hi,
why is segmentation considered the most important aspect of any
marketing plan.
This should be underpined by including business magazines,
newspapers (only if the article is appropriate), consumer magazines
and websites in general.
thank you,
Harry |
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 11:31 PDT
hi, i was just wondering if there was a problem with the question that
i have posted?
if there is a problem in any way, for example if there pricing is not
right, please leave comments and i will adjust.
please leave comments as i need this question answered asap, within 24 hours.
thank you.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 11:34 PDT
Are you looking for a list of references and sources of information
that would allow you to answer this question? If so, a researcher may
be able to help you.
If you're looking for anything else -- such as a written essay on this
topic -- you should let us know that as well, although you should also
be aware that it is against Google Answers policy for researchers to
provide answers to school assignments.
The clearer you can be about what the need, the more responsive we can
be at our end.
Thanks.
pafalafa-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 11:53 PDT
basicly i am looking for the 'text book' reason why segmentation is
the most important aspect of a marketing plan. and some sources to
help me back this up.
this research is for a debate, so basiclly i need to prove the
sentance above. and so i need the opinions of marketing professional's
(like kotler, but also other marketing profesionals) on this matter
and i need acticles and websites and newspapers to help back it up.
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 12:14 PDT
pafalafa-ga,
please if you require more clarification please tell me. and i will
try to provide it for you
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 12:18 PDT
can anyone help.
i have provided clarification on the question, so is the question now
answerable? if not could anyone please provide me with more advise?
|
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 12:23 PDT
harry_ss-ga,
Thanks for your clarification. As far as I'm concerned, your question
is clear, and the pricing is appropriate.
I'm looking into some sources of information to answer this question,
but I don't know if I can find them by your deadline (or even if I can
find them at all...this is not a topic I have a lot of first-hand
experience with).
Another GA researcher may come along and try to answer this as well,
so keep your fingers crossed, and we'll see what happens.
pafalafa-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 12:44 PDT
thank you for your help. you have been of great assistance!
Harry.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
easterangel-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 16:49 PDT
Hi harry_ss-ga!
I have now started working on your question but at this point, I need
some clarifications as well:
a. It seems that the sentence "Why is segmentation considered the most
important aspect of any marketing plan" seems to be really
argumentative. I do not have articles that specifically says that
"market segmentation" is the most important thing since scholars and
businessmen treat segmentation as a part of the process wherein other
activities are important as well.
I can provide you however with articles and resources discussing the
importance of market segmentation. Maybe you can use these points and
the discussions on the articles as a way for you to argue in the
debate. Will this be ok as an answer?
b. Next... it seems that since this is a very academic and business
centric matter, newspapers are not the best source for information.
Business and academic journals plus business websites provide a good
foundation for both theoretical and practical arguments for
segmentation. Would these kinds of websites be ok even if I don't have
links to news articles?
c. Since we are press for time, would general marketing authors just
discussing the importance of market segmentation be enough even
without popular names as Kotler and others? I think that other points
out there would be valid enough since market segmentation is a popular
topic.
d. In case I do find popular writers... do you have any suggestions as
to the names aside from Kotler?
I hope you can respond ASAP so that I can start working on it.
Thanks!
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 17:02 PDT
hi, i have to say that the suggestions that you have made are fine and
will be fine to be included. i agree with points a-c are ok! but if
you could find popular authors that would be super!
also can you include a short background os market segmentation, what
it is and what not (not too long).
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 17:03 PDT
and any popular authors would surfise.
thank you.
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 17:55 PDT
i also wanted to say the more you find the better, and could you also
find out if market segmentation is the back bone of any other tasks in
a marketing plan?
so that i can say that market segmentation is vital in that way?
thank you.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
easterangel-ga
on
25 Aug 2004 19:52 PDT
Hi again!
After some searching, I think that the type of depth of information
you are looking for could be more appropriate from academic boooks in
marketing. Such books are cited on the Internet but basically the
information they provide are rather thin and would not be appropriate
for the price you are paying for.
I was able to find about 16 articles and I feel that none of them
would be very good material for your debate. Some snippets of the
articles might be useful but in the end the articles lack depth.
I will release this question now so that another researcher my take a shot at it.
Thanks again!
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 01:10 PDT
hi, anything that you can offer will be good, but i will drop the
price of the question, but i need something so please feel free to
answer it.
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 01:16 PDT
could you please tell me what would be a fair pricing for this question?
and i will gladly pay it.
Harry.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
easterangel-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 01:30 PDT
Hi!
I can provide you with snippets from the articles showing the benefits
of using market segmentation, it will comprise of 16 articles.
Probably it is better to low down the price based on my resources
above you can decide how much to lessen the price.
I will wait for your response. If you do want me to answer this... how
much time do I have? Can I have an extension just to make sure?
Thank You.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
easterangel-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 01:31 PDT
Suggested price will be $50 to $40.
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 02:47 PDT
you can have an extension to make sure.
but if you can also build a base of what segmentation is used for
aswell so that i can make a self conclusion aswell.
i'll give you a bit more time before i lower the price.
