Discussion Questions for Paula Hog

Marketing has often been defined in terms of satisfying customers’ needs and wants. Critics, however, maintain that marketing goes beyond that and creates needs and wants that did not exist before. They feel marketers encourage consumers to spend more money than they should on goods and services they do not really need. With a minimum of 200 words; What is your understanding of the role of marketing and the marketing management process?

Compare Complete the “Think About It” activity in Section 1.2 of the text: 

Select a consumer product of personal interest—one that you have purchased within the past six months. It can be anything, just as long you are familiar with the product and generally understand how it is marketed. Using the matrix model of marketing management in Table 1.2, fill in the cells of the matrix as completely and thoroughly as you can for the brand that you purchased. Be sure that your entries correspond to your perspective as a customer for this brand. In short, you are the target market. You may wish to create one or more positioning maps to help illustrate how you perceive the competitive playing field. Once you’re done, examine the intersection of each cell. 

1. How do the elements of the marketing mix align with the four strategy categories in the left-hand column?
2. Does every one of the 4 P’s contribute to each of the strategic objectives established in the left-hand column?
3. Do you see room for improvement? How would this assessment be different for other types of customers?

The typical buying process consists of the following sequence of events: problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post purchase behavior. What specifically do you do as a consumer in each of these stages in a high involvement purchase like buying a house or a car? List the four main psychological processes as discussed in the text and what should marketers do to manage these four psychological processes affecting consumer behavior?

Visit GE Healthcare  (http://www3.gehealthcare.com/en). In context to the major points of chapter 5, define how GE is addressing the needs of their hospital customers by the design of this Web site? Where and what is GE doing right, what is GE doing wrong, and where can GE improve using marketing research? In context of chapter 3, where can GE improve using marketing research?

After reading the article “Conservative Nordstrom to sell trendy Topshop fashions,” respond to the following: 

• How does this partnership fit into Nordstrom’s current brand management strategy? Will it appeal to its target markets? How will it allow Nordstrom to differentiate itself from the competition?
• Is this a risky move for Nordstrom considering the downward sales trends for Topshop in the UK? 

 What are the different levels of market segmentation? Synthesize the segmentation strategies that manufacturers of personal computers should implement to attract both the Gen Y and baby boomer generation to increase their purchases of computers. Are there some examples of companies that have already done a good job of marketing across generations?