MGT301 PRINCIPLE OF MARKETING (QUESTION AND ANSWERS)

Question: What is the difference between mass marketing and database marketing? Answer: In the data base marketing we have all the relevant information of the our target market and we have made the records of the relevant information in the form of the data bases. Mass marketing means the marketing at the large scale marketing in which we do not have the data base form of record of our customer because our target market is very large and the products are produced by the general common character.

Question: What is the role of broker and agent in the marketing system? Answer: Main function is to facilitate buying and selling, for which they earn a commission on the selling price. Generally, specialize by product line or customer types. BROKERS: Chief function is bringing buyers and sellers together and assisting in negotiation. They are paid by the party who hired them, and do not carry inventory, get involved in financing, or assume risk. Examples: food brokers, real estate brokers, insurance brokers, and security brokers. AGENTS: Represent either buyers or sellers on a more permanent basis than brokers do.

Question: What is mean by Competitive Advantage? How we will design a Competitive Intelligence System? Answer: To be successful, a company must consider its competitors as well as its actual and potential customers. In the process of performing a competitor analysis, the company carefully analyzes and gathers information on competitors’ strategies and programs. A competitive intelligence system helps the company acquire and manage competitive information. The company must then choose a competitive marketing strategy of its own. The strategy chosen depends on the company’s industry position and its objectives, opportunities, and resources. Some of these are time-tested and some are relatively new .The advantage of our firm with comparison to our competitors which may be in term of low price, high quality, Easy availability of our product, good will, convenience in use etc are included.

Question: Define business markets? Answer: The business market includes firms that buy goods and services in order to produce products and services to sell to others.

Question: Why do we study consumer behavior? Answer: Consumers determine the sales and profits of a firm by their purchase decisions. Basic objective of studying consumer behavior is that the firm needs to know how, when, why, and where consumers make purchase decision/ all these are important questions, which are to be known to the companies so that they can design and implement marketing strategies to satisfy the customers.

Question: How does an organization create a customer? Answer: Organizations can create the customers by identifying customer’s needs, designing goods and services that meet those needs then communicating information about those goods and services to prospective buyers. Providing the necessary services and follow-up to ensure customer satisfaction after the purchase.

Question: Write down the levels of segmentation? Answer: Because buyers have unique needs and wants, each buyer is potentially a separate market. Ideally, then, a seller might design a separate marketing program for each buyer. However, although some companies attempt to serve buyers individually, many others face larger numbers of smaller buyers and do not find complete segmentation worthwhile. Thus, market segmentation can be carried out at several different levels. 1. Mass Marketing: Companies have not always practiced target marketing. In fact, for most of the 1900s, major consumer products companies held fast to mass marketing—mass producing, mass distributing, and mass promoting about the same product in about the same way to all consumers. The traditional argument for mass marketing is that it creates the largest potential market, which leads to the lowest costs, which in turn can help into either lower prices or higher margins. 2. Segment Marketing A company that practices segment marketing isolates broad segments that make up a market and adapts its offers to more closely match the needs of one or more segments. Segment marketing offers several benefits over mass marketing. The company can market more efficiently, targeting its products or services, channels, and communications programs toward only consumers that it can serve best and most profitably. The company may face fewer competitors if fewer competitors are focusing on this market segment. 3. Niche Marketing Niche marketing focuses on subgroups within these segments. A niche is a more narrowly defined group, usually identified by dividing a segment into sub segments or by defining a group with a distinctive set of traits who may seek a special combination of benefits. Whereas segments are fairly large and normally attract several competitors, niches are smaller and normally attract only one or a few competitors. 4. Micro marketing Segment and niche marketers tailor their offers and marketing programs to meet the needs of various market segments. At the same time, however, they do not customize their offers to each individual customer. Thus, segment marketing and niche marketing fall between the extremes of mass marketing and micro marketing. Micro marketing is the practice of tailoring products and marketing programs to suit the tastes of specific individuals and locations. Micro marketing includes local marketing (Local marketing involves tailoring brands and promotions to the needs and wants of local customer groups—cities, neighborhoods, and even specific stores. Citibank provides different mixes of banking services in its branches depending on neighborhood demographics) and individual marketing (tailoring products and marketing programs to the needs and preferences of individual customers).

Question: Briefly define customer and consumer? Answer: A Customer- purchases or pays for products or services A Consumer- is ultimate user of the product or service, the consumer may not have paid for the product or service.

Question: Which factors make the company’s macro environment? Answer: 1) Demographic 2) Economic 3) Natural 4) Technological 5) Political 6) Cultural

Question: Which are the strategies that can be pursued for each Strategic Business Unit (SBU)? Answer: a) The company can harvest the SBU b) The company can divest the SBU c) The company can invest enough just to hold at the current level

Question: What are the key principles for public policy towards marketing? Answer: a) Full consumer and producer freedom b) Potential harm should be eliminated c) Producer should meet the basic needs of the consumer

Question: What benefits are communicated and delivered by a product attributes? Answer: Product Attributes Developing a product or service involves defining the benefits that it will offer. These benefits are communicated and delivered by product attributes such as quality, features, style and design. i. Product Quality Quality is one of the marketer's major positioning tools. Product quality has two dimensions—level and consistency. In developing a product, the marketer must first choose a quality level that will support the product's position in the target market. Here, product quality means performance quality—the ability of a product to perform its functions Beyond quality level, high quality also can mean high levels of quality consistency. Here, product quality means conformance quality—freedom from defects and consistency in delivering a targeted level of performance. All companies should strive for high levels of conformance quality. ii. Product Features A product can be offered with varying features. A stripped-down model, one without any extras, is the starting point. The company can create higher-level models by adding more features. Features are a competitive tool for differentiating the company's product from competitors' products. Being the first producer to introduce a needed and valued new feature is one of the most effective ways to compete. How can a company identify new features and decide which ones to add to its product? The company should periodically survey buyers who have used the product and ask these questions: How do you like the product? Which specific features of the product do you like most? Which features could we add to improve the product? The answers provide the company with a rich list of feature ideas. The company can then assess each feature's value to customers versus its cost to the company. Features that customers value little in relation to costs should be dropped; those that customers value highly in relation to costs should be added. iii. Product Style and Design Another way to add customer value is through distinctive product style and design. Some companies have reputations for outstanding style and design. Design is a larger concept than style. Style simply describes the appearance of a product. Styles can be eye catching or yawn producing. A sensational style may grab attention and produce pleasing aesthetics, but it does not necessarily make the product perform better. Unlike style, design is more than skin deep—it goes to the very heart of a product. Good design contributes to a product's usefulness as well as to its looks. Good style and design can attract attention, improve product performance, cut production costs, and give the product a strong competitive advantage in the target market