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 02:49 PDT
and applications of segmentation.
thank you.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
easterangel-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 03:08 PDT
I think the resources I found will cover the things you brought up in
your clarification as well especially some of the academic papers.
Do you want me to proceed? You can still adjust the price if you want.
Thanks!
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 05:06 PDT
what price do you think is fair for the information?
thank you.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
easterangel-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 05:10 PDT
I think it will be $50.
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 05:14 PDT
okay $50, but i cant modify it because you are answering the question.
harry.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
easterangel-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 05:18 PDT
ok released
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 05:38 PDT
done, thank you
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 05:42 PDT
and any background info on segmentation (if there is any) so who's
theory it is... and so forth, so anything like that will also be
useful.
thank you.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
easterangel-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 07:10 PDT
Hi!
I am putting this in the clarification section since I feel that in
the end my resources will not be a sure thing for your requirements.
The other articles I found were actually just a repetition of the main
documents. Since we have gone back and forth with this, I think you
deserve to see what I was able to find. The resources I found are
papers that have cited the different popular authors in making their
work.
Tell me if this information will be ok to post as an official answer.
Background: Market Segmentation
?While market diversification was a generic strategy for the 1980s,
market segmentation has become a predominant theme of the 1990s. Many
companies previously developing products for diverse markets have
found the resource implications unsustainable as consumer demand has
dwindled. This has led to greater emphasis on defining the
characteristics of accessible and financially viable consumer groups
in order to target the unique benefits of an existing product
portfolio and rationalize production and marketing costs in the
process. The nature of service sector products facilitates product and
market differentiation with enhanced opportunities for cost control
and productivity gains.?
Segmentation Techniques:
a. ?Geodemographic techniques (L&M pp 162-163, Butt pp125-127,) This
approach to segmentation combines a number of variables such as where
a customer lives, with home ownership, size of family, and so on.?
b. ?Benefit segmentation uses causal rather than descriptive variables
to group consumers. Different people buy the same or similar products
for different reasons.?
c. ?Psychographics and life style segmentation? Both attempt to
cluster consumers into groups depending upon common interests and
attitudes which will determine the way they spend their time and
money.?
d. ?Business - to -business market segmentation - (L&M pp168 - 172,
Cann pp208 - 217)
Substantial parts of the market for hospitality services are
represented by other businesses, or organizations for instance
conferences, seminars, incentive travel packages, air crew services
are all aimed at other businesses rather than consumer markets.?
?COMPONENT SM1.3/1 MODELLING SERVICE SECTOR CHARACTERISTICS
SERVICE SECTOR MARKET SEGMENTATION II?
http://apollo4.bournemouth.ac.uk/si/scalver/133segemnt.html
?Market segmentation is the segmentation of markets into homogenous
groups of customers, each of them reacting differently to promotion,
communication, pricing and other variables of the marketing mix.
Market segments should be formed in that way that differences between
buyers within each segment are as small as possible. Thus, every
segment can be addressed with an individually targeted marketing mix.?
?Why Segmentation?
://www.google.as/search?q=cache:sTnndpOVgfgJ:www.themanager.org/pdf/Segmentation.PDF+&hl=en
?The concept of market segmentation is based on the idea that large
markets are comprised of a number of subgroups. Each subgroup, or
segment, has different characteristics, such as demographics,
lifestyles, product requirements, or consumption habits, that could
benefit from different product features or marketing approaches.
Ultimately, these differences suggest that the greatest profitability
may be achieved by developing multiple strategies to address the
unique characteristics of each segment.?
2 basic approaches to segmenting user base:
1. ?A priori. A priori segmentation uses a hypothesis about the
marketplace to divide it into segments. This hypothesis is then tested
by conducting firsthand data analysis to determine if the segmentation
predicts differences in response to the marketing or product mix. A
priori segmentation is often based on personal intuition or
organizational experience, and frequently breaks up markets along
demographic, geographic, or behavioral lines.?
2. ?This approach allows the data to drive the discovery of consumer
characteristics predictive of response to the product or marketing
mix. Advanced analytical processes are applied to the dataset to
determine factors that predict key metrics of strategic interest
(e.g., likelihood of spending over $1,000 on a personal computer or
openness to trying a new brand).?
?Segmentation: Developing Target Markets?
http://sitecentric.com/handbook/Excerpts/chapter9.pdf
Crtieria for a Successful Segmentation:
?For a particular market segmentation solution to be effective and to
lead to profitable marketing strategies, six criteria need to be
satisfied: (1) identifiability, (2) substantiality, (3) accessibility,
(4) stability, (5) responsiveness and (6) actionability.
Identifiability refers to the extent that we can really identify
segments (e.g. how well does our solution look; can we see clear
differences between the segments; are the segments well separated,
etc.). Substantiality refers to size issue: are our identified
segments large enough to warrant separate marketing targeting.?
Segmentation Variables:
1. ?General observable variables.? ? Ex. Socio-economic variables.
