article analysis for professor kern

Brad Tuttle presents the marketing concept of targeting and positioning in his online article: ‘In the Fast Food World, Is Fish the New Chicken?’ (February 8,

2013). The article displays how McDonalds and other fast food companies are altering their menu to position themselves to religious and health-concerned

consumers and how this marketing campaign has broadened to target segment members.

In the opening paragraph the author has identified the issue/s under discussion and ensured they let the reader know which article they were discussing.

Although they go hand in hand, the differences between the marketing concepts of positioning and targeting are distinct. Positioning is the “developing *of+

a brand image to appeal” (Sharp, 2013pg221) to particular audiences. The concept of positioning can be categorized into place, time and/or method.

McDonalds in the case of Tuttle’s article recognized an opportunity to position itself to a wider range of buyers through the use of fish-orientated menu

options. In this example, the franchise positioned the marketing of this product through the function of time, specifically the March/April period, “to

coincide with lent” (Tuttle, 2013pg1). Lent being the time before Easter when Catholics traditionally steer away from chicken, beef and pork (Tuttle,

2013:1), it seems only right from a business perspective that McDonalds cater to the behavioural preferences of buyers during this time.

Clearly in the 2 nd

paragraph the author has explained the marketing concepts and related them to the article. They have used pertinent comments from the

article to assist their arguments.

In addition to the concept of positioning through time, it was noticed that fish, like chicken, was not only convenient for typically Catholic people, but also

convenient from a cost perspective. Fish is an “affordable, quick, and healthy snack” (Tuttle, 2013:1) meaning that sub-groups other than said religious or

traditional audiences, could be introduced to the meal option. For example those seeking healthier fast-food options, specifically Mothers concerned about

healthier children’s meals (Tuttle, 2013:1) or time-poor people who could also be attracted to the idea of on-the-go fish throughout the entire year. This

idea more specifically relates to what is called segmentation-based targeting.

In the 3 rd

paragraph the debate continues to demonstrate clear links between theory & the McDonalds article.

Targeting is the “practice of creating differences in the marketing mix to cater *for+ different segments” (Sharp, 2013pg221) Like McDonalds, it was

furthermore identified by Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s that additional sub-groups could be targeted for the fish trend. The idea of utilizing Nina Agdal, in their

marketing campaign, was that “the healthy lass” would match the “healthy” sandwich (Tuttle, 2013pg2). However the sexualized characteristics of the

advert allowed for weight-conscious and body-concerned audiences to become more interested in the product owing to the swimsuit model. The

justification of this advert is that different sub-groups have different want and needs and that a part of their market may not be attracted to fish purely

because of lent. The advert was therefore tailored to offer its menu to a greater range of target segments.

In the last paragraph the concept of targeting is defined & referenced correctly from the course textbook. As this is only a short assignment there is no

requirement for a conclusion.

References

Sharp B; 2013 Marketing theory, evidence & Practice; Oxford University Press South Melbourne

Tuttle B; February 8 2013; In the Fast Food World, is Fish the new chicken? Business Time