

4. Market Specialization:
This strategy consists of serving many needs of a particular segment. Here,
products are many but the segment is one. The firm can gain a strong reputation
by specializing in serving the specific segment. Company provides all new
products that the group can feasibly use. But, reduced size of market, reduced
purchase capacity of the segment, or the entry of competitors with superior
products range may affect the company’s position.

5. Full Market Coverage:

In this strategy, a company attempts to serve all the customer groups with all the
products they need. Here, all the needs of all the segments are served. Only very
large firm with overall capacity can undertake a full market coverage strategy.

Methods of Full Market Coverage:

Philip Kotler identifies two broad ways for full market coverage strategy as
under:
Undifferentiated Marketing:
Company sells the same products to all the customer groups. It does not
consider difference among buyers. Product and marketing programme remain
common for all the segments. The firm relies on mass production, mass
distribution, and mass advertising. So, it can considerably reduce production,
distribution, and promotional costs. Similarly, reduced costs result into low
price and the price-sensitive consumers can be attracted. This method is
followed by pharmaceutical companies.

However, many experts and practicing managers have expressed strong doubts
about the strategy. It is erroneous to believe that all the segments have similar
needs. It is a rare case. Such strategy may invite competition to serve larger
groups of buyers, and smaller groups are neglected. People, in different
segments, differ significantly in terms of needs, preference, and advertising
appeal.
Differentiated Marketing:
Here, company operates in several segments and designs different marketing
programmes for each of the segments. Various groups of customers are targeted
by several types of products and marketing strategies. It is based on the notion
that each group needs different products. This strategy is used by the most of
automobile companies. This strategy creates more total sales, but costs of doing
business also on increase.

Types of Targeting Strategies in Marketing

Some of the important targeting types used by a marketer in marketing are as
follows:
1. Niche/ Concentrated marketing: Sometimes there could be very small but
highly profitable market segment which cannot accommodate more than a few
players. A company may choose to operate in such a well-defined group of
customers by targeting them. The idea is to gain expertise in meeting the highly
specialized customer needs. For example, Sensodyne is a toothpaste for
consumers with sensitive teeth. The consumer segment is small but has very
specific requirements.
2. Mass/undifferentiated marketing: The idea is to sell the same generic
product to all consumers. Such an idea assumes that the consumers have similar
needs with respect to the particular product category and hence targeting is done
to a larger customer base. The main advantage is low cost as a result of
economies of scale. For example, Tata iodized salt.
3. Selective/ differentiated marketing: A company may opt to provide
different offerings to different consumer segments. A company can differentiate
its product through the following ways to have focused targeting:
a. Product differentiation (features, durability, performance, style) e.g. Apple
iPhone 5 & 5c
b. Services differentiation e.g. Kingfisher Airlines’ in-flight services
c. Personnel differentiation e.g. Customer service at Pizza Hut
d. Image differentiation e.g. Zara (fast fashion, trendy)

Advantages of Targeting in Marketing

Targeting the right set of customers is critical for any business. Some of the
important advantages of targeting in marketing are:
1. Targeting helps a company to use its resources wisely.
2. It helps in ensuring a strong focus towards the right set of customers.
3. Targeting strategy in marketing gives the employees a sense of direction
where they can channelize their energies.
4. It helps how customers look at its brand when compared to competitors.
5. Targeting helps companies avoid redundant costs on customers who would
not be a target audience for the product or service.
Market Positioning

Market Positioning refers to the ability to influence consumer

perception regarding a brand or product relative to competitors. The objective of
market positioning is to establish the image or identity of a brand or product so
that consumers perceive it in a certain way.

For example:

 A handbag maker may position itself as a luxury status symbol

 A TV maker may position its TV as the most innovative and cutting-edge
 A fast-food restaurant chain may position itself as the provider of cheap
meals

Types of Positioning Strategies

There are several types of positioning strategies. A few examples are

positioning by:

 Product attributes and benefits: Associating your brand/product with

certain characteristics or with certain beneficial value
 Product price: Associating your brand/product with competitive pricing
 Product quality: Associating your brand/product with high quality
 Product use and application: Associating your brand/product with a
specific use
 Competitors: Making consumers think that your brand/product is better
than that of your competitors

A Perceptual Map in Market Positioning

A perceptual map is used to show consumer perception of certain brands. The
map allows you to identify how competitors are positioned relative to you and
to identify opportunities in the marketplace.

