Marketing
This assignment must be completed in APA FORMAT. NO PLAGIARISM! This MUST be submitted to me by Saturday September 26, 2020 at 11:30am (CENTRAL TIME). THIS MUST BE SUBMITTED ON TIME! NO EXCEPTIONS!
Complete 2
1. Read the case Real Choices at Amazon beginning on page 88 (after chapter 6).Incorporate the following topics in an essay format in the order depicted below using at least 1200 words demonstrating an understanding of both the READ and ATTEND sections.Select at least three appropriately related scholarly sources from the online Bethel Library Database and the textbook to incorporate into your work.Follow APA format.Refer to the grading rubric for evaluation details.
Identification and discussion of two specific types of market research data and / or methods Amazon could utilize as they strategically plan their expansion in the online retail environment
Discussion of each element of the marketing mix specific to Amazon Prime
Discussion of one situational and one social influence that could sway the decision of a consumer to purchase an Amazon Prime membership
In 400 words discuss:
Define personal culture.
– Discuss your OWN personal culture.
– What are the core values of YOUR particular culture?
– Specifically, how do these core values affect your BEHAVIOR as a CONSUMER (in other words what do you purchase or not purchase due to your core values)?Generally, are your core values collectivist or individualistic, and why?
– Most importantly, what are the implications regarding cultures and core values for companies marketing products and services to consumers?
Be specific and provide EXAMPLES.Include scholarly research on core values as they relate to consumer behavior. Market Research
4.1 Explain the role of a marketing
information system and a
marketing decision support
system in marketing decision
making pp. 9499
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER p. 94
4.2 Understand the concept of
customer insights and the
role it plays in making good
marketing decisions p. 100
CUSTOMER INSIGHTS AND
MARKETING p. 100
4.3 List and explain the steps and
key elements of the market
research process pp. 100118
STEPS IN THE MARKET RESEARCH
PROCESS p. 100
Check out the Chapter 4 Study Map
What I do when Im not working:
When Im not spending time with my
husband and two kids, Im practicing yoga,
reading a book, or trying out a new recipe.
First job out of school:
Financial Analyst at The Vanguard Group
A job-related mistake I wish I hadnt
made:
Taking too long to launch a new product.
Perfection does not exist, but its easier to
get closer to what the consumer wants by
seeing them interact with it in real time
and tweaking as we go.
Business book Im reading now:
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel
Kahneman
My motto to live by:
Worry only about what you can control
What drives me:
Besides being a positive role model for my
kids, I have a constant need to understand
people to the point of knowing how to
make their lives better.
My management style:
Highly collaborative and action-oriented
Dont do this when interviewing
with me:
Tell vague stories about your past when
Im looking for clear examples of your
actions
My pet peeve:
People not being accountable for their
actions
PART TWO: Determine the Value Propositions
Different Customers Want
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Chapter 4
Meet Cindy Bean
A Decision Maker at Campbell Soup Company
Cindy Bean is manager of Consumer Insights at Campbell Soup Company. Since joining Campbell in 2010,
Cindy has spent most of her time leading Consumer Insights on one of two New Ventures teams responsible
for shaping and driving an enterprise-wide, innovation pipeline against identified areas of consumer need.
Cindys team is made up of cross-functional leaders who iteratively identify areas of exploration, and rapidly
prototype and validate ideas that result in solutions or new product opportunities. Cindy has been a part of
launching the successful Dinner Sauce line of products that includes Skillet Sauces, Slow Cooker Sauces,
Oven Sauces, and most recently Grill Sauces.
Prior to Campbell, Cindy worked in a variety of industries, managing a variety of businesses. Cindy
worked as a Qualitative Research Consultant, achieving her moderating certification. She synthesized and interpreted sales and market share
data, competitive intelligence, syndicated research, current industry conditions, and other relevant information to deliver the monthly state of
the vision care business to Johnson & Johnsons Vistakon executives (J&Js Vision Care Division). She improved marketing effectiveness for Wyeth
Pharmaceuticals (now Pfizer) Womens Health Care products by planning, designing, and managing a portfolio-wide consumer segmentation
study and led the insights for the anti-depressant drug, Pristiq. She led research activities for McNeil Consumer Healthcares Tylenol pediatrics,
upper respiratory, and the Sleep franchise (Tylenol PM and Simply Sleep). And, she managed research functions within The Vanguard Groups
Institutional business, including company 401(k) and 403(b) plans.