Question: What is meant by Market? Answer: Markets The concepts of exchange and relationships lead to the concept of a market. A market is the set of actual and potential buyers of a product. Originally a market was a place where buyers and sellers gathered to exchange goods (such as a village square). Economists use the term to designate a collection of buyers and sellers who transact in a particular product class (as in the housing market) Marketers see buyers as constituting a market and sellers constituting an industry.

Question: Explain Business portfolio? Answer: The business portfolio is a collection of businesses and products that make up the company. In order to design the business portfolio, the business must: 1) Analyze its current business portfolio and decide which business should receive more, less or no investment. 2) Develop growth strategies for adding new products or business to the portfolio.

Question: Who are Laggards? Answer: The people who are suspicious to change and adopt only after the product has been accepted by the majority

Question: Why it is said that customer is always right even he is wrong/customer is the king of market? Answer: 'Putting the customer at the heart of your business planning' sounds simple doesn't it? The truth is, this principle is the cleverest, and also the most startlingly logical strategy for keeping your business at the forefront of its market. The customer is king. This statement is true of every aspect of business. It is the job of everyone in business to please customers - or to enable someone else to please the customer. Without customers, there is no sale. Without satisfied customers, there is no profit. Without delighted customers, there is no repeat business.

Question: What are the objectives of internet marketing? Answer: Internet is very important tool in marketing .It is useful for marketers in different ways like: Internet is a new tool to reach consumers. Internet is also being used as a source to reach and to communicate to customers.

Question: What are the steps involved in developing an effective communication? Answer: Identify the target audience Determine the communication objectives Design a message Choose the media through which to send the message Select the message source Collect the feed back

Question: Briefly define the black box? Answer: 1. The buyer’s characteristics influence how he/she perceive and react to stimuli. 2. The buyer’s decision process itself affects the buyer’s behavior

Question: What is meant by reach and frequency? Answer: Reach is a measure of the percentage of people in the target market who are exposed to the ad campaign during a given period of time. For example, the advertiser might try to reach 70 percent of the target market during the first three months of the campaign. Frequency is a measure of how many times the average person in the target market is exposed to the message. For example, the advertiser might want an average exposure frequency of three.

Question: Why we study marketing? Answer: Major reason to study marketing is: • Marketing plays an important role in society • It is Vital to business • Marketing offers outstanding career opportunities • Marketing affects your life every day

Question: Which important decisions we should take while developing an advertising program for the product? Answer: 1 .Setting advertising objectives 2. Setting advertising budgets 3. Developing advertising strategy 4. Message decisions 5. Media decisions 6. Evaluating advertising campaigns

Question: What 4 Cs will be used for the development of the marketing strategies of 21st centaury? Answer: a) Care b) Choice c) Community d) Challenge

Question: What do you understand by the term micro marketing environment? Answer: Micro marketing is the practice of tailoring products and marketing programs to suit the tastes of specific individuals and locations. Micro marketing includes local marketing (Local marketing involves tailoring brands and promotions to the needs and wants of local customer groups—cities, neighborhoods, and even specific stores.

Question: In buyer decision process, what are the sources from which buyer can collect information? Answer: These include personal sources (family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances), commercial sources (advertising, salespeople, dealers, packaging, displays, Web sites), public sources (mass media, consumer-rating organizations), and experiential sources (handling, examining, using the product). The relative influence of these information sources varies with the product and the buyer.

Question: Define business markets? Answer: The business market includes firms that buy goods and services in order to produce products and services to sell to others.

Question: Write down any five reasons of “why would a producer use wholesalers rather than selling directly to consumers or retailers”? Answer: Quite simply, wholesalers are often better at performing one or more of the following channel functions: • Selling and promoting • Buying and assortment building. • Bulk-breaking • Warehousing • Transportation • Financing • Risk bearing • Market information • Management services and advice

Question: List down the chief factors that can be used for segmenting international markets? Answer: Geographical location Economic factors Political and legal factors Cultural factors

Question: How would you define relationship marketing? Answer: Establishing a long term continuous relationship with the customers initiated and maintained by firm.

Question: What are the main advantages of having brand quality? Answer: 1) High consumer awareness 2) Easier to launch brand extensions because of high brand credibility 3) A good defense against fair price competition. 4) Customer equity tends to aid marketing planning in assuring loyal customer life time values.

Question: What is the difference between advertising and publicity? Answer: An old age says: Advertising you pay for, publicity you pray for. That's because publicity has at least ten times the credibility of advertising. Advertising is a content you pay to present. Publicity refers to free content about you that appears in the media - what others say about you. Publicity can result when an article you write is published, or when information you give to an editor convinces him/her to feature a story about you. Over time, these stories help to create a favorable impression of your product or services.

Question: Define the market / product expansion grid? Answer: 1). Market Penetration 2). Market Development 3). Product Development 4). Diversification

Question: Why we use sales promotion tools? Answer: These can be used to Introduce new products, Get existing customers to buy more, Attract new customers, Combat competition, Maintain sales in off season, Increase retail inventories, Tie in advertising and personal selling, Enhance personal selling efforts.

Question: Designing a Competitive Intelligence System Answer: The company must design a broad competitive strategy by which to gain competitive advantage. No one strategy, however, is best for all companies. The competitive intelligence system does the following: • Identifies the vital types of competitive information and the best sources of this information. • The system continuously collects information from the field and from published data. • The system checks the information for validity and reliability, it, and organizes it in an appropriate way. • It sends key information to relevant decision makers and responds to inquiries from managers about competitors.