An example of consumers perception of price and quality of brands in the

automobile industry are mapped below:

Brand Positioning:

Definition of Brand Positioning

Brand Positioning can be defined as the positioning strategy of the brand with
the goal to create a unique impression in the minds of the customers and at the
marketplace. Brand Positioning has to be desirable, specific, clear, and
distinctive in nature from the rest of the competitors in the market.

Effective brand positioning enables a firm’s brand to be readily distinguishable

from competing brands in the marketplace. Distinguishing the brand from other
brands can be in terms of associated brand attributes, benefits to users,
and/or market segment emphasis, among other factors. Effective brand
positioning further emphasizes elements of superiority along one or more
distinguishing dimensions which are valued by consumers.

Steps to create Brand Position

1) Identify the current standing

If the brand is new to the market, then this first step doesn’t apply to the new
entrants to the market but if the brand is already an established player in the
market and wishes to resurrect its Brand Positioning and the overall brand
architecture, then it is vital for the management of the company and
the branding department to carefully understand and identify the current
positioning of the brand and have an analysis how is it working in the favour of
the brand and its attainment of the overall business aims and objectives.

If the answer is no, then the management of the company needs to figure out the
loopholes in the current Brand Positioning and check if there is a need for
the repositioning of the brand.

2) Identify the direct competition

The next step in the line of creating the Brand Positioning is identifying the
brands in the marketplace that pose a direct threat to the brand. The brand needs
to analyze and understand the core value, brand strengths, nature
of products and services offered, ethos, and fundamentals of the competitive
brands plus spot their unique selling propositions and the factors that make them
different and unique in the market and in the minds of the customers.

3) Understand the standing of the competitor brands

The further step involves understanding the positioning of the competitor
brands, basically figuring out their vision statement, mission statement,
core values, brand fundamentals, and the entire brand architecture. It is very
important to intricately study the positioning and brand strategies of the
competitor brands in order to come up with the positioning that is unique and
distinctive giving a competitive edge in the market.

4) Identify the uniqueness of the company

This step involves the in-depth introspection of the brand within and identify the
core values, fundamentals on which the brand is formulated, strengths, value
propositions, long-term vision, and the features and attributes that make the
brand unique and different from the rest of the brands in the market offering the
similar lines of products and services.

5) Develop the unique selling propositions

In continuation to the previous step, the next stage to the Brand Positioning
encompasses developing the unique selling propositions depending on the
features, objectives, attributes, core values, and strengths of the brand that will
give the brand a unique and distinctive identity in the market and in the
customer’s minds.

6) Formulate the messaging statements

Next on the line is working on the messaging statements such as mission
statement, vision statement, and the tagline or the brand slogan that is attached
with the official logo of the brand. All the messaging statements should be
clear, crisp, and unique in line with the attributes and inherent nature of the
brand.

Importance of Brand Positioning and strategy :

1) Market differentiation
The unique and creative Brand Positioning not only clears the clutter from the
market but also gives the factor of differentiation to the brand as compared to its
direct and indirect competitors. It makes the brand stand out in the market as
well as in the customer’s mind with the unique selling proposition and the
strong attributes of the brand getting ingrained in their minds working as a
recall factor.
2) Justifies the pricing strategy
Yet another benefit of the Brand Positioning is that it helps the management of
the company to justify the pricing strategy. If the pricing of the products offered
by the brand is high owing to the feature of quality and class, and the Brand
Positioning is formulated in such a way that showcases the factors of quality
and class, the pricing part gets automatically justified in the minds of the
customers. The same is applicable for the products that are reasonable and
affordable in nature and the positioning strategy is planned and executed
accordingly.

3) Competitive advantage
A strong Brand Positioning that tactfully and strategically highlights the core
values, strengths, attributes, and the unique selling propositions of the brand
enjoys the facet of competitive advantage that results in accomplishing the
objectives of higher sales, increased market share, customer loyalty, attracting
the new set of customers, and elevated profits.

4) Makes the brand more creative

There are quite many brands in the market offering the similar lines of products
and services to the same target market and audience but it is the Brand
Positioning that makes one brand different and unique from the other. And if the
brand is able to come up with the innovative and novel positioning strategy and
execution, the brand is adorned with the tag of the creative brand.

