🛍️Principles of Marketing Unit 1 – Marketing and Customer Value

Key Marketing Concepts

• Marketing focuses on identifying and satisfying customer needs and wants through the creation and exchange of value
• Customer-centric approach places the customer at the center of all marketing activities and decisions
• Marketing mix (4 Ps) consists of product, price, place, and promotion strategies used to deliver value to customers
  • Product refers to the goods or services offered to satisfy customer needs
  • Price determines the perceived value and profitability of the product
  • Place involves the distribution channels and availability of the product
  • Promotion includes various communication methods to inform and persuade customers
• Target market represents the specific group of customers a company aims to serve and satisfy
• Positioning refers to the unique place a product occupies in the minds of customers relative to competitors
• Branding involves creating a unique name, symbol, or design that identifies and differentiates a product from competitors
• Marketing research gathers and analyzes data about customers, competitors, and market trends to inform marketing decisions

Understanding Customer Value

• Customer value represents the benefits a customer receives from a product minus the costs of obtaining it
  • Benefits can include functional, emotional, and social advantages
  • Costs include monetary, time, energy, and psychological factors
• Perceived value is the customer's subjective assessment of a product's overall worth or utility
• Customer satisfaction occurs when a product meets or exceeds customer expectations
  • Satisfied customers are more likely to become loyal and engage in positive word-of-mouth
• Customer loyalty refers to a customer's commitment to repeatedly purchase a product or brand
• Customer lifetime value (CLV) estimates the total value a customer will generate for a company over their lifetime
• Understanding customer needs, wants, and behaviors is essential for creating and delivering superior customer value
• Gathering customer feedback and insights through surveys, focus groups, and data analysis helps improve customer value

Market Segmentation and Targeting

• Market segmentation divides a heterogeneous market into smaller, more homogeneous segments based on shared characteristics
  • Demographic segmentation uses age, gender, income, education, and occupation
  • Geographic segmentation considers location, climate, and population density
  • Psychographic segmentation looks at lifestyle, personality, values, and interests
  • Behavioral segmentation examines purchase behavior, usage, and loyalty
• Target marketing involves selecting one or more specific segments to focus marketing efforts on
• Differentiated marketing develops distinct marketing mixes for each targeted segment
• Undifferentiated marketing uses a single marketing mix for the entire market
• Concentrated marketing focuses on a single segment with a tailored marketing mix
• Positioning maps visually represent how customers perceive a product relative to competitors based on key attributes
• Effective targeting requires evaluating segment attractiveness, company resources, and long-term growth potential

Developing a Marketing Strategy

• Marketing strategy outlines the overall plan for achieving marketing objectives and creating customer value
• Situation analysis assesses the current market environment, including internal and external factors (SWOT analysis)
• Marketing objectives define specific, measurable goals the company aims to achieve (increase market share by 5%)
• Segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP) decisions guide the development of the marketing mix
• Differentiation strategies aim to create a unique and superior customer value proposition
  • Product differentiation focuses on unique features, quality, or design
  • Service differentiation offers superior customer service or support
  • Brand differentiation builds a strong, favorable brand image
• Competitive advantage refers to the unique strengths that allow a company to outperform rivals and create superior customer value
• Marketing implementation involves executing the marketing strategy and allocating resources effectively
• Monitoring and control mechanisms ensure the marketing strategy stays on track and adjusts to changing market conditions

The Marketing Mix (4 Ps)

• Product strategies involve decisions about product design, features, quality, packaging, and branding
  • Product life cycle (introduction, growth, maturity, decline) guides product strategies over time
  • New product development process identifies and develops innovative products to meet evolving customer needs
• Pricing strategies determine the amount customers pay for a product and impact perceived value and profitability
  • Cost-based pricing sets prices based on production and marketing costs plus a desired profit margin
  • Value-based pricing sets prices based on the perceived value to customers
  • Competition-based pricing sets prices relative to competitors' prices
• Place (distribution) strategies manage the channels and intermediaries that make the product available to customers
  • Distribution intensity (intensive, selective, exclusive) determines the number and type of intermediaries
  • Supply chain management coordinates the flow of goods, information, and finances from raw materials to final customers
• Promotion strategies communicate the value proposition to the target audience and encourage purchase
  • Advertising uses paid, non-personal messages to build brand awareness and persuade customers (TV, print, online)
  • Personal selling involves direct interaction between salespeople and customers to build relationships and close sales
  • Sales promotions offer short-term incentives to stimulate immediate purchases (coupons, discounts, contests)
  • Public relations manages the company's reputation and relationships with stakeholders through earned media and events

Digital Marketing and Technology

• Digital marketing uses digital channels and technologies to reach and engage customers (websites, social media, email, mobile)
• Search engine optimization (SEO) improves a website's visibility and ranking on search engine results pages
• Content marketing creates and distributes valuable, relevant content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience
• Social media marketing uses social networks to build brand awareness, engage customers, and drive website traffic
  • Platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok
  • Influencer marketing partners with individuals who have a strong social media following to promote products
• Email marketing sends targeted, personalized messages to a subscriber list to nurture leads and drive conversions
• Mobile marketing reaches customers through mobile devices using SMS, MMS, mobile apps, and location-based services
• Marketing automation uses software to automate repetitive tasks and personalize customer interactions at scale
• Customer relationship management (CRM) systems manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle

Measuring Marketing Success

• Marketing metrics track and measure the performance and effectiveness of marketing activities
• Return on marketing investment (ROMI) calculates the financial return generated by marketing expenditures
• Customer acquisition cost (CAC) measures the cost of acquiring a new customer through marketing efforts
• Conversion rate represents the percentage of potential customers who take a desired action (purchase, sign-up)
• Customer retention rate measures the percentage of customers who continue to purchase from a company over time
• Net Promoter Score (NPS) assesses customer loyalty and likelihood to recommend a product or brand
• Brand awareness measures the extent to which customers recognize and recall a brand
• Market share represents a company's sales relative to total market sales in its industry
• Marketing dashboards visually display key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor marketing performance in real-time

Ethical Considerations in Marketing

• Marketing ethics involves making morally sound decisions that balance the interests of the company, customers, and society
• Truth in advertising requires marketing communications to be honest, accurate, and not misleading
• Privacy and data protection ensure the responsible collection, use, and storage of customer data
  • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets strict rules for processing personal data in the European Union
  • California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants California residents rights regarding their personal information
• Social responsibility considers the impact of marketing activities on society and the environment
  • Cause-related marketing aligns a company's marketing efforts with a social or charitable cause
  • Green marketing promotes environmentally friendly products and practices
• Ethical pricing avoids deceptive or discriminatory pricing practices (price fixing, price gouging)
• Responsible targeting ensures marketing efforts do not exploit vulnerable populations (children, elderly)
• Transparency and disclosure provide clear, complete information about products, terms, and conditions
• Ethical considerations help build trust, protect brand reputation, and contribute to long-term business success