Marketing Assignments

Module 5

Go to  http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/presurvey.shtml , and take the VALS Survey. Report on how marketing researchers are using this information.

 Your write-up should be 500+ words in length. Provide as much detail as possible.

1. View the Domino’s Pizza video using the web link above this discussion board. Then answer the following questions in 150+ words.

·

. Explain the role that marketing research played in the creation and launch of Domino’s new pizza.

. Are there more effective ways that Domino’s could have gone about its research process?

. Why did it take so long for Domino’s to realize that customers didn’t like its pizza? Was it an accident that it made this realization?

Module 6

Describe the level of involvement and the involvement factors likely to be associated with buying a new computer. Do you think Apple’s website at https://www.apple.com/mac/  simplifies or complicates the process for the average consumer? Explain!

 Your write-up should be 500-1000 words in length. Provide as much detail as possible.

1. View the Goodwill video using the web link above this discussion board. Then answer the following questions in 150+ words.

· Describe different types of Goodwill customers.

· Which of the four sets of factors affecting consumer behavior do you believe most strongly affects consumers’ purchase decisions from Goodwill?

· How does Goodwill’s recognition of consumer behavior principles affect its marketing mix?

Module 7

1. Choose five ads from business publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, or Bloomberg BusinessWeek. For each ad, write a description of how you think the company has segmented the business market.

Your answer should contain the bases on which segmentation was done: the bases for segmenting business markets include company characteristics (geographic location, type of company, company size, and product), buying processes (key purchasing criteria, purchasing strategies, or personal characteristics of the buyers), and customer relationships.

2. Go to the websites of JCPenney,  http://www.jcpenney.com , and Target,  http://www.target.com/ . Determine which is more product-focused and which is more brand-focused. Which company’s approach do you think will appeal more to the “Holy Grail” target market of 25- to 35-year-old women?

 Your write-up should be 500-1000 words in length. Provide as much detail as possible.

1. View the Boston Harbor Cruises video using the web link above this discussion board. Then answer the following questions in 150+ words.

· On what main variables had Boston Harbor Cruises focused in segmenting its markets?

· Which target-marketing strategy best describes the efforts of Boston Harbor Cruises? Support your choice.

· How does Boston Harbor Cruises use the concepts of differentiation and positioning to build relationships with the right customers? 

Module 8

1. View the Life is Good video using the web link above this discussion board. Then answer the following questions in 150+ words.

· What are people buying when they purchase a Life Is Good product?

· What factors have contributed to the Life Is Good brand image?

· What recommendations would you make to Life Is Good regarding brand development strategies?

Module 9

Answer the following questions: 

1. Visit http://pg.com, and look at the brands it offers around the world. What conclusions can you draw about Procter & Gamble’s global new-product development strategy?

2. How many new products can you identify? Visit the supermarket, and make a list of at least 15 items with the word “new” on the label. Include on your list anything that looks like a new product. Next to each item on your list, write the category of the new product that best describes the item. Share your results with the class.

 Your write-up should be 600-1000 words in length. Provide as much detail as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C_7nAAHJyE

1. View the Subaru video using the web link above this discussion board. Then answer the following questions in 150+ words.

· How would you describe the product life cycle in relation to one Subaru product?

· How do shifting consumer trends affect Subaru’s products?

· How does Subaru remain customer-oriented in its new product efforts?      

Module 10

Answer the following questions: 

1. Why is pricing so important to the marketing manager?

2. Explain the role of supply and demand in determining price.

3. How does the stage of a product’s life cycle affect price? Give some examples.

 Your write-up should be 600-1000 words in length. Provide as much detail as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p9tgdCufbM

1. View the Hammerpress video using the web link above this discussion board. Then answer the following questions in 150+ words. 

· How does Hammerpress employ the concept of dynamic pricing?

· Discuss Hammerpress in relation to the three major pricing strategies. Which of these three strategies is the company’s core strategy?

· Does it make sense for Hammerpress to compete in product categories where the market dictates a price that is not profitable for the company? Explain. 

Module 11

1.       Discuss the benefits of supply chain management. How does the implementation of supply chain management result in enhanced customer value?

2.       Discuss the concept of supply chain integration. How does it result in better customer-related outcomes?

3.       Your family runs a specialty ice cream parlor, Scoops. It manufactures its own ice cream in small batches and sells it only in pint-sized containers. After someone not affiliated with the company sent six pints of your ice cream to a popular talk-show host, she proclaimed on her national TV show that it was the best ice cream she had ever eaten. Immediately after the broadcast, orders came flooding in, overwhelming your small-batch production schedule and your limited distribution system. The company’s shipping manager thinks she can handle it, but you disagree. List the reasons why you need to restructure your channel of distribution.

Your write-up should be 600-1000 words in length. Provide as much detail as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnak1SUu8SU

1. View the Gaviña video using the web link above this discussion board. Then answer the following questions in 150+ words. 

·

. Apply the concept of the supply chain to Gaviña.

. Sketch out as many consumer and business channels for Gaviña as you can. How does each of these channels meet distinct customer needs? 

. How has Gaviña’s distribution strategy affected its product mix?