🛍️Principles of Marketing Unit 5 – Market Segmentation and Targeting Strategies

What's Market Segmentation?

• Process of dividing a market into distinct groups of consumers with different needs, characteristics, or behaviors
• Enables companies to tailor their marketing strategies to specific segments
• Involves identifying the most profitable segments and developing targeted marketing campaigns
• Allows for more efficient allocation of marketing resources
• Helps businesses better understand their customers and create more effective marketing messages
• Facilitates the development of products or services that meet the specific needs of each segment
• Enables companies to differentiate themselves from competitors by focusing on specific market segments

Why Segment Markets?

• Allows companies to identify and target the most profitable customer groups
• Enables businesses to develop more effective marketing strategies tailored to specific segments
• Helps companies better understand the needs, preferences, and behaviors of different customer groups
• Facilitates the development of products or services that meet the specific needs of each segment
• Allows for more efficient allocation of marketing resources by focusing on the most promising segments
• Enables companies to differentiate themselves from competitors by targeting specific market segments
• Helps businesses build stronger relationships with customers by addressing their unique needs and preferences

Types of Market Segmentation

• Demographic segmentation divides the market based on age, gender, income, education, occupation, or family size
• Geographic segmentation divides the market based on location, such as region, city size, or climate
• Psychographic segmentation divides the market based on lifestyle, personality, values, or interests
  • For example, a company selling outdoor gear may target adventurous, nature-loving consumers
• Behavioral segmentation divides the market based on consumer behavior, such as purchase habits, brand loyalty, or product usage
  • For instance, a company may target heavy users of a particular product category
• Benefit segmentation divides the market based on the benefits consumers seek from a product or service
• Occasion segmentation divides the market based on the occasions when consumers make purchases or use products
• Firmographic segmentation divides the market based on characteristics of businesses, such as industry, company size, or location

Choosing the Right Segments

• Evaluate the size and growth potential of each segment to determine its attractiveness
• Consider the competitive landscape within each segment and assess the company's ability to compete effectively
• Analyze the profitability of each segment by estimating revenues and costs associated with serving it
• Assess the company's resources and capabilities to determine its ability to serve each segment effectively
• Evaluate the stability and sustainability of each segment over time
• Consider the alignment of each segment with the company's overall mission, values, and strategic objectives
• Select segments that offer the best combination of attractiveness, profitability, and fit with the company's strengths

Targeting Strategies

• Undifferentiated targeting involves offering the same marketing mix to all segments
• Differentiated targeting involves developing a unique marketing mix for each selected segment
• Concentrated targeting focuses on serving a single, highly attractive segment with a tailored marketing mix
• Micromarketing targets very specific, narrowly defined segments or even individual customers
• Mass customization combines mass production efficiency with customization to meet individual customer needs
• Niche marketing focuses on serving small, specialized segments with unique needs or preferences
• Local marketing tailors marketing efforts to the specific needs and preferences of local customer groups

Positioning Your Product

• Positioning refers to the place a product occupies in consumers' minds relative to competing products
• Effective positioning creates a clear, distinctive, and desirable image of the product in the target market's mind
• Positioning strategies can be based on product attributes, benefits, use occasions, user categories, or competitors
• Perceptual mapping is a technique used to visualize how consumers perceive a product relative to competing products
• Positioning statements summarize the key aspects of a product's positioning in a concise, memorable way
• Repositioning involves changing the way a product is perceived in the market to better align with customer needs or preferences
• Successful positioning requires a deep understanding of the target market's needs, preferences, and perceptions

Real-World Examples

• Nike targets athletes and fitness enthusiasts with its "Just Do It" positioning, emphasizing performance and motivation
• Apple targets tech-savvy, design-conscious consumers with its sleek, innovative products and "Think Different" positioning
• Coca-Cola targets a broad market with its "Happiness" positioning, associating the brand with positive emotions and experiences
• Whole Foods targets health-conscious consumers with its focus on natural and organic products and its "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet" positioning
• Mercedes-Benz targets affluent, status-seeking consumers with its luxury positioning and emphasis on prestige and quality
• Patagonia targets environmentally conscious outdoor enthusiasts with its focus on sustainability and its "We're in business to save our home planet" positioning
• McDonald's targets a broad market with its convenience and value positioning, emphasizing fast service and affordable prices

Key Takeaways

• Market segmentation is the process of dividing a market into distinct groups of consumers with different needs, characteristics, or behaviors
• Segmenting markets allows companies to tailor their marketing strategies, allocate resources more efficiently, and better understand their customers
• Common types of market segmentation include demographic, geographic, psychographic, behavioral, benefit, occasion, and firmographic segmentation
• Choosing the right segments involves evaluating their attractiveness, profitability, and fit with the company's strengths and objectives
• Targeting strategies range from undifferentiated targeting to micromarketing and niche marketing
• Positioning refers to the place a product occupies in consumers' minds relative to competing products
• Effective positioning creates a clear, distinctive, and desirable image of the product in the target market's mind
• Real-world examples demonstrate how companies use market segmentation, targeting, and positioning to create successful marketing strategies