Introduction to Marketing Concepts

Marketing and its Goals

• Marketing's main goal is to facilitate beneficial exchanges for society.
• It's not simply about making money or advertising.
• Avoid common misconceptions:
  • Marketing is only about making money.
  • Marketing is just advertising.
  • Marketing is a scam to trick people.
• Marketing creates and delivers value for people, meeting consumer needs and improving their lives.

Definitions of Marketing

• Marketing, according to Kotler & Keller, involves human activities that facilitate and consummate exchanges.
• Kotler & Armstrong define marketing as creating value for customers and building relationships to capture value in return.
• Marketing, as described by Louie Lee, is an applied social science that facilitates the exchange of products, services, and ideas.

What is Exchanged in a Marketing Relationship?

• Products/Goods: Tangible items consumed, acquired, and used.
• Services: Intangible benefits or expertise providing satisfaction without ownership.
• Ideas/Experiences: Intangible aspects, often symbolic, existing in the recipient's mind.

Examples of Marketing Components

• Milo Energy Drink:
  • Product: Malt-flavored beverage with vitamins and minerals for energy and growth.
  • Idea/Experience: Represents "Champion Energy," associated with athletes.
• Starbucks Coffee:
  • Product: Coffee, customizable beverages, and food products.
  • Service: Expert baristas, free Wi-Fi, and other conveniences.
  • Idea/Experience: "Third Place" between home and work, characterized by comfortable interiors and a relaxing atmosphere.
• Disney Resorts and Parks:
  • Product: Themed food, Disney merchandise.
  • Service: Booking services, park attractions, and onsite performers.
  • Idea/Experience: The magic of Disney stories brought to life, for memorable experiences.

Understanding Markets and Brands

• A market consists of consumers and competing products, services, and ideas in constant exchange.
• Consumer: Any individual or organization involved in purchasing and using a product, service, or idea.
• Category: Organizations creating and delivering similar or competing offerings.
• A brand is an identity built around products, services, and ideas, differentiating them from others.
• Brand managers develop distinct, relevant, and memorable identities for products, services, and ideas.

Brand Architecture and Portfolios

• Masterbrand: The primary or umbrella brand with strong brand equity across a general product category.
• Sub-brand: Expands on specific associations of the masterbrand, often targeting new categories.
• Brand Extension: A separate brand borrowing the masterbrand's credibility while offering something distinct.

Brand Situational Analysis

• It's a snapshot of brand performance within a market, identifying areas for improvement.
• It involves "looking outside and changing from within" by evaluating brand position, consumer needs, and opportunities for growth.
• Marketing strategies need to be updated for relevance over time.
• Efficient resource use is crucial for successful marketing.

Market Analysis

• A market includes consumers and an industry.
• Brands must identify their market and the competition within it.
• Market analysis steps:
  • Mapping the Market Landscape: Identifying brands and categories for potential growth.
  • Assessing Growth Options: Evaluating market position and rivalry intensity. If the brand is a leader, consider category alternatives. If not, focus on strengthening within the category.
  • Capturing Market Size: Using tools like Euromonitor to evaluate market size, prospects, and competitive positions.

Marketing Strategy and Growth Opportunities

• Growth through Incremental Opportunities:
  • Current Usage: Increase loyalty and frequency of use among current customers.
  • Infrequent Usage: Enhance frequency among occasional users.
  • Non-Brand Users: Convince competing brand users to switch.
  • Non-Category Users: Target those using indirect alternatives to switch to the brand's offerings.
• Evaluating Market Size and Position:
  • Determine if a brand's market is growing, shrinking, or steady.
  • Assess the brand's position and make strategic decisions based on market dynamics.

Importance of Brand vs. Category Analysis

• Brand Analysis: Compare the brand's competitive advantages against key competitors in the same category. Assess factors like market position, consumer perceptions, and recent market movements.
• Value Proposition: Unique benefits offered by the product, service, or idea. Differentiate it from competitors and highlight its provided value to consumers.

Marketing Mix and Brand Definition Audit

• 7Ps of the Marketing Mix:
  • Product: General description and benefits addressing consumer needs.
  • Price: Cost of the product and its value proposition.
  • Place: Availability and distribution channels.
  • Promotion: Methods to communicate brand value and image.
  • People: Personnel delivering the brand promise.
  • Process: Procedures for delivering and consuming the product or service.
  • Physical Evidence: Tangible elements associated with the brand (e.g., store layout, uniforms, environment).
• Brand Definition Audit: Evaluates each brand's strength in the marketing mix and identifies opportunities for improvement against competitors.