A good Brand positioning helps customers to resonate with the values and
concepts of brand and helps them to associate with it on a deeper level which is
beyond buyer and seller relationship. A positive positioning helps the brand to
stand out amongst competitors and gain competitive advantage along with the
added market share.
8 Types of brand positioning strategies

1) Value-based Brand positioning

Value-based positioning has two approaches and both are based are very much
dependent on the quality of the product. They use a psychological approach
which exploits the belief that more expensive something is, the better it is. This
increases the value in the minds of the customer and the product is positioned as
expensive and useful and good.

Alternatively, you can also position your brand as providing high quality and
high value-priced products or services. It is essential in value positioning that
the company should first establish the values of the product in the market for
themselves to sell.

An excellent example of a strategy would be Southwest airlines which are

offering affordable flights to people along with free check-in luggage. Thereby
Southwest airlines establish its value in the minds of the customer.

2) Quality based Brand positioning

Positioning with the help of an important parameter like quality can be a very
challenging positioning strategy. Although it can be combined with other
strategies and positioned easily. Every business in the market nowadays is
trying to establish quality and its commitment to maintain it.

One unique way to distinguish your products amongst the competitors would be
to narrow the focus to a particular area of expertise and use that as branding
strategy in terms of quality positioning. For example, when it comes to audio
everybody knows that Bose audio is the best, they have positioned themselves
in that way. There worked only on one parameter significantly rather than
working on all parameters simultaneously.

This makes them specialized in one feature thereby ensuring proper focus on the
quality of that particular feature. Another example would be BlackBerry mobile
phones which used by selective few in the market but seen as one of the best
phones when it comes to security.

3) Competitor based positioning

Since the competition has increased companies are taking this strategy to
demonstrate the superiority amongst all other available competitors in the
market. Right from insurance companies to mobile phones every company
establishes its supremacy by comparing their products or services to other
companies or direct competitors.

The messages are usually straight, clear and address the competition directly
although some may use an indirect reference to their competitors. An example
would be, in 2017 iPhone X was launched with the notch in the mobile for the
first time in the industry. Samsung mocked Apple by creating an ad in which a
person if the notch stands in the line to buy new Apple iPhone while a person
who just switched from Apple to Samsung is depicted to be happier. This was
an indirect reference to Apple and its new phone while mocking its
shortcomings.

4) Benefit positioning

Working with the benefits of attributes and communicating those benefits to the
customer has been an old strategy followed by many brands. The strategy
highlights the benefits of the product or service to the customers and cream that
no computer can copy them since their unique to that particular brand.
Sensodyne is an example which uses benefit positioning and today is a premium
toothpaste in the market of oral dentistry and oral hygiene. It has positioned
itself as an oral medical solution provider which customer can use on a day-to-
day basis to get rid of oral problems.
While other kinds of toothpaste focus on whitening and reducing the bad breath
Sensodyne has focused on medical aspects of oral hygiene which is a unique
benefit in the market and that has helped them to stand out.

5) Problem and solution positioning

Many brands present themselves as a solution provider to the problems of the

customers. The ideology behind such positioning is to demonstrate that this
particular brand can help you solve your problems instantly and efficiently.
Banks, Insurances, and loans have started themselves to a position as a solution
provider.

Often advertised as ‘Need a loan? Contact us and we will get the loan Approved
within Minutes or Seconds with minimum documentation’ is the claim which is
followed by many banks thereby acting as a solution provider to the financial
problems of the customer.

6) Price Positioning

As much as quality plays an important role in the product success price is an

equally important factor which determines the enormity of success of a
particular brand. Why is there are expensive brand positioning themselves as
unique and niche, the appeal to a very limited segment of customers who can
afford to purchase them? There still remains a major bulk order chunk of
customers who are not able to purchase those nice products or services. It is to
appeal to these customers that price positioning is done by many Brands. One
such example of price positioning is Air Asia, which is the South Asian airline
service, whose operations are based in Malaysia.

The airline has successfully positioned itself as an economic service appealing

to the middle class and lower middle class and making foreign tours possible for
them. While they may compromise on the quality sometimes, the fact still
remains that they are seen as the first choice by every first-time flight travellers
who cannot afford to travel by a luxury brand like American airlines.

