Values in the marketing mix

values, (Sociology). the ideals, 

customs, institutions, etc., 

of a society toward which 

the people of the group have 

an affective regard. 

These values may be 

positive, as cleanliness, 

freedom, or education, 

or negative, as cruelty,

 crime, or blasphemy

(Dictionary.com)

As a brand one needs consider its target market's needs and desires which drives them to purchase the chosen product. To do this Khales (1983) summerised simple elements of  a customers emotions when buying. 

1. Self Respect

2. Excitement

3. Being Well Respected

4. Self-fulfilment

5. Sense of accomplishment

6. Warm relationship with others

7. Security

8. Fun & enjoyment

9. Sense of belonging

'Each value discipline requires different management systems, processes, organization, and culture. ...that business units within the same company can each practice a different value discipline. ...General Electric’s major appliance division pursues operational excellence, its engineered plastics division pursues customer intimacy, and its jet engine division pursues product leadership.' Philip Kotler

The role of valuing a product to consumer is vital, it establishes a brand, reputation and creates a product personailty. "Thus, values are general and different from attitudes in that they do not apply to specific situations only."(solomon,2010). Depending on the attitudes and values of the culture where a product is being launched, distinctions bewteen different culture values are distinguish from other cultures.  For example, if one colour symbolises a negative persona in one culture in contrast to another. 

 The link above suggest the impact that values have on one advertisment. As suggested, in order to succeed values of active internet users, televised and print ads all need to consider the credibility of the consumer's values. 


Furthermore, the customer needs to be awared of the products funtion, benefits and does it fullfill their needs "one female surfer they studied embraced the value of belongingness. She expressed this value by wearing popular brands of surfing apparel, even when the major brands had lost their roots by going mainstream." (solomon,2010) .  It is evident that from the previous statement  taken from solomon, shows how one self value perception on others around the customer can affect their buying behaviour through out their lives. 

The module aboves illustrates a cosumer buying brain process, it evident how the consumer evaulates the benefits and need fullfillment a product will have.  In addition, this reflects the (self)-esteem process, where consumer focuses on the materalistic face value.  This proves how modern society has become more wanting and search for the aeshetics in ones purchase or in a brand product. 

Family marketing Life Cycle

The family unit is usually considered to be the most important “buying” organisation in society. Parents are highly influencial on their children's buying behaviour as they subconciously purchase the same brand as their parents. 

'Empty nesters

The empty nesters are people, usually aged 50 to 64, whose children are grown and who are now able to spend their money in other ways. But this is an elusive group because some people marry later and are still raising a family at this age.' -http://www.mhhe.com/business/marketing/Perreault17e/marketing_coach/LA/74.htm


As stated above the group 'empty nesters' are of the age between 50-64. The majority of this group would have gone most of the typical life cycle as illustrated above.  Idealistically this would be the time where couples retract back to their youth days and attempt to re kindle their relationship flames. Their children have left home to continue their studies or start to create their own families, which allows this particular group to invest into vital house hold products such as a new toaster or a kettle, this could be suggested as need-shaping buying. This is where a consumer buys products that they don't need or ask for but buy products for the sake of it. 


Furthermore, their consumer buying behaviour would have changed back into the 'young married without children stage' and would have reflected their family buying on their off spring. This part of the cycle is fueled by the childrens buying behaviour. A parent in a supermarket will not buy something that they believe that would fullfill their children's desire but the children themselves dictate their parents.


 " Anyone who has had the 'delightful' experiance of the supermarket shopping with one or more children knows that children often have a say in what their parents buy," (solomon,2010) 


In addition to this it is evident that brands marketing strategies use popular trends such as disney's 'Hannah Montana' as a their brand ambassader and other methods that engage the children's food prefences. 

The clip above stresses on the marketing budget used to market towards kids. This demostrates the power that children hold on their parents to pressure their parents to buy mainstream brands such as Kellouges. This is known as parental yielding. It is here were parents become the 'surrender' and depending on the parenting style, majority of parent cave into their childrens demands. 






This particular part of the family cycle is continous through out the full nest sector until the last year of the teen years. In addition to this, when referring back to the empty nest aspect of the marketing family cycle is where the family is at their finacial peak.  In contrast to previous life stages. 


It evident that a family life circuit heavily influences how marketters establish their brand identy. Therefore, hen considering the life cycle module every aspect is highly researched and evualted in order to gain a cosumer interest. 

If she has it I'm having it in every colour...

