5th week - Position -

Product is a physical or service that represent as a "Symbols" that deliver a desired emotional outcome.

      The practice in class, the transportation for women between 50 to 70 year old, I did today was so much fun. everyone in class just keep thinking about the function of the car that already in our mind which ignorant the general idea and propose of moving one place to other. When I saw the given information, I just quickly thinking of a small car that have all the function of safe, reliability, match to customers' need. But, I forgot to think that there are a substitute service that met the same requirement. I put myself into the role of customer. Most of international students come from non well regulated public transportation, which we think that the women will be more safe to have her own car instead of taking bus. 

The position for Timberland Hiking Boots

Professional hikers = "my trail....I can"    

sense of adventure, exploring whole new experience.  

General users, or hikers = " Freedom, here I come"   

I can hiking anytime, I am free.

 

I be able to defined my best target group which are the two group above. they can make most profit and have large quantity to purchase the products. 

Not clear about the overall position things yet; however, after have a meeting with Paul, hopefully, I will understand and can come up with the right answer about Timberland position.  

Segment & The Best Target Market for week 4

       Today, I learn how to combine the 3 levels with the Kotler's five product which lead me to be able to identify the segment of the market; as well as, what will be the best target group of my products. The groups should: 

      1. be able to afford the price of the products.

      2. have some sizes so that my company will earn lots of income.

      3. be profitability.

      4. be somewhere that my product will give growth rate to my product, geography.

      5. consistency behavior for buying of my product.

     Since this can make high a profit to company, I can come up with one company that almost take everything into their account. It is an "Apple" company. Their products can be purchase by a well income target, they up date their products annually, and they have an apple store in a big town that have high population. Apple is starting to insert the "needs" or "lifestyles" of their product into kids, high school, college, and everywhere that technology can go through. Therefore, the customers will likely start to use apple's products since kids till grown up and keep forward.

      For my Timberland boots, I did imply the marketing segmentation techniques which give me a result that
     1. college students, 21-29, have money, like to do exercise, like nature, healthy, exploring 
     2. working men, 25-35, have some income, want to relax from work, do exercise, like explore nature,
     3. family with on children, 25-35, income, both like nature, exercise, like exciting experience,
     4. family with children, 25-35, income, both like nature, exercise, short hiking trail( kids ),
     5. working men, older than 35, income, want to maintain health,

      These are the segment groups that I can come up for now, but the best target groups will be only two or three from the overall segment. Which I suggest that, it will be a group 1 and 3. Because, the college students, men and women, who like to do exercise and nature tends to go out for outdoor activity compare to the student who work out in the gym. As well as, the cost of the boots is affordable for the college students, the  range of cost is 100-400. And the family with no children or a couple, they tend to exercise together. Therefore, if they all like nature, outdoor sport, and have some income. They would go for running or hiking rather than working out in the gym as well.

      The segment groups, I think that it will need more features that divide or classify them from population. Therefore, I will make an appointment with Paul to see how well I did for my product next week after class.

Week 3 progress

Thank Giving Week 

 

       The "3 levels" and Kotler Product Levels tools take time and effort to use, and lots of qualitative research is required to begin "decoding" what your product/service really is and what the "potential products" (also called "emotional products") are.  Being able to describe them in rich sentences is required.

      As I learn from Paul and from the Kotler Product Levels, the core benefit of the product is a first level of consumer awareness. The consumer just touch only the top surface benefit of the product.

     The second level is combine the two of expected and argument level together to form a educated customer awareness which this group of customer will compare the benefit, quality, and differences between each products.  

      Lastly, the third level of marketing customer awareness is the potential emotion that customer have and response to the product.

      I did the Kotler Chart, which posted last week, I found out that the I was mass up the argument part for my Timberland footwear. The argument should be something that add other value more than the customer expected. It could be extra features of the boots that provided in case of the Timberland. Therefore, after I fixed my chart I be able to come with three samples of the strong sentences that customers, hiker, have emotions or feelings to the hiking boots.

1. I can get out from the busy world and come closer to the nature.

2. My family will be healthy.

3. People will become more environmental friendly, save today for tomorrow, keep the nature for next generations.

 
To come up with the strong phase, I feel that it is complicated to combine the word and emotion into a written language. However, as Paul said " Practice, practice, practice" will make me be able to ride a bicycle.