Cindy holds a bachelors degree from Drexel University and an MBA from Pennsylvania State University.
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Real People, Real Choices
Heres my problem
A few years ago, Campbell set out on a mission to grow
an otherwise stagnant soup business. Canned soup still
is popular among Baby Boomers. However, younger consumers just arent as
interested. They turn to alternatives like microwaveable and mini meals (such
as pizza and tacos). Campbell realized its core business is at risk if the com-
pany cant come up with products to entice the emerging group of millennial
consumers who are between the ages of 18 and 34. These customers are 25
percent of the U.S. population, or approximately 80 million people. They spend
a lot of money on food, but very little of it on soup.
To understand what makes millennials tick, Campbell went through a
deep immersion. We scrutinized millennials culture and habits to learn what
kind of soups appeal to them. I lead a cross-functional innovation team that
conducted dozens of extensive face-to-face in-depth interactions with young
consumers, both one-on-one and in groups. We ate meals with young people
in their homes, checked out their pantries, and tagged along with them on
shopping trips to the supermarket.
After that immersion, the team listed all the pain points millennials
associated with canned soup. For example, they told us they think these
products are too processed and they taste bland, homogeneous, and unex-
citing. Another common complaint was the lack of healthy ingredients these
consumers look for, such as quinoa and on-trend veggies like kale. We found
this group includes flexitarians, that is, they eat vegetarian for a few days
and then eat meat on the weekends, special occasions, to satisfy a craving, etc.
They tend to care about sustainability, local sourcing, and company practices.
As a result of these insights, we then created concepts and prototypes to
test our potential solutions for the pain points we identified. We continued to
put these ideas in front of a series of focus groups as we fine-tuned our solu-
tions based on the feedback we got from actual millennials.
This process gave us some great insights about what we could do to
boost our appeal to millennials. One no-brainer was to change the packaging
from a can to a pouch; our respondents told us that a pouch communicates a
fresher ingredients message. And, we knew the flavor profile of the soup had
to be bolder than the varieties that Baby Boomers are used to. We ultimately
aligned on the following as our guardrails to create this new product platform:
$ Young adults looking for satisfying, easy meals for one
$ Satisfies demanding tastes for a more flavorful life
$ Always delivers of-the-moment flavors and packaging from a trusted
brand
However, given Campbells current portfolio of soups, we needed to posi-
tion this millennial-focused platform differently from existing products we al-
ready sold under the Campbells name. Specifically, most of the ideas we tested
overlapped with Campbells Slow Kettle brand. The Slow Kettle brand was cre-
ated to bring Campbells into the packaged premium soup category. Because
consumers were becoming more interested in the rich, complex flavors they
enjoy from restaurant soups, we saw an opportunity to bring that experience
home. Our culinary team created Slow Kettle to bring a prepared with care
feeling even though it still comes from the supermarket soup aisle. The flavors
are familiar, they are hearty and filling, the quality is better than other canned
soups, and the package is meant to convey homemade (it comes in a tub, like
Tupperware). The brand skews toward higher-income millennials. Because the
price point is at a premium for the category, $3.25, it represents a small but
interesting opportunity for Campbell.
Clearly we would need to do more work to figure out the best way to
create a new offering that would grab millennials attention, make it clear that
this is not your fathers soup, but at the same time avoid confusion with the
Slow Kettle brand.
Improve Your Grade!
Over 10 million students improved their results using the Pearson MyLabs.
Visit mymktlab.com for simulations, tutorials, and end-of-chapter problems.
MyMarketingLab
See what option Cindy chose in MyMarketingLab
You Choose
Which Option would you choose, and why?