Question: Describe the main reasons for the popularity of markup pricing? Answer: 1. Sellers are more certain about cost than about demand. 2. When all firms in the industry use this pricing method, prices tend to be similar and price competition is thus minimized. 3. Many people feel that cost-plus pricing is fairer to both buyers and sellers.

Question: How does an organization create a customer? Answer: Organizations can create the customers by identifying customer’s needs, designing goods and services that meet those needs then communicating information about those goods and services to prospective buyers .Providing the necessary services and follow - up to ensure customer satisfaction after the purchase.

Question: Explain the concept of marketing information system? Answer: No matters what type of marketing organization we refer to, marketing managers need a great deal of information to carry out their marketing so as to provide superior value and satisfaction for customers. However, despite the growing supply of information, managers often lack enough information of the right kind or have too much information of the wrong kind. To overcome these problems, many companies are taking steps to improve their marketing information systems. In this lecture the marketing information system is discussed, along with the marketing research process thus showing the types of information gathered and how it is gathered. If a marketing organization is to produce superior value and satisfaction for customers, marketing managers need information at almost every turn. They need information about customers such as resellers, end-users (who tend to be called consumers), as well as competitors, governmental and other forces in the marketplace. A marketing information system (MIS) consists of people, equipment and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate and distribute needed, timely and accurate information to marketing decision makers. MIS works in the following way: • A well designed marketing information system (MIS) begins and ends with the user. The MIS first assesses information needs by interviewing marketing managers and surveying their decision environment to determine what information is desired, needed, and feasible to offer. • The MIS next develops information and helps managers to use it more effectively. Internal records provide information on sales, costs, inventories, cash flows, and accounts receivable and payable. Such data can be obtained quickly and cheaply, but must often be adapted for marketing decisions. • Marketing intelligence supplies marketing executives with everyday information about developments in the external marketing environment. Intelligence can be collected from company employees, customers, suppliers, and resellers; or by monitoring published reports, conferences, advertisements, competitor actions, and other activities in the environment. Marketing research involves collecting information relevant to a specific marketing problem facing the company. • Finally, the marketing information system distributes information gathered from internal sources, marketing intelligence, and marketing research to the right managers at the right times. More and more companies are decentralizing their information systems through networks that allow managers to have direct access to information.

Question: Define different stages of product life cycle? Answer: a) Product development begins when the company finds and develops a new-product idea. During product development, sales are zero and the company's investment costs mount. b) Introduction is a period of slow sales growth as the product is introduced in the market. Profits are nonexistent in this stage because of the heavy expenses of product introduction. c) Growth is a period of rapid market acceptance and increasing profits. d) Maturity is a period of slowdown in sales growth because the product has achieved acceptance by most potential outlays to defend the product against competition. e) Decline is the period when sales fall off and profits drop. Introduction stage The introduction stage starts when the new product is first launched. Introduction takes time, and sales growth is apt to be slow. In this stage, as compared to other stages, profits are negative or low because of the low sales and high distribution and promotion expenses. Much money is needed to attract distributors and build their inventories. Promotion spending is relatively high to inform consumers of the new product and get them to try it. Because the market is not generally ready for product refinements at this stage, the company and its few competitors produce basic versions of the product. These firms focus their selling on those buyers who are the readiest to buy.

Question: What are the major marketing logistic functions that have a major impact on both customer satisfaction and company cost? Answer: To some managers, physical distribution means only trucks and warehouses. But modern logistics is much more than this. Physical distribution—or marketing logistics—involves planning, implementing, and controlling the physical flow of materials, final goods, and related information from points of origin to points of consumption to meet customer requirements at a profit. In short, it involves getting the right product to the right customer in the right place at the right time. i. Order Processing Orders can be submitted in many ways—by mail or telephone, through salespeople, or via computer .In some cases, the suppliers might actually generate orders for their customers: Once received, orders must be processed quickly and accurately. Both the company and its customers benefit when order processing is carried out efficiently. ii. Warehousing Every company must store its goods while they wait to be sold. A storage function is needed because production and consumption cycles rarely match. A company must decide on how many and what types of warehouses it needs and where they will be located. The company might use either storage warehouses or distribution centers. Storage warehouses store goods for moderate to long periods. Distribution centers are designed to move goods rather than just store them. iii. Inventory Inventory levels also affect customer satisfaction. The major problem is to maintain the delicate balance between carrying too much inventory and carrying too little. Carrying too much inventory results in higher than-necessary inventory-carrying costs and stock obsolescence. Carrying too little may result in stock outs, costly emergency shipments or production, and customer dissatisfaction. In making inventory decisions, management must balance the costs of carrying larger inventories against resulting sales and profits. iv. Transportation Marketers need to take an interest in their company's transportation decisions. The choice of transportation carriers affects the pricing of products, delivery performance, and condition of the goods when they arrive—all of which will affect customer satisfaction. In shipping goods to its warehouses, dealers, and customers, the company can choose among five transportation modes: rail, truck, water, pipeline, and air.

Question: What steps we should take to promote the company’s products? Answer: Advertising the Product Selection of Media Cost benefit analysis of different media Advertising on the TV, radio and Cable network Distribution of pamphlets Fixing sign boards on famous locations Advertising on renowned newspaper

Question: List down the 5 M’s of Advertising? Answer: Mission Money Message Media Measurement

Question: What are the five important decisions which must take into consideration by the marketing management, while developing an advertising program? Answer: Setting advertising objectives Setting advertising budgets Developing advertising strategy Message decision and media decision Evaluating advertising campaign

Question: What are the primary criticisms of marketing functions with respect to the impact on the individual consumer? Answer: High price Deceptive practices High pressure selling Shoddy or unsafe products Planned obsolescence Poor services to disadvantaged consumer

Question: What is meant by sequential product development? Answer: A new product development approach in which one company’s department works to complete its stages of the process before passing the new product along to the next department and stage

Question: Explain how companies use public relations to communicate with their public? Answer: Public relations involves building good relations with the company’s various publics by obtaining favorable publicity, building up a good corporate image, and handling or heading off unfavorable rumors, stories, and events. Public relations is used to promote products, places, ideas, activities, organizations, and even nations The Role and Impact of Public Relations Public relations can have a strong impact on public awareness at a much lower cost than advertising. Despite its potential strengths, public relations is often described as a marketing stepchild because of its limited and scattered use. This may be changing, however. Many companies today are looking for public relations to take a more active role in marketing and promotion planning. Marketing public relations departments are being formed. Public relation tools are being used by the companies in evaluating public attitudes, identifying the issues of public concern and to execute the different programs that can gain public acceptance. It means that the public relations is that marketing function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies areas within the organization that the public may be interested in, and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance. Major Public Relations Tools Major tools include: 1). News. 2). Speeches. 3). Special events (mobile marketing). 4). Written materials (such as annual reports, brochures, articles, and company newsletters). 5). Audiovisual materials (such as films, slide-and-sound programs, video and audio cassettes).