7) Celebrity-driven positioning:

Using celebrities as a spokesperson to endorse a particular category of product

or services has been a popular way for a long time. The aim of celebrity-driven
positioning is to get the attention of people and increase brand awareness and
recognition by associating the product or a brand with the glamorous
personality of the particular celebrity. This is often an expensive affair for the
companies but they knowingly choose this method of splurging because of the
fact of familiarity and popularity of the celebrity.

This association of celebrity with the brand inspires many buyers who follow
the celebrity to buy the same brand and make them feel psychologically
associated with the celebrity.

8) Leader-based positioning
Very few companies have opted for this route since to declare a market
leader you would require your brand to be the best and unique in the market.
Many companies start with this positioning but as competition increases, they
fall out and the strategy needs to be revamped. The best examples of long-term
leadership-based positioning are done by Facebook. In the segment of social
media, Facebook is unique in terms of the services it provides and has the
greatest number of users associated with it.

Marketing Mix
Definition of Marketing Mix:

Neil Borden in the year 1953 introduced the term Marketing mix, an extension
of the work done by one of his associates James Culliton in 1948.
Meaning of Marketing Mix - A mixture of several ideas and plans followed by
a marketing representative to promote a particular product or brand is called
marketing mix.
According to Borden, “The marketing mix refers to the appointment of efforts,
the combination, the designing and the integration of the elements of marketing
into a programme or mix which, on the basis of an appraisal of the market
forces will best achieve an enterprise at a given time”.

According to Stanton, “Marketing mix is the term used to describe the

combination of the four inputs which constitute the core of a company’s
marketing system-the product, the price structure, the promotional activities and
the distribution system.”

Thus marketing mix is the combination of the product, the distribution system,
the price structure and the promotional activities. The term marketing mix is
used to describe a combination of four elements-the product, price, physical
distribution and promotion. These are popularly known as “Four Ps.”
These four elements or sub-mixes should be taken as instruments, by the
management, when formulating marketing plans. As such, marketing manager
should have a thorough knowledge about the four Ps. The marketing mix will
have to be changed at the change of marketing conditions like economical,
political, social etc. Marketing mix is developed to satisfy the anticipated needs
of the identified markets.

Elements of marketing mix (Four Ps) is:

1. Product:
The product itself is the first element. Products must satisfy consumer needs.
The management must, first decide the products to be produced, by knowing the
needs of the consumers. The product mix combines the physical product,
product services, brand and packages. The marketing authority has to decide the
quality, type of goods or services which are offered for sale.

A firm may offer a single product (manufacturer) or several products (seller).

Not only the production of right goods but also their shape, design, style, brand,
package etc., are of importance. The marketing authority has to take a number
of decisions as to product additions, product deletions, product modifications,
on the basis of marketing information.

2. Price:
The second element to affect the volume of sales is the price. The marked or
announced amount of money asked from a buyer is known as basic price-value
placed on a product. Basic price alterations may be made by the manufacturer in
order to attract the buyers. This may be in the form of discount, allowances etc.
Apart from this, the terms of credit, liberal dealings will also boost sales.

3. Promotion:
The product may be made known to the consumers. Firms must undertake
promotion work-advertising, publicity, personal selling etc., which are the
major activities. And thus the public may be informed of the products and be
persuaded by the customers. Promotion is the persuasive communication about
the products, by the manufacturer to the public.

4. Distribution (place):
Physical distribution is the delivery of products at the right time and at the right
place. The distribution mix is the combination of decisions relating to marketing
channels, storage facility, inventory control, location, transportation
warehousing etc.
A firm’s marketing efforts should start and end with the customers. The
marketing mix-Four Ps, are the important tools or instruments used by the
marketing manager in formulating marketing planning to suit the customer’s
needs. A share in the market and the goodwill depends upon the marketing
plans. Change is constant.

The customer’s need and desire may change often, because of the changes that
take place in the market. The decisions on each element of four Ps are aimed to
give greater consumer satisfaction. The elements of Four Ps are interrelated,
complementary and mutually supporting ingredients.

Thus marketing mix is used as a tool towards the customers in order to ascertain
their needs, tastes, preferences etc. Marketing mix must face competition. It
must satisfy the demands of the society. Then firms can attain the objectives-
profit, market share, return on investment, sale-volume etc.

Product Mix

Product mix, also known as product assortment or product portfolio, refers to

the complete set of products and/or services offered by a firm. A product mix
consists of product lines, which are associated items that consumers tend to use
together or think of as similar products or services.