Option 1 Option 2 Option 3
Campbells Slow Kettle and Go brands.
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94 PART TWO | DETERMINE THE VALUE PROPOSITIONS DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS WANT
Cindy considered her Options 1 2 3
Option
Carve out a new space within the soup portfolio for this millennial-driven
soup offering. We would have to demonstrate that the new offering serves a unique need
for prepared soup that is not already available in Campbells other brands. This strategy would
give us an opportunity to build a new brand from scratch entirely based on millennials needs.
The brand could include soups but also possibly other food products such as mini-meals and
hearty on-the-go snacks, positioned to meet the needs of the millennial. This new product line would be so
distinct that we wouldnt have to worry about cannibalizing sales from other parts of our portfolio, especially
Slow Kettle. However, its expensive and risky to build a brand. We would have to commit to at least a three-
year investment to build awareness and encourage trial. Because we do offer somewhat similar products like
Slow Kettle, if we fail to create a really tight message to set apart the new brand we might shoot ourselves in
the foot by injecting some confusion into the marketplace.
Option
Reposition an existing brand to be the face of the millennial portfolio.
Our Slow Kettle Brand already has many elements that could meet the needs of these young
consumers. With a few tweaks, we could probably transform it into the kind of product that
would resonate with this target market. This approach would involve less investment than
building an entirely new brand, and we already have the internal manufacturing capability to
turn out these soups. On the other hand, we could commit the cardinal sin when marketing to millennials:
offer a product they perceive as inauthentic. Because the Slow Kettle brand has already been on the mar-
ket, these savvy young consumers might decide that a few tweaks to an existing offering doesnt really
speak to them. Millennials run from products they view as fake faster than soup boils on a hot stove.
Option
Dont take the risk, and stick with our existing solutions. Investing in a unique
millennial product might be just too costly and time-consuming, and its possible that a new
solution wouldnt deliver enough return on investment to justify our efforts. This conservative
solution would allow us to focus our resources on maintaining our solid (though stagnant)
base business. We could ramp up our advertising to appeal to the nostalgia of the familiar
Campbell brand, because millennials sometimes do respond well to this kind of appeal. On the other hand,
if this stay-the-course strategy backfires we risk becoming irrelevant to an entire generation of new con-
sumers. In that event we would continue to experience a decline in our bottom line as an aging group of
loyal consumers eventually died off. And, if competitors eventually enter the millennial space we might be
forced to sit on the sidelines as they capture this valuable target. We know that most consumer packaged
goods (CPG) companies are taking similar steps to satisfy this new generation. Many traditional brands are
transitioning to natural colors, removing artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup, and in some
cases moving toward a non-GMO label to address consumers concerns about genetically modified food.
Theres no doubt that changes are coming.
Now, put yourself in Cindys shoes. Which option would you choose, and why?
Chapter 4
Knowledge Is Power
By now we know that successful market planning means that managers
make informed decisions to guide the organization. But how do mar-
keters actually make these choices? Specifically, how do they find out
what they need to know to develop marketing objectives, select a target
market, position (or reposition) their product, and develop product,
price, promotion, and place strategies?
The answer is (drumroll . . . ): information. Information is the fuel
that runs the marketing engine. Theres a famous acronym in the
marketing information systems field: GIGO, which stands for Garbage
In, Garbage Out. To make good decisions, marketers must have infor-
mation that is not garbagerather, it must be accurate, up to date,
and relevant. To understand these needs, marketers first must engage in various forms of
research and data collection to identify them.
4.1
OBJECTIVE
Explain the role of a
marketing informa-
tion system and a
marketing decision
support system in
marketing decision
making.
(pp. 9499)
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Marketing: Real People, Real Choices, Ninth Edition, by Michael R. Solomon, Greg W. Marshall, and Elnora W. Stuart. Published by Pearson.
Copyright 2018 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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CHAPTER 4 | MARKET RESEARCH 95
In this chapter, we will discuss some of the tools that marketers use to get that in-
formation. Then in Chapter 5, well drill down further on applying market research for
decision making via marketing analytics. In the chapters that follow, we will look closely
at how and why both consumers and organizations buy, and then how marketers sharpen
their focus via target marketing.
