teachthe4ps.com - teaching the 4 ps

For a nice green example of segmentation and targeting, see “Electric Car Strategy: Follow the Fleet,” (The New York Times, March 1, 2010).  Definitely shows how to tie characteristics of the market (technology, customers, company, and competition) to the target market.

I really like this Toyota commercial. It is entertaining but also makes a clear point about Toyota’s hybrid engines. The ad simplifies and demonstrates benefits for a pretty complex topic. It would make a great complement to the very popular video case on the Toyota Prius (in our books’ video package). The video goes well in the Product chapters.  After showing the video, which describes new product development for the Prius, a professor might ask how this product could be advertised.  After some discussion, the ad below might be shown.

Here’s a current and very hot viral advertising campaign. This article talks about the campaign (“A Stairway to Marketing Heaven,” (scroll down for article at BusinessWeek.com, October 22, 2009) but the fun occurs at TheFunTheory.com website. As of this writing, there are three different viral videos (the stair video is shown below), each of which ask the question: Can you get people to change their behavior and do the right thing by making the right thing more fun? The viral videos are sponsored by Volkswagen and they will eventually tie into an online advertising campaign that features VW’s environmentally friendly cars. For 10 years (until earlier this year), VW’s “Drivers Wanted” campaign implied that driving a VW was fun. This new campaign is a natural extension to that positioning. You could use it to discuss positioning, viral video promotions, or promotion objectives. The campaign is also a good example of publicity; it’s received considerable attention from the press. Besides all that, these viral videos are fun to watch.

This article presents some of the interesting challenges marketers and advertising agencies will have with the new electric cars coming out over the next few years (“Selling the Electric Car,” Adweek, October 5, 2009).  My students are showing more interest in sustainability and green products.

In this article, “America’s 10 Greenest Brands?” posted on GreenBiz.com on September 29, 2009, we read about a consumer survey that identifies what consumers feel are green brands.

Many of my students are interested in sustainability and making green purchase choices.  This could be discussed in the context of sustainability, marketing research, or positioning.  It could also be a fun example using “Clickers.”  I created a question that asked “In a survey of U.S. consumers, which of the following brands was not listed among the U.S.’s 10 greenest brands?”  [I had five options – including Disney which surprised me by being on the list – and added Method which was not one of the Top 10.]  In addition, ideas from the article can be singled out for discussion.  For example, 38% of Brazilian consumers show a willingness to spend a premium of 30% or more to buy green products.

This article, “GoodGuide Puts Brands’ Ethical Claims to the Test,” at AdAge.com, (September 28, 2009) describes the new GoodGuide website.  This site has a database rating about 75,000 consumer products on health, environmental, and social impact using a 10-point scale.  The article discusses some possible strategies that might be employed by the website. Even if you cannot check out the article, you can link to www.GoodGuide.com and check out the website.