The Marketing Environment Week

Competition Suppliers Intermediaries Marketing Environment Demographics Social Change Social Change Economic Conditions Economic Conditions Political & Legal Factors Political & Legal Factors Technology Target Market Internal Environment Internal Environment External-Macro Environment is not controllable Ever-ChangingMarketplace Micro Environment is not totally controllable EnvironmentalScanning

Marketing Environment zMarketing Environment- consists of the actors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing management’s ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with its target customers. zIncludes: yMicroenvironment - forces close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers. yMacroenvironment - larger societal forces that affect the microenvironment.

The Company’s Microenvironment zCompany’s Internal Environment- functional areas inside a company that have an impact on the marketing department’s plans.Company’s Internal Environment- zSuppliers - provide the resources needed to produce goods and services and are an important link in the “value delivery system”.Suppliers“value delivery system”. zMarketing Intermediaries - help the company to promote, sell, and distribute its goods to final buyers. i.e. resellers.

Company’s Internal Environment

The Company’s Microenvironment zCompetitors - those who serve a target market with similar products and services against whom a company must gain strategic advantage.Competitors zPublics - any group that perceives itself having an interest in a company’s ability to achieve its objectives.Publics

Competition Story WeyerhaeuserWeyerhaeuser’s Personal Care Products Division launched Ultrasofts in early It used Wegman’s Food Markets chain as its distributor. Much fanfare and major advertising accompanied the product launch; 50,000 customers received promotional discounts. The product was technically superior to Pampers and Huggies, the leading U.S. premium brands. The diaper had extra cushy waistbands and cuffs to prevent leakage. It was softer than competitive products because it had a cloth-like covering instead of the plastic covering typical of competitive products. Its super- absorbent pulp material woven into the pad kept babies drier than did other diaper brands. Ultrasofts cost $8.39 for a package of thirty-two diapers, about $1.60 less than competing brands. Pilot tests in the market showed that parents preferred Ultrasofts two-to-one over leading brands.PampersHuggies Despite these technological advantages and consumer support, Ultrasofts failed. Weyerhaeuser’s competitive strategy was simply deficient in dealing with the fierce competition in the diaper industry. Weyerhaeuser did not have good estimates of demand for the product and market share distributions. Its strategy of supplying through a regional distributor limited its demand. Suppliers of lining materials did not want to enter into long-term contracts for small quantities. Weyerhaeuser’s own production plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was too small for large-scale production, which prevented the company from exploiting economies of scale. Weyerhaeuser also underestimated the fight for shelf space in the fiercely competitive retailing industry. Within six months of launching Ultrasofts, the company raised prices by 22% to cover extra manufacturing costs. It also cut back on promotions. Simultaneously, Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark – big national competitors – responded to Weyerhaeuser’s entry into the market by aggressively promoting their own brands. They gave special price discounts to retailers and customers. Retailers became reluctant to give shelf space to Ultrasofts. Customers switched to lower- priced alternatives. Within a year of launching Ultrasofts, Weyerhaeuser withdrew it from the market and sustained a large, unspecified loss.Procter & GambleKimberly-Clark

Exhibit 2.9a: Perceptual Map Comparing Variety and Service

Types of Publics Company Citizen Action Publics Local Publics General Public Internal Publics Government Publics Media Publics Financial Publics

Major Forces in the Company’s Macroenvironment

The Company’s Macroenvironment zCustomers - five types of markets that purchase a company’s goods and services.Customers zDemographic - studies populations in terms of size, density, location, age, gender, race, occupation and other statistics.Demographic zEconomic - factors that affect consumer purchasing power and spending patterns. zNatural - natural resources needed as inputs by marketers or that are affected by marketing activities.

Types of Customer Markets Government Markets International Markets Reseller Markets Business Markets Consumer Markets Company back

Key U.S. Demographic Trends Changing Age Structure Population is aging; many divisions Changing American Family Later marriage, fewer children, working women, and nontraditional households Geographic Shifts Moving to the Sunbelt, suburbs, “micropolitan areas” Better-Educated & More White-Collar Increased college attendance and white-collar workers Increasing Diversity 72% Caucasian, 13% African-American, 11% Hispanic & 3% Asian back

Age Distribution of the U.S. Population (78 million people born ) One of the most powerful forces shaping the marketing environment, 30% of population (45 million people born ) More skeptical, cynical of frivolous marketing pitches promising easy success (72 million people born ) Fluent and comfortable with computer, digital, and Internet technology (Net-Gens)

GEN Y vs GEN X

GEN Y : Talk to them, Possible? How zWould you segment your market using generations (GEN Y, GEN X, Baby boomers) if you were in the soft drink market? Why ? zWho would you target and why? zLet’s compare Coke and Pepsi. According to you who is the best in terms of reaching the generation Y? What about other products?

Generation Y

Honda Element Analysis

Economic Development Economic Development Changes in Income: Value Marketing Changes in Income: Value Marketing Changing Consumer Spending Patterns Changing Consumer Spending Patterns Key Economic Concerns for Marketers Key Economic Concerns for Marketers Economic Environment

Natural Environment Factors Affecting the Natural Environment Shortages of Raw Materials Increased Pollution Governmental Intervention Environmentally Sustainable Strategies

The Company’s Macroenvironment zTechnological - forces that create new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities. zPolitical - laws, agencies and pressure groups that influence and limit organizations and individuals in a given society. zCultural - institutions and other forces that affect a society’s basic values, perceptions, preferences, and behaviors.

Technological Environment zFaster pace of technological change; products are outdated at a rapid pace. zAlmost unlimited opportunities being developed daily in health care, space industry, robotics, and bio-genetic field. zChallenge is not only technical, but also commercial – make practical, affordable versions of products. zIncreased regulation concerning product safety, individual privacy, and other areas that affect technological changes.

Increasing Legislation Increasing Legislation Changing Government Agency Enforcement Changing Government Agency Enforcement Includes Laws, Government Agencies, Etc. that Influence & Limit Organizations/ Individuals in a Given Society Includes Laws, Government Agencies, Etc. that Influence & Limit Organizations/ Individuals in a Given Society Increased Emphasis on Ethics & Socially Responsible Actions Increased Emphasis on Ethics & Socially Responsible Actions Political Environment

Cultural Environment People’s View of Organizations People’s View of Organizations People’s View of Nature People’s View of Nature People’s View of Themselves People’s View of Themselves People’s View of Society People’s View of Society People’s View of the Universe People’s View of the Universe People’s View of Others People’s View of Others Cultural Values of a Society Cultural Values of a Society

Responding to the Marketing Environment zEnvironmental Management Perspective xTaking a proactive approach to managing the microenvironment and the macroenvironment by taking aggressive (rather than passive) actions to affect the publics and forces in the marketing environment. xHow? Hire lobbyists, run “advertorials”, press law suits, file complaints, and form agreements.

WAL-MART CASE WAL-MART CASE