Question: What steps are involved in the development of a sale promotion program? Answer: Size of the incentive Conditions for participation Promote and distribute the promotion program Length of the promotion Evaluation

Question: Why companies use competitive-parity method? Answer: Companies use the competitive-parity method for setting their promotion budgets to match competitors' outlays. They monitor competitors' advertising or get industry promotion spending estimates from publications or trade associations, and then set their budgets based on the industry average.

Question: What are the uses of marketing intermediaries? Answer: The use of intermediaries results from their greater efficiency in making goods available to target markets. Through their contacts, experience, specialization, and scale of operation, intermediaries usually offer the firm more than it can achieve on its own.

Question: Why would a producer use wholesalers rather than selling directly to retailers or consumers? Answer: Quite simply, wholesalers are often better at performing one or more of the following channel functions: • Selling and promoting: Wholesalers' sales forces help manufacturers reach many small customers at a low cost. The wholesaler has more contacts and is often more trusted by the buyer than the distant manufacturer. • Buying and assortment building: Wholesalers can select items and build assortments needed by their customers, thereby saving the consumers much work. • Bulk-breaking: Wholesalers save their customers money by buying in carload lots and breaking bulk (breaking large lots into small quantities). • Warehousing: Wholesalers hold inventories, thereby reducing the inventory costs and risks of suppliers and customers. • Transportation: Wholesalers can provide quicker delivery to buyers because they are closer than the producers. • Financing: Wholesalers finance their customers by giving credit, and they finance their suppliers by ordering early and paying bills on time. • Risk bearing: Wholesalers absorb risk by taking title and bearing the cost of theft, damage, spoilage, and obsolescence. • Market information: Wholesalers give information to suppliers and customers about competitors, new products, and price developments. • Management services and advice: Wholesalers often help retailers train their salesclerks, improve store layouts and displays, and set up accounting and inventory control systems.

Question: Describe the ways of using database marketing? Answer: 1) Identifying prospects 2) Deciding which customers should receive a particular offer 3) Depending customer loyalty 4) Reactivating customer purchases

Question: What do we mean by franchise organization? Answer: By franchise organization we mean a contractual vertical marketing system in which a channel member called a franchiser links several stages in the production-distribution process.

Question: What promotional tools would you suggest for the company? Answer: Any company’s promotional mix may consists of advertising, personal selling , sales promotion , public relations , and direct selling. Such blend is also called marketing communication mix for the firm. Now we elaborate each of the aforesaid tools. 1. Advertising It is any paid form of no personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor. Newly established firms take full advantage of this tool and spend heavily on advertising since it attracts customers towards the product. 2. Personal Selling Personal selling technique may be beneficial for the new organizations. And it will help building customer relationship and enhancement in sales. 3. Sales Promotion Company may offer some short term incentive to encourage the customers to purchase its product. 4. Public Relations Company should build good relations with public by publicity, building up a good corporate image and taking some measures for the uplift of the society. 5. Direct Marketing The company should carefully target the individual consumers to obtain an immediate response and generate sales. Such campaign may be more fruitful for the new companies than the older ones. Such marketing can be done through telephone, mail, fax, e-mail, the internet and other tools to communicate directly with the specific consumers. It is noteworthy that each category involves specific tools. For instance advertising includes print, broadcast, outdoor, and other forms. Personal selling includes sales presentations, trade shows, and incentive programs. Sales promotion includes point of purchase displays, premiums, discounts, coupons, specialty advertising, and demonstrations. Direct marketing includes catalogs, telemarketing, fax, internet and more. Now people can communicate through traditional media such as newspapers, radio, telephone, television as well as through modern media forms such as fax machines, cellular phones, pagers and computers. The new technologies have encouraged more companies to move from mass communication to more targeted communication and one to one dialogue. A newly established company can opt for any one tool or combination of these tools in order to promote its products.

Question: What are the possible benefits of segmentation? Answer: Benefits of Segmentation Identification of the target market. More Customer focused approach Needs of customers can be better satisfied Greater Profitability for the organization Increase in market share Best use of firm’s resources

Question: What Image comes to mind when you hear the word “Marketing”? Answer: Marketing is a process that revolves around the customers and there requirements. It is a process of creating value in the form of goods, services, or ideas that can improve the customer’s life.

Question: What is TQM? Define any three characteristics of Quality. Answer: TQM is an approach in which all the company’s people are involved in constantly improving the quality of the products, services, and marketing processes. a) Quality can be defined as ‘freedom from defects” b) Quality is defined in terms of consumer satisfaction c) Quality has direct impact on product and service performance.

Question: Briefly define the qualities of good brand name? Answer: a) It should suggest something about the product. b) It should be easy to pronounce. c) It should be distinctive d) It should be capable of registration and legal protection.

Question: What are the basic goals of CRM (Customer relationship marketing)? Answer: The idea of CRM is that it helps business use technology to gain insight into the behavior of customer and values of those customers. If it works as hoped, a business can: - Provide better customer services - Make call centers more efficient

Question: What is meant by De-marketing? Answer: Marketing to reduce demand temporarily or permanently; the aim is not to destroy demand but only to reduce or shift it.