Before we jump into the topic of market research, heres a question for you. A marketer
who conducts research to learn more about his customers shouldnt encounter any ethical
challenges, right? Well, maybe in a perfect world. In reality though, several aspects of mar-
ket research are fraught with the potential for ethics breaches. Market research ethics refers
to taking an ethical and aboveboard approach to conducting market research that does no
harm to the participant in the process of conducting the research.
When the organization collects data, important issues of privacy and confidential-
ity come into play. Marketers must be clear when they work with research respondents
about how they will use the data and give respondents full disclosure on their options
for confidentiality and anonymity. For example, it is unethical to collect data under the
guise of market research when your real intent is to develop a database of potential cus-
tomers for direct marketing. A database is an organized collection (often electronic) of
data that can be searched and queried to provide information about contacts, products,
customers, inventory, and more. Firms that abuse the trust of respondents run a serious
risk of damaging their reputation when word gets out that they are engaged in unethical
research practices. This makes it difficult to attract participants in future research proj-
ectsand it poisons the well for other companies when consumers believe that they
cant trust them.
The Marketing Information System
Many firms use a marketing information system (MIS) to collect information. The MIS is
a process that first determines what information marketing managers need. Then it gath-
ers, sorts, analyzes, stores, and distributes relevant and timely marketing information to
users. As shown in Figure 4.1, the MIS system includes three important components:
1. Four types of data (internal company data, market intelligence, market research, and
acquired databases)
2. Computer hardware and software to analyze the data and to create reports
3. Output for marketing decision makers
Various sources feed the MIS with data, and then the
systems software digests it. MIS analysts use the output
to generate a series of regular reports for various decision
makers.
Lets take a closer look at each of the four different data
sources for the MIS.
Internal Company Data
The internal company data system uses information from
within the organization to produce reports on the results
of sales and marketing activities. Internal company data
include a firms sales recordsinformation such as which
customers buy which products in what quantities and at
what intervals, which items are in stock and which are
back-ordered because they are out of stock, when items
were shipped to the customer, and which items have been
returned because they are defective.
market research ethics
Taking an ethical and aboveboard approach to
conducting market research that does no harm
to the participant in the process of conducting
the research.
database
An organized collection (often electronic) of
data that can be searched and queried to
provide information about contacts, products,
customers, inventory, and more.
marketing information system (MIS)
A process that first determines what information
marketing managers need and then gathers,
sorts, analyzes, stores, and distributes relevant
and timely marketing information to system
users.
Information for
Marketing Decisions
Marketing
Intelligence
Marketing
Research
Acquired
Databases
Computer Hardware
and Software
Internal
Company
Data
Figure 4.1 Process | The Marketing Information System
A firms marketing information system (MIS) stores and analyzes data from a
variety of sources and turns the data into information for useful marketing
decision making.
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96 PART TWO | DETERMINE THE VALUE PROPOSITIONS DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS WANT
Often, an MIS allows salespeople and sales managers in the field to access internal re-
cords through a company intranet. This is an internal corporate communications network
that uses Internet technology to link company departments, employees, and databases.
Intranets are secured so that only authorized employees have access. When salespeople and
sales managers in the field can use an intranet to access their companys MIS, they can better
serve their customers because they have immediate access to information on pricing, inven-
tory levels, production schedules, shipping dates, and the customers sales history. Related
to the company intranet concept is the concept of customer relationship management (CRM),
which well develop more fully in Chapter 5.
Marketing managers at company headquarters also can see daily or weekly sales data
by brand or product line from the internal company data system. They can view monthly
sales reports to measure progress toward sales goals and market share objectives. For ex-
ample, buyers and managers at Walmarts headquarters in Arkansas use up-to-the-minute
sales information they obtain from store cash registers around the country so they can
quickly detect problems with products, promotions, price competitiveness, and even the
firms distribution system.
