APPROACHING THEMARKET 47
TheConcepto fPositioning
Bothproductdiffefentiationandmarketsegmentationresultina perceivedpositionforthe
companyororganization.Fromtheintelligentmarketingorganization,thereshouldbean
attempttocreatethedesiredposition,ratherthanwaitforit tobecreatedbycustomers,the
public,orevencompetitors.Positioningisdefinedastheactofdesigningthecompany's
offeringandimagetooccupya distinctiveplaceinthetargetmarket'smind.Theendresult
ofpositioningisthesuccessfulcreationofamarket-focusedvalueproposition,a cogent
reasonwhythetargetmarketshouldbuytheproduct.
Sincepositioningisa strategythatstartswiththeproduct,weexpandourdiscussion
ofpositioningintheProductChapter.
TheFutureoftheMarketplace
Asthespreadoftheglobalmarketplacecontinues, aidedbysatellites,theWorldWideWeb,
anduniveralproblems,it willalsobecomeincreasinglydifficulttoeffectivelyassessthe
market.Infact,thereis solidevidence thatthemarketwilloftenconsistofa singleperson
orcompany.Customizedproductdesign,relationshipmarketing,andone-on-onemarket-
ingsuggeststhatmark.etinghasgonefullcircle. Likethefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury,
whenthecomergrocerknewallofhiscustomerspersonally,marketingintherestofthe
twenty-firstcenturymaylookverysimilar.
MARKETING CAPSULE
Basesofsegmen tation
a. UltimateConsumers
1.Geographic
2.Demographics
- Usage
4.Psychological
b. Organizations
1.Typeofcustomer
- Enduses
- Commonbuyingfactors
- Size andgeography
c. Single-baseversusmulti-base
d.Qualifypeopleintosegments
1.Clarityofidentification
- Actualorpotentialneed
3.Effectivedemand
4.Economicaccessibility
5.Positiveresponse
e. Segmentationprocess