Question: How can a manger develop a research plan? Answer: Developing the research plan involves the following steps: 1) Determining specific information needs 2) Gathering secondary information 3) Planning primary data collection

Question: Write down some important uses of data-base market? Answer: • Match profiles to cross-sell other products to customers • Modify marketing messages based on customers profiles • Reach out to customers to reinforce the purchase decision • Find new customers • Gain insight into who is purchasing the product • Improve customer services

Question: Describe three major roles of public relations? Answer: o Evaluate public attitude o Identify issues of public concern o Executes programs to gain public acceptance

Question: List out the steps in developing effective communication Answer: Ø ØIdentify the target audience  ØDetermine the communication objectives  ØDesign a message  ØChoose the media through which to send the message  ØSelect the message source  Collect the feed back

Question: Write down the four common methods used to set the total budget for advertising? Answer: v vThe affordable method  vPercentage of sale method  vCompetitive-parity method  Objective and task method

Question: What are the characteristics of promotional tool? Answer: ü üAdvertising  üPersonal selling  üSales promotion  üPublic relations  Direct marketing

Question: What are the five important decisions which must take into consideration by the marketing management, while developing an advertising program? Answer: § §Setting advertising objectives  §Setting advertising budgets  §Developing advertising strategy  §Message decision and media decision  Evaluating advertising campaign

Question: What are some specific factors for advertising budget? Answer: ü üStage in product life cycle (New product typically needs large advertising budget)  üMarket share (High market share brands usually need more advertising)  üCompetition and culture (More advertising is needed in a market with many more competitions and their advertising culture)  Product differentiation

Question: What are the limitations of sales promotion? Answer: • It can not reverse declining sales trend. • May encourage competitive relations • Can not over come inferior product • May hurt profit

Question: What does sales people act or perform for the company? Answer: v vProspecting of new business  vCommunicating with potential and existing customer  vServicing customer and information gathering  vBuilding goodwill   Executive customers and creative sellingvDelivering product and taking orders

Question: Describe two major steps which must be taken in order to deal effectively with competitors and their strategies? Answer: 1. The first step is competitor analysis where the company goes through the process of identifying, assembling, and selecting key competitor. 2. Second step is competitive marketing strategies where the company strongly positions itself against competitors and fins a way to give itself the greatest possible competitor advantage.

Question: What steps/components are suggested by George Yip for the total global strategy? Answer: I. Development of the core strategy which is the basis of the firm’s competitive advantage. II. Internationalization of the strategy through expansion of activities III. Step three integrates the strategy across countries

Question: Describe role of internet in marketing? Answer: • It is fastest growing communication technology • With in first five years,50 million people were connected • Capable of interactively sharing information in the real time

Question: What are the rules of E-Marketing? Answer: ü üPower shift from sellers to buyers  üGlobal search  üDeath of distance  üKnowledge management is the key  üIntellectual capital rules  üMarket deconstruction  Time compression

Question: Write down the traditional buyer’s rights? Answer: • Right not to purchase a product that is offered for sale. • Right to except the product to be safe. • Right to except the product to perform as claimed. • Right to be well informed about important aspects of the product • Right to be protected against questionable product. • Right to influence product and marketing practices in ways that will improve

Question: Write down the principles of enlightened marketing? Answer: § §Consumer oriented marketing  §Value marketing  §Innovative marketing  §Sense of mission marketing  Societal marketing

Question: What are the primary criticisms of marketing functions with respect to the impact on the individual consumer? Answer: ü üHigh price  üDeceptive practices  üHigh pressure selling  üShoddy or unsafe products  üPlanned obsolescence  Poor services to disadvantaged consumer

Question: What are the cores of marketing concepts? Answer: Needs, wants, and demand Products and services Value, satisfaction, and quality Exchange, transaction, and relationship Market Question: What are five alternatives concepts under which organization conduct their marketing activities? Answer: The production Product Selling Marketing Societal marketing concepts Question: Describe two parts of black box? Answer: 1. The buyer’s characteristics influence how he/she perceive and react to stimuli. 2. the buyer’s decision process itself affects the buyer’s behaviour. Question: What is SWOT Analysis? Answer: SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats Question: Discuss the process of New Product Development in detail? Answer: New-product development A firm can obtain new products in two ways. One is through acquisition—by buying a whole company, a patent, or a license to produce someone else's product. The other is through new-product development in the company's own research and development department. By new products we mean original products, product improvements, product modifications, and new brands that the firm develops through its own research and development efforts. a) Idea generation New-product development starts with idea generation—the systematic search for new-product ideas. A company typically has to generate many ideas in order to find a few good ones. Major sources of new-product ideas include internal sources, customers, competitors, distributors and suppliers, and others. b) Idea Screening The purpose of idea generation is to create a large number of ideas. The purpose of the succeeding stages is to reduce that number. The first idea-reducing stage is idea screening, which helps spot good ideas and drop poor ones as soon as possible. Product development costs rise greatly in later stages, so the company wants to go ahead only with the product ideas that will turn into profitable products. c) Concept Development and Testing An attractive idea must be developed into a product concept. Concept testing calls for testing new-product concepts with groups of target consumers. The concepts may be presented to consumers symbolically or physically For some concept tests, a word or picture description might be sufficient. However, a more concrete and physical presentation of the concept will increase the reliability of the concept test. d) Marketing strategy Development The marketing strategy statement consists of three parts. The first part describes the target market; the planned product positioning; and the sales, market share, and profit goals for the first few years. The second part of the marketing strategy statement outlines the product's planned price, distribution, and marketing budget for the first year The third part of the marketing strategy statement describes the planned long-run sales, profit goals, and marketing mix strategy: e) Business Analysis Once management has decided on its product concept and marketing strategy, it can evaluate the business attractiveness of the proposal. Business analysis involves a review of the sales, costs, and profit projections for a new product to find out whether they satisfy the company's objectives. If they do, the product can move to the product development stage. f) Product Development The R&D department will develop and test one or more physical versions of the product concept. R&D hopes to design a prototype that will satisfy and excite consumers and that can be produced quickly and at budgeted costs. Developing a successful prototype can take days, weeks, months, or even years. g) Test Marketing If the product passes functional and consumer tests, the next step is test marketing, the stages at which the product and marketing program are introduced into more realistic market settings. Test marketing gives the marketer experience with marketing the product before going to the great expense of full introduction. It lets the company test the product and its entire marketing program—positioning strategy, advertising, distribution, pricing, branding and packaging, and budget levels.

