Marketing mix Flashcards
Product
- anything that is capable of satisfying customer needs, needs to exist for other elements of marketing mix to take place
Design mix (3)
- Aesthetics
- Function
- Cost
Function
- the way the product works, does it do what it needs to do? Is the product reliable?
Aesthetics
-does the product appeal to the customers, usually subjective, the way it looks and feels, is a popular way to differentiate a product from competitors
Cost
-does the design allow the product to be produced and sold profitably, how much value is added during the production process
Invention
-coming up with something completely new
Innovation
-adapting a product
Imitation
-‘copying’ another idea
Features of product that emphasise aesthetics (5)
- High added value
- Demand fuelled by customer aspirations
- Potentially shorter product life cycle
- Attract imitation, so there is no need for design protection
- Need for greater promotional support
Features of products that emphasise function (5)
- Demand is more stable and predictable
- Longer product life cycle
- Lower promotional costs
- Reputation for quality based on reliability
- Economic to manufacture, due to low average costs based on high production
Product life cycle
- theoretical model which describes the stages a product goes over its life
4 stages of product life cycle
- Introduction
- Growth
- Maturity
- Decline or extension
Introduction (6)
- High costs such as market research
- Low sales
- Negative cash-flow
- Small scale distribution
- High promotional spending
- High price (price skimming) or low price (price penetration)
Growth (6)
- Expanding market
- Fast growing sales
- Cash-flow may become positive
- Market growth, profit rise - attracts competitors
- Wider distribution
- Advertising
Maturity (7)
- Slower sales growth
- Intense competition
- Strong positive cash-flow
- High profits for those with high market share
- Advertising to remind that product exists
- Promotion focused on product differentiation
- Weaker competitors start to leave the market
Decline (7)
- Falling sales
- Weak cash-flow
- Decreasing profit
- Competitors leave the market
- Market saturation
- Remaining products might be sold at reduced prices
- Product could be withdrawn from production
Reasons for decline (4)
- Technological advance
- Changes in consumer taste/behaviour
- Increased competition
- Failure to innovate and develop the product
Extension strategies (5)
- Advertising
- Price reduction
- Adding value
- Explore new/different markets
- New packaging
Price
- the amount of money that customer pays for the product
Price skimming
- increase price as high as possible and then gradually lower it down to market average
Price penetration
- offering a product at low price to gain consumers attention
Cost plus pricing
- fixed percentage is added on top of the cost it takes to produce one unit of product
Promotional pricing
- temporarily lowering prices to increase sales/demand for the product
Price skimming advantages (3)
- Potential for high profits, which can help to pay for market research and development costs
- Product may get a reputation for quality, encouraging brand loyalty
- Additional profits made can be invested