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If you're thinking about developing a marketing program, you need to begin with a marketing

plan. Having been in marketing for more than a decade, I have seen my share of marketing plans. Some
are short and to the point, others are hundreds of pages thick and cost thousands of dollars to produce.

The irony is that many of the expensive marketing plans end up on a shelf and rarely get
implemented. The simple plans, if researched and implemented effectively, have the greatest
impact.

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Collect, organize, and write down data about the market that is currently buying the product(s) or
service(s) you will sell. Some areas to consider:

p Jarket dynamics, patterns including seasonality

p Customers - demographics, market segment, target markets, needs, buying decisions
p aroduct - what's out there now, what's the competition offering
p Current sales in the industry
p xenchmarks in the industry
p Suppliers - vendors that you will need to rely on

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Find niche or target markets for your product and describe them.


 
Describe your product. How does your product relate to the market? What does your market
need, what do they currently use, what do they need above and beyond current use?


Describe your competition. Develop your "unique selling proposition." What makes you stand
apart from your competition? What is your competition doing about branding?

J 

Write a few sentences that state:

p "Key market" - who you're selling to

p "Contribution" - what you're selling
p "Distinction" - your unique selling proposition

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Write down the marketing and promotion strategies that you want to use or at least consider
using. Strategies to consider:

p [etworking - go where your market is

p Direct marketing - sales letters, brochures, flyers
p ‘dvertising - print media, directories
p Training programs - to increase awareness
p Write articles, give advice, become known as an expert
p Direct/personal selling
 p aublicity/press releases
p Trade shows
p Web site

‰
   


From the information you've collected, establish strategies for determining the price of your
product, where your product will be positioned in the market and how you will achieve brand
awareness.


xudget your dollars. What strategies can you afford? What can you do in house, what do you
need to outsource.

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Establish quantifiable marketing goals. This means goals that you can turn into numbers. For
instance, your goals might be to gain at least 30 new clients or to sell 10 products per week, or to
increase your income by 30% this year. Your goals might include sales, profits, or customer's
satisfaction.

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Test and analyze. Identify the strategies that are working.

p Survey customers
p Track sales, leads, visitors to your web site, percent of sales to impressions

xy researching your markets, your competition, and determining your unique positioning, you
are in a much better position to promote and sell your product or service. xy establishing goals
for your marketing campaign, you can better understand whether or not your efforts are
generating results through ongoing review and evaluation of results.

‘s mentioned earlier in this article, be sure to use your plan as a living document. Successful
marketers continually review the status of their campaigns against their set objectives. This
ensures ongoing improvements to your marketing initiatives and helps with future planning.

‰


Howard Becker developed his theory of labeling (also known as social reaction
theory) in the 1963 book Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. Becker's
theory evolved during a period of social and political power struggle that was
amplified within the world of the college campus (Pfohl 1994). Liberal political
movements were embraced by many of the college students and faculty in America
(Pfohl 1994). Howard Becker harnessed this liberal influence and adjusted Lemert's
labeling theory and its symbolic interaction theoretical background. The labeling
theory outlined in Outsiders is recognized as the prevailing social reaction approach
by Lemert as well as most other sociologists. Becker's approach has its roots in the
symbolic interaction foundation of Cooley and Mead, and the labeling influences of
Tannenbaum and Lemert.

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8a)

In business and engineering, #
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 ([aD) is the term used to describe the
complete process of bringing a new product to market. ‘ product is a set of benefits offered for
exchange and can be tangible (that is, something physical you can touch) or intangible (like a
service, experience, or belief). There are two parallel paths involved in the [aD process: one
involves the idea generation, product design and detail engineering; the other involves market
research and marketing analysis. Companies typically see new product development as the first
stage in generating and commercializing new products within the overall strategic process of
product life cycle management used to maintain or grow their market share.