Dimensions of a Product Mix

#1 Width

Width, also known as breadth, refers to the number of product lines offered by a
company. For example, Kellogg’s product lines consist of: (1) Ready-to-eat
cereal, (2) Pastries and breakfast snacks, (3) Crackers and cookies, and (4)
Frozen/Organic/Natural goods.

#2 Length

Length refers to the total number of products in a firm’s product mix. For
example, consider a car company with two car product lines (3-series and 5-
series). Within each product line series are three types of cars. In this example,
the product length of the company would be six.

#3 Depth

Depth refers to the number of variations within a product line. For example,
continuing with the car company example above, a 3-series product line may
offer several variations such as coupe, sedan, truck, and convertible. In such a
case, the depth of the 3-series product line would be four.

#4 Consistency

Consistency refers to how closely related product lines are to each other. It is in
reference to their use, production, and distribution channels. The consistency of
a product mix is advantageous for firms attempting to position themselves as a
niche producer or distributor. In addition, consistency aids with ensuring a
firm’s brand image is synonymous with the product or service itself.
Illustration of a Product Mix

In the illustration above, the product mix shows a:

 Width of 3
 Length of 5
 Product Line 1 Depth of 2
 Product Line 2 Depth of 1
 Product Line 3 Depth of 2

The mix is considered consistent if the products in all the product lines are
similar.

Example of a Product Mix

Let us take a look at a simple product mix example of Coca-Cola. For

simplicity, assume that Coca-Cola oversees two product lines – soft drinks and
juice (Minute Maid). Products classified as soft drinks are Coca-Cola, Fanta,
Sprite, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and products classified as Minute Maid juice are
Guava, Orange, Mango, and Mixed Fruit.
The product (mix) consistency of Coca-Cola would be high, as all products
within the product line fall under beverage. In addition, production and
distribution channels remain similar for each product. The product mix of Coca-
Cola in the simplified example would be illustrated as follows:

Importance of a Product Mix

The product mix of a firm is crucial to understand as it exerts a profound impact

on a firm’s brand image. Maintaining high product width and depth diversifies a
firm’s product risk and reduces dependence on one product or product line.
With that being said, unnecessary or non-value-adding product width
diversification can hurt a brand’s image. For example, if Apple were to expand
its product line to include refrigerators, it would likely have a negative impact
on its brand image with consumers.

Product Life Cycle

A product life cycle is the length of time from a product first being
introduced to consumers until it is removed from the market. A product's
life cycle is usually broken down into four stages; introduction, growth,
maturity, and decline.

Product Life Cycle Stages

As consumers, we buy millions of products every year. And just like us, these
products have a life cycle. Older, long-established products eventually become
less popular, while in contrast, the demand for new, more modern goods usually
increases quite rapidly after they are launched.

Because most companies understand the different product life cycle stages, and
that the products they sell all have a limited lifespan, the majority of them will
invest heavily in new product development in order to make sure that their
businesses continue to grow.

Product Life Cycle Stages

The product life cycle has 4 very clearly defined stages, each with its own
characteristics that mean different things for business that are trying to manage
the life cycle of their particular products.

Introduction Stage – This stage of the cycle could be the most expensive for a
company launching a new product. The size of the market for the product is
small, which means sales are low, although they will be increasing. On the other
hand, the cost of things like research and development, consumer testing, and
the marketing needed to launch the product can be very high, especially if it’s a
competitive sector.

Growth Stage – The growth stage is typically characterized by a strong growth

in sales and profits, and because the company can start to benefit from
economies of scale in production, the profit margins, as well as the overall
amount of profit, will increase. This makes it possible for businesses to invest
more money in the promotional activity to maximize the potential of this growth
stage.

Maturity Stage – During the maturity stage, the product is established and the
aim for the manufacturer is now to maintain the market share they have built up.
This is probably the most competitive time for most products and businesses
need to invest wisely in any marketing they undertake. They also need to
consider any product modifications or improvements to the production process
which might give them a competitive advantage.

Decline Stage – Eventually, the market for a product will start to shrink, and
this is what’s known as the decline stage. This shrinkage could be due to the
market becoming saturated (i.e. all the customers who will buy the product have
already purchased it), or because the consumers are switching to a different type
of product. While this decline may be inevitable, it may still be possible for
companies to make some profit by switching to less-expensive production
methods and cheaper markets.