Market Intelligence
As we saw in Chapter 2, to make good decisions, marketers need to have information
about the marketing environment. Thus, a second important element of the MIS is the
market intelligence system, a method by which marketers get information about whats
going on in the world that is relevant to their business. Although the name intelligence may
suggest cloak-and-dagger spy activities, in reality nearly all the information that compa-
nies need about their environmentincluding the competitive environmentis available
by monitoring everyday sources: company websites, industry trade publications, or direct
field observations of the competitive marketplace.
And because salespeople are the ones in the trenches every day, talking with cus-
tomers, distributors, and prospective customers, they are a key to sourcing this valuable
information. Retailers often hire mystery shoppers to visit their stores and those of
their competitors posing as customers to see how people are treated. (Imagine being paid
to shop!) Other information may come from speaking with organizational buyers about
competing products, attending trade shows, or simply purchasing, using, and even reverse
engineering competitors products, which means physically deconstructing the product to
determine how its put together.
Marketing managers may use market intelligence data to predict fluctuations in sales
as a result of a variety of external environmental factors you read about in Chapter 2,
including economic conditions, political issues, and events that heighten consumer
awareness, or to forecast the future so that they will be on top of developing trends.
Television networks have observed how consumers increasingly binge-watch shows
through platforms such as Netflix, and as a result have begun to offer their shows in
ways that appeal to the changing preferences and expectations of consumers when
they watch. For instance, TBS premiered all of the episodes for its comedic series
Angie Tribeca in a single 25-hour event that they labeled a binge-a-thon. The strategy
worked to attract tons of young viewers; one-third of the audience was totally new
toTBS!1
Market Research
Market research refers to the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data about
customers, competitors, and the business environment to improve marketing effectiveness.
(Note that the term marketing research is often used interchangeably with market research, but
to be precise marketing research is broader in scope and often refers to the type of research
intranet
An internal corporate communication network
that uses Internet technology to link company
departments, employees, and databases.
market intelligence system
A method by which marketers get information
about whats going on in the world that is
relevant to their business.
reverse engineering
The process of physically deconstructing a
competitors product to determine how its put
together.
market research
The process of collecting, analyzing, and
interpreting data about customers, competitors,
and the business environment in order to
improve marketing effectiveness.
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CHAPTER 4 | MARKET RESEARCH 97
that academics in marketing conduct about the field, whereas market research refers to
the type of research that marketing professionals conduct about markets and consum-
ers.) Although companies collect market intelligence data continuously to keep managers
abreast of happenings in the marketplace, market research also is called for when manag-
ers need unique information to help them make specific decisions. Whether their business
is selling cool fashion accessories to teens or industrial coolant to factories, firms succeed
when they know what customers want, when they want it, where they want itand what
competing firms are doing about it. In other words, the better a firm is at obtaining valid
market information, the more successful it will be. Therefore, virtually all companies rely
on some form of market research, though the amount and type of research they conduct
varies dramatically. In general, market research data available in an MIS come in two fla-
vors: syndicated research reports and custom research reports.
Syndicated research is general information specialized firms collect on a regular basis
and then sell to other firms. INC/The QScores Company, for instance, reports on consum-
ers perceptions of more than 1,800 celebrity performers for companies that want to fea-
ture a well-known person in their advertising. The company also rates consumer appeal
of cartoon characters, sports stars, and even deceased celebrities.2 Comedian Bill Cosby
holds the record for the highest QScore ever recorded. Unfortunately, in light of recent
criminal allegations and the related onslaught of negative media attention, the previously
beloved comedians QScore dropped into oblivion, possibly the greatest QScore change in
history.3 Other examples of syndicated research reports include Nielsens TV ratings and
Nielsen Audios (formerly Arbitrons) radio ratings. Experian Simmons Market Research
Bureau and GfK Mediamark Research & Intelligence are two syndicated research firms
that combine information about consumers buying behavior and their media usage with
geographic and demographic characteristics.
As valuable as it may be, syndicated research doesnt provide all the answers to
marketing questions because the information it collects typically is broad but shallow.
