MRKT instructions week 4

TOPIC 1: Mass-Marketed Products

If you have a market that is large and homogenous, then you can be a mass marketer. One example might be salt, basically one product for anyone who wants it for the need to season food, which is a universal need. 

Can you think of another mass-marketed product? What is it and why do you think it is mass marketed? 

TOPIC 2: Analysis of Market Segments

Segmenting markets is difficult and often requires marketing research to find out how consumers think, behave, and basic information such as age, gender, etc. Therefore, defining market segments is aided with the generic segmentation bases, behaviors, demographics, geographics, and psychographics. Be sure to understand this as it is discussed in the Week 4 readings. Also understand that these are generic categories, not segments themselves. Within each of the generic bases are a number of variables from which marketers can choose which ones are relevant for a usable market segment. 

All of a company’s marketing mix should focus on the market segment, now called a target market. In other words, the offering should be what the target market wants, where it wants it, how much it wants to pay for it, and how the company communicates with the target market. If done right, we can usually determine the characteristics of a target market by analyzing the advertising. 

Your job in this learning activity is to find an advertisement, and tell us who you think is the target market. The hints are in the type of music used, the spokesperson’s persona, the approach to the marketing communications message, the types of people used in the ad, the words chosen for the ad, etc. All this should tell you to whom the marketing communications is intended to influence. 

You can choose your advertisement from one of the following. Or, search youtube.com for your favorite commercial.