Question: What are the reasons of studying Marketing? Answer: Marketing is part of all of our lives and touches us in some way every day. To be successful each company that deals with customers on a daily basis must not only be customer-driven, but customer-obsessed. The best way to achieve this objective is to develop a sound marketing function within the organization. Major reason to study marketing is: • Marketing plays an important role in society • It is Vital to business • Marketing offers outstanding career opportunities • Marketing effects your life every day

Question: Briefly define the stages involved in adoption process? Answer: 1. Awareness. In this stage the consumer is aware of the new product but lacks further information about it. 2. Interest. The consumer is motivated to seek information about the new product. 3. Evaluation. The consumer determines whether or not to try the new product. 4. Trial. The consumer tries the new product on a small scale to test its efficacy in meeting his or her needs. Trial can be imagined use of the product in some cases. 5. Adoption. The consumer decides to make use of the product on a regular basis.

Question: List the contact methods use to obtain information? Answer: Contact methods are used to obtain the information Contact methods can be listed as: 1. Mail questionnaires--used to collect large amounts of information at a low cost. 2. Telephone interviewing--good method for collecting information quickly. 3. Personal interviewing (which can be either individual or group interviewing). A form of personal interviewing is focus group interviewing. 4. Online (Internet) marketing research can consist of Internet surveys or online focus groups. Many experts predict that online research will soon be the primary tool of marketing research 5. Computer interviewing is a new method being used in the technology age. Consumers read questions from a computer screen and respond.

Question: List down the types of customer markets? Answer: Customers The company must study its customer markets closely since each market has its own special characteristics. These markets normally include: 1). Consumer markets (individuals and households that buy goods and services for personal consumption). 2). Business markets (buy goods and services for further processing or for use in their production process). 3). Reseller markets (buy goods and services in order to resell them at a profit). 4). Government markets (agencies that buy goods and services in order to produce public services or transfer them to those that need them). 5). International markets (buyers of all types in foreign countries).

Question: Define Brand? Answer: Brand: A brand is a name, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of these that identifies the maker or seller of a product or service.

Question: Write down major uses of the marketing research in the organizations, any five? Answer: Major uses of the marketing research in the organizations are as following: 1. Measurement of market potential 2. Analysis of market share 3. Determination of market characteristics 4. Sales analysis 5. Product testing 6. Forecasting 7. Studies of business trends 8. Studies of competitors' products.

Question: What is Demographic Segmentation? Answer: Demographic segmentation divides the market into groups based on variables such as age, gender, family size, family life cycle, income, occupation, education, religion, race, and nationality.

Question: In buyer decision process, what are the sources from which buyer can collect information? How can these sources help buyer in their purchase decision? Answer: Information Search: The consumer can obtain information from any of several sources. These include personal sources (family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances), commercial sources (advertising, salespeople, dealers, packaging, displays, Web sites), public sources (mass media, consumer-rating organizations), and experiential sources (handling, examining, using the product). The relative influence of these information sources varies with the product and the buyer. Generally, the consumer receives the most information about a product from commercial sources—those controlled by the marketer. The most effective sources, however, tend to be personal. Commercial sources normally inform the buyer, but personal sources legitimize or evaluate products for the buyer. People often ask others—friends, relatives, acquaintances, professionals—for recommendations concerning a product or service. Thus, companies have a strong interest in building such word-of-mouth sources. Word of mouth is the only promotion method that is of consumers, by consumers, and for consumers. Due to word of mouth sources the consumer's awareness and knowledge of the available brands and features increases, and all the information they gathered from these sources help them in making purchasing decision.

Question: What is mission statement? Answer: Mission statement: A mission statement is a statement of the organization’s purposes—what it wants to accomplish in the larger environment

Question: List down the stages of buyers’ decision process? Answer: 1. Need recognition 2. Information search 3. Evaluation of Alternatives 4. Purchase decision 5. Post purchase behavior

Question: Who are laggards and early adopters in adoption of innovations? Answer: Laggards: This group is suspicious of change and adopts only after the product is no longer considered an innovation. Early Adopters: This group serves as opinion leaders to the rest of the market.

Question: Desirable five qualities of a good brand name. Answer: 1. It should suggest something about the product’s benefits and qualities 2. It should be easy to pronounce, recognize, and remember. 3. It should be distinctive 4. It should translate easily into foreign languages 5. It should be capable of registration and legal protection. Once chosen, the brand name must be protected.

Question: Write down major uses of the marketing research in the organizations, any five? Answer: Major uses of the marketing research in the organizations are as following: 1. Measurement of market potential 2. Analysis of market share 3. Determination of market characteristics 4. Sales analysis 5. Product testing 6. Forecasting 7. Studies of business trends 8. Studies of competitors' products.

Question: From which sources idea of a new product can be generated? Answer: • Appoint a respected senior person to be the company's idea manager. • Create a multidisciplinary idea management committee consisting of people from R&D, engineering, purchasing, operations, finance, and sales and marketing to meet regularly and evaluate proposed new-product and service ideas. • Set up a toll-free number for anyone who wants to send a new idea to the idea manager. • Encourage all company stakeholders—employees, suppliers, distributors, dealers— to send their ideas to the idea manager. • Set up formal recognition programs to reward those who contribute the best new ideas.

Question: What do you understand by the term diversification? Answer: Diversification—a strategy for company growth by starting up or acquiring businesses outside the company’s current products and markets. Diversification means moving into totally different lines of business perhaps entirely unfamiliar products, markets, or even levels in the production-marketing system.

Question: Define public, also explain major types of public ? Answer: A public is any group that has an actual or potential interest in or impact on an organization’s ability to achieve its objectives. A company should prepare a marketing plan for all of their major publics and they include: 1. Financial publics--influence the company’s ability to obtain funds. 2. Media publics--carry news, features, and editorial opinion. 3. Government publics--take developments into account. 4. Citizen-action publics--a company’s decisions are often questioned by consumer organizations. 5. Local publics--includes neighborhood residents and community organizations. 6. General publics--a company must be concerned about the general public’s attitude toward its products and services. 7. Internal publics--workers, managers, volunteers, and the board of directors.