For example, it gives good insights about general trends, such as who is watching what
TV shows or what brand of perfume is hot this year. In contrast, a firm conducts custom
research to provide answers to specific questions. This kind of research is especially help-
ful for firms when they need to know more about why certain trends have surfaced.
Some firms maintain an in-house research department that conducts studies on
its behalf. Many firms, however, hire outside research companies that specialize in de-
signing and conducting projects based on the needs of the client. Hint: This is a great
career path if you love solving puzzles and getting into the weeds about what makes
consumers tick! These custom research reports are another kind of information an MIS
includes. Marketers may use market research to identify opportunities for new products,
to promote existing ones, or to provide data about the quality of their products, who uses
them, and how.
Acquired Databases
A large amount of information that can be useful in marketing decision making is
available in the form of external databases. Firms may acquire these databases from
any number of sources. For example, some companies are willing to sell their cus-
tomer database to noncompeting firms. Government databases, including the massive
amounts of economic and demographic information the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of
Labor Statistics, and other agencies collect, are available at little or no cost. State and
local governments may make information such as automobile license data available
fora fee.
In recent years, the use of databases for marketing purposes has come under in-
creased government scrutiny because some consumer advocates are quite concerned
syndicated research
Research by firms that collect data on a regular
basis and sell the reports to multiple firms.
custom research
Research conducted for a single firm to provide
specific information its managers need.
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98 PART TWO | DETERMINE THE VALUE PROPOSITIONS DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS WANT
about the potential invasion of privacy these may cause. Using the data
to analyze overall consumer trends is one thingusing it for outbound
direct mailings and unsolicited phone calls and e-mails has evoked a
backlash resulting in a tidal wave of do-not-call lists and anti-spam
laws. Maybe you have noticed that when you sign up for most anything
online that requires your contact information, you receive an invitation
to opt out of receiving promotional mailings from the company or
from others who may acquire your contact information from the organi-
zation later. By law, if you decide to opt out, companies cannot use your
information for marketing purposes.
Well further develop the overall issue of database usage by mar-
keters in the context of the popular phrase Big Data in Chapter 5. For
now, just know that its a good bet that every website or mobile link you
searchand maybe even every tweet or Facebook message you post to-
daywill wind up in a marketers database.
Marketing Decision Support System
As we have seen, a firms MIS generates regular reports for decision makers
on what is going on in the internal and external environment. But sometimes
these reports alone are inadequate. Different managers may want different
information, and in some cases the problem they must address is too vague
or unusual for the MIS process to easily answer. As a result, many firms beef
up their MIS with a marketing decision support system (MDSS). Figure
4.2 shows the elements of an MDSS. An MDSS includes analysis and inter-
active software that allows marketing managers, even those who are not
computer experts, to access MIS data and conduct their own analyses, often
within the context of the company intranet.
A few years ago MasterCard developed an application of an MDSS
it called the Conversation Suite. This product offered marketers
Information
Needed for
Decision Making
Marketing Manager/
Decision Maker
Interactive
Software
Statistical and
Modeling Software
MIS Data
Figure 4.2 Process | The MDSS
Although an MIS provides many reports managers need for decision making, it doesnt answer
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to the MIS that makes it easy for marketing managers to access the MIS system and find answers
to their questions.
marketing decision support system
(MDSS)
The data, analysis software, and interactive
software that allow managers to conduct
analyses and find the information they need.
Sophisticated companies like Harrahs closely track what people do in venues
like Las Vegas. If the data show that some of the companys clientele favor one
property over another, one form of gaming over another, or even one type of
show over another, those customers will receive promotional materials tailored
to their specific preferences. Slot players are notified of slot tournaments, while
fans of magic shows get a heads up when Lance Burton is scheduled to appear.
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CHAPTER 4 | MARKET RESEARCH 99
a single, intensive source of data and insights
to further inform decisions about allocating a
firms massive global advertising budget. The
Conversation Suite includes features such as a 40-
foot display showcasing variou
