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Showing posts from 2010

Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning

STP is a three step process involving segmentation, targeting and positioning. Smith (1957) describes segmentation as being based on the observation of the evolution of demand and represents a more precise and rational adaptation of the product and the marketing effort to meet customer or user demand. Kotler (2000) describes segmentation as: “the subdividing of a market into homogenous (or similar) subsets of customers, where any subset may conceivably be selected as a target market to be reached with a distinct marketing mix" Segmentation: Dividing the market up into distinctive groups. Targeting: Selecting a group (segment) to market to. Positioning: Developing a market strategy which positions the product to appeal to a target customer base within the chosen segment. It is only suitable to use segmentation when the following are true: Consumers in the segment can be reached by a unique marketing mix. Consumers in the segment will respond to the marketing mix desig...

My thoughts on blogging

So, I now have a blog, which you are reading. Blogging isn't something I ever thought I would do, though I've read countless blogs for information, research, recommendations, finding answers to random questions. To me they are something other people did, until now. Now I have joined the realm of the blogger, and I like it; though I don't find it easy. Trying to find a voice to write with that's both interesting and factual seems somewhat challenging. After my first blog I contemplated writing two blogs: one light-hearted, jokey and interesting and another that's factual and more academic - but maybe I'll leave that for year 2 when I have a bit more experience at blogging. I think in future, as what we should blog about is so broad I will be try to answer a question as I think that will help me keep a coherent post as well as providing structure and a topic to focus on. Before coming to university I was working for a local infrastructure organisation (a chari...

Adverts that target different senses & Gestalt processing

This week we have been asked to blog about adverts that target each of the five senses. The senses are a part of the perceptual process, which consists of sensation, attention and interpretation. Sensation is the passive process of bringing information from the outside world to the brain. The process is passive in the sense that we do not have to be consciously engaging in a sensing process. Perception is the active process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting the information brought to the brain by the senses. As the senses are the only means by which marketers are able to target, they have to stand out as we are constantly bombarded by external stimuli. The NLP communication model states that we are exposed to 2,000,000 bits per second of external stimuli, but we only process and perceive 134 bits per second. Sight , smell , hearing , touch and taste : This American coffee advert targets all of the senses and does it well. It starts off with coffee being made i...

First impressions of Bucks New Uni

My first impression of the BNU campus was the Gateway, BNU's shiny new flagship building, and rightly so. It has all the facilities you would expect from a modern university. I did start to have doubts when I saw the older grimy-looking buildings, which looked a bit like my old college, but after walking around campus for a few days and experiencing the interior it is modern and fresh feeling with everything required (other than perhaps some extra computers for the library). I'm growing increasingly fond of the town of High Wycombe, especially the centre, it is smaller than my home town of Swindon, but the layout of the town feels just right and I felt at home here after a few days. The first year of my course is made up of four different modules: business management, effective modern marketing communications, the role of marketing in business and understanding the customer. I enjoy the variety as I think it will create a good foundation of knowledge to build on over the...

If a tree falls in a forest is it perceived?

This week we have been asked to write about perception.  dictionary.com  describes perception as " the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding ".  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perception A more academically relevant definition of perception is “ Perception is the process of sensing, selecting & interpreting consumer stimuli in the external world ” (Wilkie, 1994) My favourite definition of perception is from Wiktionary : " That which is detected by the five senses; not necessarily understood ; also that which is detected within consciousness as a thought, intuition, deduction, etc. "  http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/perception Perception is the active process of interpreting and organising sensations to produce a meaningful experience of the world. Perception differs from sensation in that sensation is...