marketing strategy

 
APPLICATION EXERCISE
Understanding the differences among the various marketing management philosophies is the starting point for understanding the fundamentals of marketing. You may be convinced that the market orientation is the most appealing philosophy and the one best suited to creating a competitive advantage. Not all companies, however, use the market orientation. And even companies that follow it may not execute well in all areas.

Activities
1. Visit your local grocery store and go through the cereal, snack-food, and dental hygiene aisles. Go up and down each aisle slowly, noticing how many different products are available and how they are organized on the shelves.
2. Count the varieties of product in each product category. For example, how many different kinds of cereal are on the shelves? How many different sizes? Do the same for snack food and toothpaste.
3. Now try to find a type of product in the grocery store that does not exhibit such variety. There may not be many. Why do you think there are enough kinds of cereals to fill an entire aisle (and then some), but only a few different types of, say, peanut butter? Can this difference be explained in terms of marketing management philosophy (peanut butter manufacturers do not follow the marketing concept) or by something else entirely?
Assignment
In a paper of not less than 5 pages:

1. (20 points) Evaluate the range of products and product categories and draw conclusions about the marketing orientations of particular brands/companies based on what you find.
2. (15 points) Select an individual brand in one of the above categories. Evaluate the range of the brand’s products (i.e. Doritos) and discuss the objectives, product category, and product line strategy for the selected brand.
3. (15 points) Identify, define, and evaluate the selected brand’s promotional activity, if any.