Question: Explain different types of behavior shown by the buyers while purchasing a product. Answer: Complex Buying Behavior Consumers undertake complex buying behavior when they are highly involved in a purchase and perceive. Consumers may be highly involved when the product is expensive, risky, purchased infrequently, and highly self-expressive This buyer will pass through a learning process, first developing beliefs about the product, then attitudes, and then making a thoughtful purchase choice. Marketers of high-involvement products must understand the information-gathering and evaluation behavior of high-involvement consumers. They need to help buyers learn about product-class attributes and their relative importance, and about what the company's brand offers on the important attributes. Marketers need to differentiate their brand's features, perhaps by describing the brand's benefits using print media with long copy. They must motivate store salespeople and the buyer's acquaintances to influence the final brand choice. • Dissonance-Reducing Buying Behavior Dissonance reducing buying behavior occurs when consumers are highly involved with an expensive, infrequent, or risky purchase, but see little difference among brands. For example, consumers buying carpeting may face a high-involvement decision because carpeting is expensive and self-expressive. Yet buyers may consider most carpet brands in a given price range to be the same. In this case, because perceived brand differences are not large, buyers may shop around to learn what is available, but buy relatively quickly. They may respond primarily to a good price or to purchase convenience. After the purchase, consumers might experience post purchase dissonance (after-sale discomfort) when they notice certain disadvantages of the purchased carpet brand or hear favorable things about brands not purchased. To counter such dissonance, the marketer's after-sale communications should provide evidence and support to help consumers feel good about their brand choices. • Habitual Buying Behavior Habitual buying behavior occurs under conditions of low consumer involvement and little significant brand difference. For example, take salt. Consumers have little involvement in this product category—they simply go to the store and reach for a brand. If they keep reaching for the same brand, it is out of habit rather than strong brand loyalty. Consumers appear to have low involvement with most low-cost, frequently purchased products. In such cases, consumer behavior does not pass through the usual belief-attitude-behavior sequence. Consumers do not search extensively for information about the brands, evaluate brand characteristics, and make weighty decisions about which brands to buy. Instead, they passively receive information as they watch television or read magazines. Ad repetition creates brand familiarity rather than brand conviction. Consumers do not form strong attitudes toward a brand; they select the brand because it is familiar. Because they are not highly involved with the product, consumers may not evaluate the choice even after purchase. Thus, the buying process involves brand beliefs formed by passive learning, followed by purchase behavior, which may or may not be followed by evaluation. Variety-Seeking Buying Behavior Consumers undertake variety seeking buying behavior in situations characterized by low consumer involvement but significant perceived brand differences. In such cases, consumers often do a lot of brand switching. For example, when buying cookies, a consumer may hold some beliefs, choose a cookie brand without much evaluation, then evaluate that brand during consumption. But the next time, the consumer might pick another brand out of boredom or simply to try something different. Brand switching occurs for the sake of variety rather than because of dissatisfaction. In such product categories, the marketing strategy may differ for the market leader and minor brands. The market leader will try to encourage habitual buying behavior by dominating shelf space, keeping shelves fully stocked, and running frequent reminder advertising. Challenger firms will encourage variety seeking by offering lower prices, special deals, coupons, free samples, and advertising that presents reasons for trying something new.

Question: What do you understand by the term micro environment? Answer: Segment and niche marketers tailor their offers and marketing programs to meet the needs of various market segments. At the same time, however, they do not customize their offers to each individual customer. Thus, segment marketing and niche marketing fall between the extremes of mass marketing and micro marketing. Micro marketing is the practice of tailoring products and marketing programs to suit the tastes of specific individuals and locations. Micro marketing includes local marketing (Local marketing involves tailoring brands and promotions to the needs and wants of local customer groups—cities, neighborhoods, and even specific stores. Citibank provides different mixes of banking services in its branches depending on neighborhood demographics) and individual marketing (tailoring products and marketing programs to the needs and preferences of individual customers).

Question: Explain impact of social class on consumer buying behavior? Answer: Almost every society has some form of social class structure. Social Classes are society's relatively permanent and ordered divisions whose members share similar values, interests, and behaviors. Social class is not determined by a single factor, such as income, but is measured as a combination of occupation, income, education, wealth, and other variables. In some social systems, members of different classes are reared for certain roles and cannot change their social positions. Marketers are interested in social class because people within a given social class tend to exhibit similar buying behavior. Social classes show distinct product and brand preferences in areas such as clothing, home furnishings, leisure activity, and automobiles.

Question: What image come to mind when you hear the word Marketing Answer: Some people think of advertisements or brochures, while others think of public relations. The truth is, all of these—and many more things—make up the field of marketing. The Knowledge Exchange Business Encyclopedia defines marketing as “planning and executing the strategy involved in moving a good or service from producer to consumer.” In simplified terms, marketers and others help move goods and services through the creation and production process; at that point, marketers help move the goods and services to consumers. But the connection goes even further: Marketing can have a significant impact on all areas of the business and vice versa.

Question: What is meant by Price .What factors should be considered while setting price. Answer: All profit and nonprofit organizations must set prices on their products and services. Price goes by many names (rent, tuition, fee, fare, rate, interest, toll, premium, et cetera). Price is the amount of money charged for a product or service or the sum of the values that consumers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or service. A company's pricing decisions are affected by both internal company factors and external environmental factors a) Internal Factors Affecting Pricing Decision Internal factors affecting pricing include the company's marketing objectives, marketing mix strategy, costs, and organizational considerations. b) External Factors Affecting Pricing Decisions External factors that affect pricing decisions include the nature of the market and demand, competition, and other environmental elements.