Importance of Consumer Understanding

• Consumer understanding is crucial for any marketing strategy. Marketing benefits won't make sense without it.
• Consumers have functional needs (tangible benefits) and emotional needs (feelings of confidence).
• Benefits: Attributes consumers gain from using a brand. These are functional or emotional and are created/communicated by brands to fulfill consumer needs.

Understanding Consumer Complexity

• Needs vary in complexity and individual expression:
  • Food: Consumers express hunger, but options are vast (different cuisines, meal values, etc.).
  • Beauty: Preferences are influenced by evolving genetic sciences and social norms.
  • Health: Latent needs like seasonal health concerns may create unspoken anxieties.

Awareness Levels in the Consumer Journey

• Awareness Levels:
  • Top of Mind: The first brand recalled by the consumer when a need is mentioned.
  • Unaided: Brands recalled without explicit prompting.
  • Prompted: Brands recalled only when explicitly mentioned.
• Sources of Awareness:
  • Personal Experience: First-hand use of the brand.
  • Social Interaction: Word of mouth from friends or groups.
  • Branded Content: Advertising designed by the brand.

Buying Decision Behavior

• Behavioral Categories:
  • Complex Decision Making: Initial decision behavior involving significant consideration.
  • Dissonance Reducing: Behavior aimed at reducing anxiety post-purchase.
  • Variety Seeking: Trying out different options even if satisfied.
  • Habitual Behavior: Regular purchasing without much thought due to previous satisfaction.

Understanding Market Segmentation

• Segmentation Process:
  • Segmentation Variables:
    • Demographic: Attributes like age, gender, income, etc.
    • Behavioral: Consumer behaviors such as usage method, purchase frequency, and budgetary constraints.
    • Psychographic: Deduced personality attributes describing lifestyle, aspirations, and relationships, providing insight into consumer motivations.
• Filipino Socio-Economic Classifications (SEC): Understanding income-based segmentation is crucial due to the price sensitivity of the market:
  • A & B (Upper Class): High income, exclusive residences.
  • C1 & C2 (Middle Class): Moderate income, professional or junior executive roles.
  • D & E (Lower Class): Low income, basic facilities, temporary structures.

Targeting Market Segments

• Market Targeting: Focusing brand initiatives on specific segments within the market.
• Evaluating Segment Attractiveness:
  • Size of Prize: Total potential revenue from the segment.
  • Right to Win: Brand's competitive advantage within the segment.
  • Cost to Serve: Resources required to reach and serve the segment.
  • Segment Value: A combination of size, right to win, and cost to serve.
• Segmentation Strategies for Brand Building:
  • Focus on one or a few segments, without alienating existing consumers.
  • Avoid targeting multiple segments simultaneously to prevent diluted impact.

Consumer Insight and Market Targeting

• Consumer Insight: An internal motivation statement representing why consumers fulfill their needs. Insights are often not directly revealed through standard research but are inferred based on behavior.
• Example insights:
  • Indulgers: "If I don't carve out time and spending for self-love, it takes a toll on my physical and mental health."
  • Germophobes: "It only takes one moment of carelessness to suffer a devastating health problem."

Market Research and Consumer Profiles

• Market Research: The systematic collection and interpretation of information to gain consumer insights and support marketing strategies.
  • Types of Research:
    • Quantitative: Uses a statistically significant sample to determine consumer attitudes, preferences, and behaviors.
    • Qualitative: Gathers data on consumer attitudes, motivations, and beliefs through in-depth methods like focus groups and home immersions.
  • Data Sources:
    • Secondary: Pre-existing business data and reports (e.g., sales data).
    • Primary: Data specifically collected for a particular brand analysis or initiative.
• Components of Consumer Profiles:
  • Character Study: A creative fictional profile of a target market representative to humanize the consumer.
  • Brand Strategy Map: Highlights the critical benefit barriers that need improvement for changing consumer behavior.

Case Studies and Applications

• Case Study Example: Safeguard:
  • Business Objective: Achieve at least 10% market share in the body wash category.

This quiz explores the fundamental goals and definitions of marketing. It clarifies common misconceptions and highlights the importance of value creation in marketing relationships. Test your knowledge on how marketing facilitates beneficial exchanges and improves consumer lives.