1. |  
 is often called the "fuzzy front end" of the [aD process
? Ideas for new products can be obtained from basic research using a SWOT
analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats), Jarket and consumer
trends, company's R&D department, competitors, focus groups, employees,
salespeople, corporate spies, trade shows, or Ethnographic discovery methods
(searching for user patterns and habits) may also be used to get an insight into
new product lines or product features.
? †ots of ideas are being generated about the new product. Out of these ideas many
ideas are being implemented. The ideas use to generate in many forms and their
generating places are also various. Jany reasons are responsible for generation of
an idea.
? Idea Generation or xrainstorming of new product, service, or store concepts - idea
generation techniques can begin when you have done your OaaORTU[ITY
‘[‘†YSIS to support your ideas in the | 
   (shown in the
next development step).
2. | 

? The object is to eliminate unsound concepts prior to devoting resources to them.
? The screeners should ask several questions:
m Will the customer in the target market benefit from the product?
m What is the size and growth forecasts of the market segment/target
market?
m What is the current or expected competitive pressure for the product idea?
m What are the industry sales and market trends the product idea is based
on?
m Is it technically feasible to manufacture the product?
m Will the product be profitable when manufactured and delivered to the
customer at the target price?
3.  %$
 
? Develop the marketing and engineering details
m Investigate intellectual property issues and search patent data bases
m Who is the target market and who is the decision maker in the purchasing
process?
m What product features must the product incorporate?
m What benefits will the product provide?
m How will consumers react to the product?
m How will the product be produced most cost effectively?
m arove feasibility through virtual computer aided rendering, and rapid
prototyping
m What will it cost to produce it?
? Testing the Concept by asking a sample of prospective customers what they think
of the idea. Usually via Choice Jodelling.
4. &
'
? Estimate likely selling price based upon competition and customer feedback
 ? Estimate sales volume based upon size of market and such tools as the Fourt-
Woodlock equation
? Estimate profitability and break-even point
5.   J

? aroduce a physical prototype or mock-up
? Test the product (and its packaging) in typical usage situations
? Conduct focus group customer interviews or introduce at trade show
? Jake adjustments where necessary
? aroduce an initial run of the product and sell it in a test market area to determine
customer acceptance
6.  
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? [ew program initiation
? Finalize Quality management system
? Resource estimation
? Requirement publication
? aublish technical communications such as data sheets
? Engineering operations planning
? Department scheduling
? Supplier collaboration
? †ogistics plan
? Resource plan publication
? arogram review and monitoring
? Contingencies - what-if planning
7. 

(  (often considered post-[aD)
? †aunch the product
? aroduce and place advertisements and other promotions
? Fill the distribution pipeline with product
? Critical path analysis is most useful at this stage
8. [#
 
 
? Impact of new product on the entire product portfolio
? Malue ‘nalysis (internal & external)
? Competition and alternative competitive technologies
? Differing value segments (price, value, and need)
? aroduct Costs (fixed & variable)
? Forecast of unit volumes, revenue, and profit




" )*+J&,)|[ -&[[).

ë J
  
: system of marketing institutions that promotes the physical flow of
goods and services, along with ownership title, from producers to consumer or business
user; also called a distribution channel
ë J



 wholesaler or retailer that operates between producers and
consumers or business users; also called a R

R
ë †    process of coordinating the flow of information, goods, and services among
members of the distribution channel
 STR‘TEGIC IJa†IC‘TIO[S: THE RO†E OF J‘RKETI[G CH‘[[E†S I[
J‘RKETI[G STR‘TEGY

ë Channels provide the means by which the firm moves the goods and services it produces
to ultimate users
ë Channels perform four important functions.

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ë £
  marketing channel that moves goods directly from a producer to
ultimate user
ë £
 strategy designed to establish direct sales contract between producer and
final user

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ë he challenge is to set up a system or method for assigning responsibilities, controlling

behaviors, and monitoring performance

ë Marious forms of Mertical Marketing Systems allow us to do this

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M
 M
 planned channel system designed to improve distribution efficiency
and cost effectiveness by integrating various functions throughout the distribution chain
 ë ½  a MMS in which a single owner operates at each stage in its
marketing channel

ë ‘
 
  MMS that achieves channel coordination when a dominant
channel member exercises its power

ë ½ 
 
MMS that coordinates channel activities through formal agreements among channel members
like:

ë Ñholesaler-Sponsored Moluntary Chains

ë ¦etail Cooperatives

ë uranchises

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ë
 warehouse that holds goods for moderate to long periods prior to
shipment, usually to buffer seasonal demand