Question: Discuss the importance of E. Marketing and benefits of using internet as tool to reach the customers. Answer: E-Marketing : The process of utilizing Information Technology in the conception, distribution, promotion, and pricing of goods, services, and ideas to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives. General rules of E. Marketing are: 1. Power Shift from sellers to buyers 2. Increasing Velocity 3. Death of Distance 4. Global reach 5. Time compression 6. Knowledge management is key 7. Market deconstruction 8. Intellectual capital rules Buyer Benefits of E-Commerce • Convenience • Easy and private • Greater product access/selection • Access to comparative information • Interactive and immediate Seller Benefits of E-Commerce: • Relationship building • Reduced costs • Increased speed and efficiency • Flexibility • Global access, global reach Internet is a new tool to reach consumers initially different tools like telephone, postal services, radio and televisions were used as a source to communicate to consumers but now a days along with these tools internet is also being used as a source to reach and to communicate to customers/consumers. Using internet companies can provide their information to customers through websites, search engines can be used to coordinate the consumers and producers, customers can used the e. mails to connect to the producers. Customers and consumers not only acquire information through internet but also can make online purchases by placing orders to desired producers, it provides convenience and time saving for both consumers and producers. Companies can reduce their need of inventory stocks by using the inventory systems. Online banners, website and e. mails can be used as personalized communication tools.

Question: Why to conduct business research Answer: Marketing Research is a Systematic & objective process of designing, gathering, analyzing & reporting information that is used to solve a specific problem. It Provides information for aid in making business related decisions, to Identify opportunities and generate & refine actions. It is important for the mangers for many decisions like: • Helps reduce risk inherent in decision-making • Provides an important link to customers • Allows implementation of the business concept • Enables managers to identify & understand stakeholders wants & needs and to develop appropriate strategies to meet these needs

Question: Write down the Porter’s 5 Forces Model of Competition. Answer: • Threat of New Entrants Ratio of new entrants in the industry greater the ratio greater will be intensity of competition. • Bargaining Power of Buyers: When completion is intense and number of manufacturer is greater the buyer have more options for product switching over this will increase the buying power of buyer • Threat of Substitute: As obvious from the term greater the threat of new entrants will result in greater higher completion that in tern will result in increase in the number of substitutes • Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Greater number of the supplier will provide the stronger buying power to the manufacturer/customer and vice versa • Rivalry Among Competing Firms in Industry: Larger number of the manufacturers and greater number of product variety increases the rivalry among the competitors, which demands for more quality and customer satisfy9ng products in order to meet the competition.

Question: What is the classification of Advertising Objectives by primary purpose Answer: 1). Informative advertising, which is used to inform consumers about a new product 2). Persuasive advertising which is used to build selective demand for a brand by persuading consumers that it offers the best quality for their money. 3). Comparison advertising which is advertising that compares one brand directly or indirectly to one or more other brands. 4). Reminder advertising, which is used to keep consumers thinking about a product. This form of advertising is more important for mature products.

Question: What is the classification of consumer products Answer: • Convenience products the customer usually buys frequently, immediately, and with a minimum of comparison and buying effort. Examples include soap, candy, newspapers, and fast food. • Comparison products are less frequently purchased products and services that customers compare carefully on suitability, quality, price, and style. Examples include furniture, clothing, used cars, major appliances, and hotel and motel services. • Shopping products marketers usually distribute their products through fewer outlets but provide deeper sales support to help customers in their comparison efforts. • Specialty products are consumer products and services with unique characteristics for which a significant group of buyers is willing to make a special purchase effort. Examples include specific brands and types of cars, designer clothes, and the services of medical or legal specialists. • Unsought products are consumer products that the consumer either does not know about or knows about but does not normally think of buying. Classic examples of known but unsought products and services are life insurance and blood donations to the Red Cross.

Question: Briefly discuss the Personal & Non Personal communication levels. Answer: Personal Communication Channels In personal communication channels, two or more people communicate directly with each other. They might communicate face to face, over the telephone, through the mail, or even through an Internet "chat." Personal communication channels are effective because they allow for personal addressing and feedback. Some personal communication channels are controlled directly by the company. Non personal Communication Channels Non personal communication channels are media that carry messages without personal contact or feedback. Major media include print media (newspapers, magazines, direct mail), broadcast media (radio, television), display media (billboards, signs, posters), and online media (online services, Web sites).. Thus, lawyers' offices and banks are designed to communicate confidence and other qualities that might be valued by their clients. For example, public relations departments arrange press conferences, grand openings, shows and exhibits, public tours, and other events

Question: Describe the Marketing’s Impact on Society as a Whole and the principles of socially responsible marketing. Answer: Responsible marketers discover what consumers want and respond with the right products, priced to give good value to buyers, and profit to the producer. The marketing concept is a philosophy of customer satisfaction and mutual gain. Its practice leads the economy by an invisible hand to satisfy the many and changing needs of millions of consumers. Marketing receives much criticism. Some of this is justified and some is not. Social critics claim that certain marketing practices hurt individual consumers, society as a whole, and other business firms.. Marketing’s Impact on Society as a Whole Some criticisms have also been leveled at marketing because of its perceived negative impact on society as a whole. Criticisms include marketing creating: i. False wants and too much materialism. People are judged by what they own rather than who they are. This criticism perhaps overstates the power of business to create needs. Our needs are influenced by other forces than just marketing needs. Some even see materialism as a positive force. ii. Producing too few social goods. There needs to be more of a balance between social (public) and private goods. Options are the government could require more safety be built into products (autos for example), or make consumers pay social costs. iii. Cultural pollution. Constant assaults on privacy by advertising and noise clutter. Marketing answers by saying: Marketers hope that their ads reach primarily the target audience, ads make much of television and radio free to users and keep down the costs of magazines and newspapers. iv. Too much political power. companies do promote and protect their own interests. They have a right to. Counter forces are in place to offset business promotional and political power. Key Principles for Public policy towards Marketing: Certain public policy principles can be used to make the marketing more effective these principles include full consumer and producer freedom, potential harms should be eliminated, producers should meet the basic needs of the consumers, there should be economic efficiency consumers and producers both should be on beneficent in practicing the exchange process, producer should ensure the innovation , consumer should be provided full knowledge about the products and should be protected against any sort of unethical and illegal practices by the producers,