Marketing Research
Meaning:
It is very important to understand at the outset that the, modern concept of
marketing revolves around the customer. Satisfaction of customer is the main
aim of marketing. For achieving this goal, marketing research is undertaken.

In fact, marketing management is nothing but marketing research. With the

expansion of business, marketing management becomes complex. It has to rely
heavily on marketing research for solving problems in the field of marketing.

Various definitions of marketing research are given below:

“The systematic gathering, recording and analysis of data about problems
relating to the marketing of goods and services” —The American Marketing
Association.

“The systematic objective and exhaustive research for and study of the facts
relevant to any problem in the field of marketing.” —Richard Crisp

“Marketing research is the careful and objective study of product design,

markets, and such transfer activities as physical distribution and warehousing,
advertising and sales management.” —Clark and Clark

“Marketing research is the inclusive term which embraces all research activities
carried on for the management of marketing work, the gathering, recording and
analysing of all facts about problems relating to the transfer and sale of goods
and services from producer to consumer.” —Harry Hapner

From the above definitions, it is clear that marketing research is concerned with
tackling the problems emerging from the beginning to the final stage of
marketing process.
The origin and development of marketing research was started in England. In
1911, Prof. Arthur Bowie used the method of random sampling and published a
paper entitled “Working Class Households.” Afterwards, it was developed by a
German Prof. Whilhelm Vershofen, who is known as the father of market
research.

Marketing research techniques and methods are being increasingly adopted by

all the countries of the world whether developed, developing or
underdeveloped. In America, marketing research is conducted by many
companies on a very high scale.

Marketing Research V/S Market Research:

Marketing research is a broader term including market research. Marketing
research is concerned with all the major functions of marketing. Market
research is primarily concerned with knowing the capacity of the market to
absorb a particular product. Marketing research is not only concerned with the
jurisdiction of the market but also covers nature of the market, product analysis,
sales analysis, time, place and media of advertising, personal selling and
marketing intermediaries and their relationships etc.

Marketing Research:
Marketing research serves the purpose of ‘intelligence wing of the marketing
management. Its scope is very broad as compared to market- research. It is
concerned with collection of market information systematically and impartially,
analysis and evaluation of relevant data and use such data for the benefit of the
organisation.

It is a careful and objective study of various areas of marketing activities. What,

when, where and how to sell the end product and the services are four questions
to which the marketing research wing provides an answer.

Thus, market research and marketing research are different from each other.
Market research is a narrow concept whereas marketing research is a broad one
and its scope is much wider.

It includes nature of the market, product analysis, sales analysis, time, place and
media of advertising, personal selling, pricing, sales organisation, packaging,
brand names, etc.

Objectives of Marketing Research:

Marketing research is undertaken for attaining the following objectives:
(1) To Provide Basis For Proper Planning:
Marketing and sales forecast research provides sound basis for the formulation
of all marketing plans, policies, programmes and procedures.
(2) To Reduce Marketing Costs:
Marketing research provides ways and means to reduce marketing costs like
selling, advertisement and distribution etc.

(3) To Find Out New Markets for The Product:

Marketing research aims at exploring new markets for the product and
maintaining the existing ones.

(4) To Determine Proper Price Policy:

Marketing research is considered helpful in the formulation of proper price
policy with regard to the products.

(5) To Study in Detail Likes and Dislikes of the Consumers:

Marketing research tries to find out what the consumers, (the men and women
who constitute the market) think and want. It keeps us in touch with the
consumers, minds and to study their likes and dislikes.

(6) To Know The Market Competition:

Marketing research also aims at knowing the quantum of competition prevalent
in the market about the product in question. The company may need reliable
information about competitor’s moves and strategies which are of immense
significance for further planning.

(7) To Study The External Forces and Their Impact:

Marketing research provides valuable information by studying the impact of
external forces on the organisation. External forces may include conditions
developing in foreign markets, govt, policies and regulations, consumer
incomes and spending habits, new products entering in the market and their
impact on the company’s products.

Prof. Gilies has rightly pointed out that, “The basic objective of marketing
research is to supply management with information which will lead to a fuller
understanding of the distribution habits and attitudes of present and potential
buyers and users, and their reactions to products, packing, selling and
advertising methods”.