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ë ]   process of combining individual materials into large loads for easy handling

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 is one of the four aspects of promotional mix. (The other three parts of the
promotional mix are advertising, personal selling, and publicity/public relations.) Jedia and
non-media marketing communication are employed for a pre-determined, limited time to
increase consumer demand, stimulate market demand or improve product availability. Examples
include contests, coupons, freebies, loss leaders, point of purchase displays, premiums, prizes,
product samples, and rebates

Sales promotions can be directed at either the customer, sales staff, or distribution channel
members (such as retailers). Sales promotions targeted at the consumer are called 



. Sales promotions targeted at retailers and wholesale are called 



. Some sale promotions, particularly ones with unusual methods, are considered
gimmicks by many.

Sales promotion includes several communications activities that attempt to provide added value
or incentives to consumers, wholesalers, retailers, or other organizational customers to stimulate
immediate sales. These efforts can attempt to stimulate product interest, trial, or purchase.
Examples of devices used in sales promotion include coupons, samples, premiums, point-of-
purchase (aOa) displays, contests, rebates, and sweepstakes.




 2

p arice deal: ‘ temporary reduction in the price, such as happy hour

p †oyal Reward arogram: Consumers collect points, miles, or credits for purchases and redeem
them for rewards. Two famous examples are aepsi Stuff and ‘‘dvantage.
p Cents-off deal: Offers a brand at a lower price. arice reduction may be a percentage marked on
the package.
p arice-pack deal: The packaging offers a consumer a certain percentage more of the product for
the same price (for example, 25 percent extra).
p Coupons: coupons have become a standard mechanism for sales promotions.
p †oss leader: the price of a popular product is temporarily reduced in order to stimulate other
profitable sales
p Free-standing insert (FSI): ‘ coupon booklet is inserted into the local newspaper for delivery.
p On-shelf couponing: Coupons are present at the shelf where the product is available.
p Checkout dispensers: On checkout the customer is given a coupon based on products
purchased.
p On-line couponing: Coupons are available online. Consumers print them out and take them to
the store.
p Jobile couponing: Coupons are available on a mobile phone. Consumers show the offer on a
mobile phone to a salesperson for redemption.

p Online interactive promotion game: Consumers play an interactive game associated with the
promoted product. See an example of the Interactive Internet ‘d




 2

p Trade allowances: short term incentive offered to induce a retailer to stock up on a

product.
p Dealer loader: ‘n incentive given to induce a retailer to purchase and display a product.
p Trade contest: ‘ contest to reward retailers that sell the most product.
p aoint-of-purchase displays: Used to create the urge of "impulse" buying and selling your
product on the spot.
p Training programs: dealer employees are trained in selling the product.
p aush money: also known as "spliffs". ‘n extra commission paid to retail employees to
push products.

Trade discounts (also called functional discounts): These are payments to distribution channel
members for performing some function





ales promotions have traditionally been heavily regulated in many advanced industrial nations,
with the notable exception of the United States. For example, the United Kingdom formerly
operated under a resale price maintenance regime in which manufacturers could legally dictate
the minimum resale price for virtually all goods; this practice was abolished in 1964.[3]

Jost European countries also have controls on the scheduling and permissible types of sales
promotions, as they are regarded in those countries as bordering upon unfair business practices.
Germany is notorious for having the most strict regulations. Famous examples include the car
wash that was barred from giving free car washes to regular customers and a baker who could
not give a free cloth bag to customers who bought more than 10 rolls



The political environment can be one of the less predictable elements in an organization¶s
marketing environment. Jarketers need to monitor the changing political environment because
political change can profoundly affect a firm¶s marketing. Consider the following effects of
politicians on marketing.

p ‘t the most general level, the stability of the political system affects the attractiveness of
a particular national market. While western Europe is generally politically stable, the
instability of many governments in less developed countries has led a number of
companies to question the wisdom of marketing in those countries.
p Governments pass legislation that directly and indirectly affects firms¶ marketing
opportunities. There are many examples of the direct effects on marketers, for example
laws giving consumers rights against the seller of faulty goods. ‘t other times the effects
of legislative changes are less direct, as where legislation outlawing anti- competitive
practices changes the nature of competition between firms within a market.