Marketing II Chapter 3: Analyzing the Marketing Environment

Marketing Environment Companies must constantly watch and manage the marketing environment to seek opportunities and ward off threats. The marketing environment consists of: all the actors and forces influencing the company’s ability to transact business effectively with its target market.

Environmental Forces - that affect the company’s ability to serve customers The company’s microenvironment consists of actors close to the company that combine to form its value delivery network or that affect its ability to serve its customers. It includes the company’s internal environment—its several departments and management levels—as it influences marketing decision making.

Marketing Channel Firms Suppliers, marketing intermediaries, physical distribution firms, marketing services agencies, and financial intermediaries. Cooperate to create customer value. Competitors Vie with the company in an effort to serve customers better. Various publics have an actual or potential interest in or impact on the company’s ability to meet its objectives.

Five types of customer markets exist: Consumer Business Reseller Government International markets

Microenvironment Consists of larger societal forces that affect the entire microenvironment. The six forces making up the company’s microenvironment: Demographic Economic Natural Technological Political/social Cultural forces These forces shape opportunities and pose threats to the company.

Demographic Environments Demography is the study of the characteristics of human populations. Today’s demographic environment shows: a changing age structure shifting family profiles geographic population shifts a better-educated and more white-collar population increasing diversity

Baby Boomers The 78 million people born during the years following World War II and lasting until Born between 1946 – 1964 Over the years baby boomers have been one of the most powerful forces shaping the marketing environment. Youngest in their mid-forties; oldest in their sixties and entering retirement. Maturing boomers are rethinking the purpose and value of their work, responsibilities and relationships. Great Recession hit baby boomers hard and now spend more carefully and plan to work longer.

Generation X The 49 million people born between 1965 – 1976 in the “birth dearth” following the baby boom. Considerably smaller than the boomer generation. Seek Success, they are less materialistic than the other groups. They prize experience, not acquisition. Family comes first, career second. More skeptical. They tend to research products before they consider a purchase Prefer quality to quantity. Tend to be less receptive to overt marketing pitches.

Millennials (Generation Y) The 83 million children of the baby boomers born between Echo boomers. Most financially strapped generation. Facing higher unemployment and saddled with more debt. Near-empty piggy banks. Make up a huge and attractive market, both now and in the future. Utter fluency and comfort with digital technology – it’s a way of life. Seek out information and engage in two-way brand conversations.

Economic Environments The economic environment consists of factors that affect buying power and patterns. The economic environment is characterized by more frugal consumers who are seeking greater value—the right combination of good quality and service at a fair price. The distribution of income also is shifting. The rich have grown richer, the middle class has shrunk, and the poor have remained poor, leading to a two-tiered market.

Major Trends The natural environment shows three major trends: Shortages of certain raw materials Higher pollution levels More government intervention in natural resources management Environmental concerns create marketing opportunities for alert companies. What is Environmental Sustainability?

Technological Environments The technological environment creates both opportunities and challenges. Companies that fail to keep up with technological change will miss out on new product and marketing opportunities.

Key changes in the Political Environments The political environment consists of laws, agencies, and groups that influence or limit marketing actions. The political environment has undergone changes that affect marketing worldwide: Increasing legislation regulating business Strong government agency enforcement Greater emphasis on ethics and socially responsible actions

Key Changes in the Cultural Environments The cultural environment consists of institutions and forces that affect a society’s values, perceptions, preferences, and behaviors. The environment shows trends toward: mass mingling a lessening trust of institutions increasing patriotism greater appreciation for nature a changing spiritualism the search for more meaningful and enduring values.

How Companies Can React Companies can passively accept the marketing environment as an uncontrollable element to which they must adapt, avoiding threats and taking advantage of opportunities as they arise. Or they can take a proactive stance, working to change the environment rather than simply reacting to it. Whenever possible, companies should try to be proactive rather than reactive.