LE MARCHÉ ET LES CONSOMMATEURS

Introduction

• Marketing is the industrial process of considering consumer desires.
• It starts with market analysis and ends with consumer need identification.
• Several disciplines such as statistics and sociology support this approach.

Market-Product Relationship

• The market, in marketing terms, encompasses current and potential consumer desires, and their purchasing power.
• Understanding the market's quantity and quality aspects is crucial for businesses.
• Insufficient consumer numbers can lead to product non-production.

Consumer Types

• Absolute non-consumer: A person who will never buy the product.
• Relative non-consumer: A person who may become a consumer in the future, but isn't currently.
• Current customers: People who use the company's products and services.
• Competitor's customers: Individuals who buy from rival businesses.

Market Segmentation

• Businesses can segment broad markets into smaller, homogeneous and profitable groups called segments.
• This allows for a targeted approach to marketing efforts.
• Factors for segmentation include sex, age, family lifecycle, socioeconomic status, location, education, and income.

Lifestyle Analysis

• Socio-styles are another way to categorize consumers based on their thinking and actions.
• These groups are expected to behave consistently.

Document 1: Production Era and Marketing Era

• The production era focused on mass production, with the market absorbing the output.
• The marketing era focuses on understanding consumer desires and fitting production to target consumers.

Document 2: Market Influence Factors

• Economic power of distributors: Their influence on product placement.
• Innovations: The necessity to match competitor advancements.
• Legislation: Laws and regulations that affect business practices (e.g., taxes, consumer rights).

Document 3: Market Segmentation Criteria

• Businesses segment markets into profitable groups called segments.
• Specific criteria for segmenting markets are included, such as gender, age, family life cycle, socioeconomic group, location, education, and income.

Document 4: Panel Automobiles Objectives

• Understanding consumer purchases of automotive products (fuels and lubricants).
• Quantifying product purchases, market share, mileage covered, and other key statistics.

Document 5: French Lifestyle Trends

• Trends in French consumer behavior and the changing nature of hedonism.
• Consumer attitudes shift from ostentatious display of wealth to more pragmatic and cautious approaches.

Document 6: Socio-styles

• A 15-category system for classifying consumer behaviors is shown.

Document 7: Marketing Mix

• The four Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) form the basis of a marketing plan.
• A marketing plan is designed to communicate with the market and meet consumer needs within a defined budget.

Document 8: Product Policy

• Products fulfill both technical and symbolic functions.
• Key product elements, such as design, color, packaging, and the brand, require detailed analysis for a successful consumer experience.
• Products have a cycle of life.

Document 9: Pricing Policy

• Pricing strategies need to consider various company-related and market-related variables, including profitability, market penetration/skimming strategies, and relationships with distributors.
• Pricing is also affected by factors outside the company, such as government restrictions, competition, and consumer groups.

Document 10: Distribution Policy

• Distribution involves the activities to make goods and services available to consumers.
• It includes transportation, packaging, sales, and after-sales service.
• There are different distribution channels (direct, short, long).

Document 11 and 12: Communication Policy

• Marketing strategies include multiple communication channels, both media-based and non-media-based, such as advertising (TV, radio, print, etc.), promotions, public relations, and direct marketing.
• These are crucial for brand visibility, communicating with customers and potential customers, and building brand value.

Document 13: Investment Allocation Over Time

• The allocation of marketing budget across different media (e.g., print, television, etc) changes as the product progresses through its life cycle.

Document 14 and 15: Hygiene-beauty

• A case study of a successful French cosmetics business, Darphin, highlighting their niche market approach and successful marketing strategies.
• They focus on a specific distribution channel (pharmacies) and target premium consumers.

Document 16: Professional Trade Shows

• Shows and markets for professionals within specific industries.

Document 17: Practical Marketing Applications

• Identifying the target market for a product and determining the marketing strategies (price, product, place, promotion) to use.
• Classifying products into categories such as leaders, followers, etc., and relating their respective strategies.