2. ?Product-specific observable variables.? ? Ex. Brand loyalty
3. ?General unobservable variables.? ? Ex. Psycho-graphics
4. ?Product-specific unobservable variables.? ? Ex. Intentions
?Market Segmentation Analytical Developments and Application
Guidelines? by Marco Vriens, Ph.D.
http://www.intelliquest.com/resources/technical/MarketSegmentationOverview_MBIQ_June24.pdf
-----------------------------
Importance & Benefits of Market Segmentation:
1. ?The closer matching of a company?s products and capabilities with customers
needs (Smith 1956; Yankelovich 1964; Wind 1978; Mitchell 1996), and more
specifically, directing resources to the most potentially profitable segments
(Yankelovich 1964; Wind 1978).?
2. ?A greater understanding of how to most effectively communicate with
customers in the market (van Raaij and Verhallen 1994), including
quantifying the responses of segments already established (Yankelovich
1964).?
3. ?An insight into the first signs of behavioural changes of consumers
(Yankelovich 1964; Mitchell 1996), allowing for such things as product
repositioning (van Raaij and Verhallen 1994).?
4. ?The identification of new product/service opportunities from segments that
have not been previously exploited (van Raaij and Verhallen 1994; Mitchell
1996), although marketing research oriented toward this area has been limited
(Dickson and Ginter 1987).?
5. ?Improving strategy by not competing head on with larger organisations with
superior resources (Mitchell 1996).?
?SEGMENTATION: LINKING MANAGEMENT PRACTICE TO
MARKETING THEORY? by Cierpicki, Steve, Faulkner,Margaret and Rungie, Cam
http://130.195.95.71:8081/www/ANZMAC1998/Cd_rom/Cierpicki249.pdf
6. ?Efficient. More efficient use of marketing resources by focusing
on the best segments for your offering? product, price, promotion, and
place (distribution). Segmentation can help you avoid sending the
wrong message or sending your message to the wrong people.?
?Market Segmentation?
http://www.dssresearch.com/toolkit/resource/papers/SR01.asp
7. Higher profits ? ?It is often difficult to increase prices for the
whole market. Nevertheless, it is possible to develop premium segments
in which customers accept a higher price level. Such segments could be
distinguished from the mass market by features like additional
services, exclusive points of sale, product variations and the like. A
typical segment-based price variation is by region. The generally
higher price level in big cities is evidence for this.?
?Why Segmentation??
http://www.themanager.org/Marketing/Segmentation.htm
Here are some case studies I was able to find that can help you about
practical applications of market segmentation..
?Growing and Creating A New Market - The Irish Dairy Market The Danone Way?
http://www.business2000.ie/cases/cases_6th/case12.htm#05
??Celebrations? A Case Study ?It?s worth celebrating??
http://www.business2000.ie/cases/cases_7th/case25.htm
Additional Links:
?Market segmentation?
http://www.betterproductdesign.net/guide/market.htm
NetMBA: Market Segmentation
http://www.netmba.com/marketing/market/segmentation/
Learn Marketing
http://www.learnmarketing.net/segmentation.htm
?Market Segmentation for the Small Business?
http://marketing.about.com/cs/sbmarketing/a/smbizmrktseg.htm
?Mass Customization, One-to-One Marketing and Segmentation?
http://www.dmreview.com/article_sub.cfm?articleId=4490
Thanks again!
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 07:24 PDT
hi, everything that you have found for me so far is good. but i would
like some more on a topic that you foud: SEGMENTATION: LINKING
MANAGEMENT PRACTICE TO
MARKETING THEORY? by Cierpicki, Steve, Faulkner,Margaret and Rungie, Cam
http://130.195.95.71:8081/www/ANZMAC1998/Cd_rom/Cierpicki249.pdf
and if you can find anything of practicle uses of segmentation.
also with the web links can you please give me the name of author,
date published, and website main address, becuase i have to compile a
list of referances in the form of 'harvard referencing'
thank you, you have done a really good job!
|
Request for Question Clarification by
easterangel-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 08:27 PDT
Hi!
I'm glad I am on the right track. After looking further, this is the
only article I was able to find that resembles the article
"SEGMENTATION: LINKING
MANAGEMENT PRACTICE TO
MARKETING THEORY? by Cierpicki, Steve, Faulkner,Margaret and Rungie, Cam
"Market Segmentation Strategies of Multiproduct Firms"
http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/draganska/PDF_Files/multiproduct3.pdf
Sorry about that.
Is it ok now to post the resources I cited above as an answer and collect the fee?
Thanks!
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 13:06 PDT
yes it is ok to list it as an answer.
but can you please list the authors and publish dates aswell as the
website names of each of the paragraphs of info found.
Thank you. Harry
|
Clarification of Question by
harry_ss-ga
on
26 Aug 2004 15:03 PDT
please feel free to list the resource3s as an answer, you have done a
fantastic job and take credit for the work that you have done.
thank you for your help,
Harry.
|