Today's society is heavily influenced being apart of a certain clique in enable for one to feel apart of a group. This is driven by marketers by pressuring their target market to purchase one or more product that will gain them the social status that they inspire to be.

Furthermore it evident that one may follow others enable to protect their dignity or purely think ' oh is this what we are meant to do' and act before thinking ( as the clip above demonstrates) 

'Because we tend to compare ourselves with who are similar to us, many promotional strategies include 'ordinary' people' - Consumer Behaviour, Solomon.

The statement above is evident amongst most promotional strategies, one of which was highly successful and increased the sales for company, Boots, when they launched their new firming cream for 'real women' ( shown above). This form of advertising comforts other women that they too can look like a  'real women' when using the product. 

This need for one to feel comfortable in their social environment drives marketers into gold mines and by using print ads such as this that brings the feel of 'acceptance' across it is evident that group pressure is how to get the target market to buy. 

 The clip below illustrates the psychological perpective aof the consumer and how asks why does the consumer become an active member in consumer buying ( please excuse the annoying female robotic voice and awful piano music)

segmentation targeting and positioning

Segmentation and targeting is broken up into 3 parts:

1. What customers exist 
2. who will be the chosen customer
3. reaching the needs of the customer 

Once an organisation has developed and chosen both product and customer research is carried out to find out what the target market wants and needs. However,  some customers are known as the undifferentiated  buyer ( those that are treated all the same). This label only falls under the commodities that are in non competitive environment and all can offer the same frills to all customers.  

Furthermore, when considering a target market it is essential to consider the demographics of the buyer's surroundings. For example, if one country finds the colour red offensive to their culture a motovehicle organisation would avoid illustrating the colour red in any possible form, but if the same organisation is also advertising the product where the colour red is considered to be lucky then marketers would inject the colour everywhere. This example suggests that positioning a brand globally needs to adapt to the buyers behaviour, culture and the area's economic growth. 

'segments that are less dependent on demographics and more likely to borrow behavioural patterns and fashion across what were formerly more significant borders or barriers' - Consumer Behaviour, Michael Solomon. 

In addition, the scale on how large the segment depends on how price, product, positioning and distribution is. If the segment is on a small scale the risque of competitors are considerably low, however if its on a large scale competition will be left,right and centre. 

The diagram above show how positioning a segment relies on how the target consumer full fills their needs and wants from value and brand personality.  This may suggest that depending on whether the segment is apart of a niche market or has universal appeal the value of the product (premium, low price, value) has to engage and attract the consumers wants. 

nostalgia

As we age our nostalgic yearnings grow, making us more receptive to advertisers and marketers use of what researchers call “a longing for positive memories from the past - The Power of Nostalgia - Duncan, 27th January 2010

Marketers and Advertisers play on history land marks of a certain era to gain a positive image or trigger to the consumer. For example, the Hovis link above travels through the years of the United Kingdom reaches out to different generations and triggering happy and positive memories that trigger stories from the past. 

This form of marketing/advertising is a clever way of gaining awareness for the organisation and perceiving a positive personality for the product as well as the brand itself.  furthermore, it could be suggested that nostalgia is a form of advertising that has less chance of failing to gain or keep customers from purchasing the product/brand than a new,modern or futuristic advertising as the its most likely to gain publicity and public conversation in a positive way. 

Self-Concept..the consumer evaluates themselves before the product?

Self-Concept can be defined on how one looks at themselves in a positive or negative aspect or even how one aspires to become apart of a social group.

This self concept is exploited by marketing and is used in adverts by making the customer compare themselves to the synthetic images, leading to the consumer to aspire and gain access to the product that is being subconsciously sold to them.

'Exposure to ads can trigger a process of social comparison,where the person tries to evaluate their self by comparing it to the people depicted in these artificial images' -Michael R. Solomon. 


Furthermore, in recent studies females are more likely to look at an advert or television programme and compare themselves to the thin, attractive and elegant model that the brand uses. Resulting to the female having a lower self-esteem but rating the product being sold highly, in contrast to a female model that is less threatening to the female consumer and sustaining a positive self-esteem - but rate the product lower.

'the subjects who saw depicting normal weight models did not feel bad about themselves, but they did rate the brands lower' - Michael R. Solomon 

In addition to this, it is up to the seller to hold up a mirror to the buyer and attempt to convince that the buyer that they NEED this product in enable to be that model in the advert. The clip Below illustrates how low self-esteem works in a person and how a high self-esteem also is perceived in a person. Although the clip does not focus on buyers behaviour or from a sellers aspect, it demonstrates how these emotions are easy to inject positive self-esteem by purchasing their product.