Marketing week 2.2 the Kotler's five production levels.

Second Week Marketing ( 2.2 )

     As what I said last entry, the Kotler's Five production Levels, a chart that use to determine the emotional needs that linked consumer to the product. I have tried to do this chart with my choice of product which is a hiking footwear, Timberland, it come out quite well as the following below.

      This chart describe the core of the product or a core benefit, what is the consumer need. Next levels are the generic product, expected product, argumented product, and potential product. It is mainly the general product attribute, what consumer want from the product, what to improve from present, and how it may the consumer feel from the core benefit of the product.

     I did the chart with a footwear product from Timberland company. I can see that the hiking shoe from Timberland will lead consumer to be confident to enjoy outside city environment. Able to discovery a new lifestyle that fresh and healthy like never before. You can carry, walk, jump, and climb with all the support and protection provided from the shoe. A person who wear this shoe will be notice by other people because the shoe is unique, stylist, and required some amount of income to have it. That will make better status for that person in society. Therefore, as a consumer, this company will make me better off no matter how much I am welling to spend for the shoe that suited only for me.

Week two of Marketing...very interesting way finding how product and emotion are connected.

      Doing a reflection by using the reflection spiral is really help summarizing most of detail form class. It push me to think back to what did I study, discuss, and general ideas. Also, lead me to use and apply method in to my daily life.

      Today, I study how can emotions affected to customers' purchasing power for goods. For example, the pick-up truck, normally, when I see this kind of car I will think that the person, who drive the car, use it for carrying heavy load or have some kind of construction career. But, I forget to think that before anyone buy something, he or she must has an inspiration for this goods. In this case, a person who bough the pick-up truck may want to show off his car; nice stereo system, shinny rim, and clean look, or he or she really need to use it. Nonetheless, it is to be attractive and get attention from other people. Guy wants girl to think that he is smart, strong, clean, and cool. Girl wants a single man to start her life with. Therefore, to get attention and present a message or meaning that hidden under look and image might be a true reason for buy a car. I like and never imagine how much time and afford that spend on an advertisement to get customers' attention. It is challenging me to think deeper and deeper to the level 3, marketer level, and the link between customer's belief and the emotion or feeling that affect to customer.        

     Customers not really buy the actual products, but they buy what can make them feel good and protect them from fear; which both of them are called emotion. I found that it is true and very useful for a marketing planer to play around with customers' feeling. But, I am not saying that playing with people's fear is good thing to do. I always love to buy product that give me a good feeling; for instance, a vitamin, natural water, or something that make me think "it is good for me I will buy that ." Fear, it is like I am going to travel elsewhere, I might need a health insurance. I do not want to get skin cancer, then I will end up buy a sun screen.

     Therefore, from now on, I will look around and watch other people how they manager to purchase their products. Are they afraid of something? What make your feel good? Why you buy that stuff in stead of this? ... and so on. This way I believe I will know other people little secret by looking at their shopping cart. (it may not be what I suppose to learn and use it in this way)

     Some marketing maker like to play with customers subconscious.  
When I watch a video in class, I found that our subconsciousness play an important role of consumption goods and services. The subconsciousness is something that observer obtain information without noticed. It will go through mind and hide itself underneath. I heard once story about a message that hidden in advertise. It shown a word "sex" somewhere on the scene or run very fast that even our eyes cannot catch it; but somehow, our subconscious will recognize it. The word "sex" is, in reality and naturally, all living things like animals and humans have to play their role. Therefore, it have power to force us to do or to pay more attention on something especially. And thus, after watch this advertisement, it may and will cost our consideration and encourage us to buy the product.    

     After I get home, I watched the "power thirst" on youtube again. But, this time, it gave me a difference feeling from what I got from the class. In class, I was fill of anger and some power is going to explode. It might be from the speech, picture, text, and sound from background that give that emotions. But, from the beginning, it almost made me in tears; however, I started to laugh at some point. Perhaps, because I loosed my dog last night and that feeling still within me. Anyway, it is very interesting that 24 million people have watched this video and the effect from this video able to make me feel power without drinking it.    

     Lastly, I learn to do Kotler's chart, I must drive a main point of the product through what customer will feel/ have emotional of product. It is very complicated and difficult for me to get through expected and augment product parts. But, by the end of next two week, I will or would be able to do so. Lots of practices will help me get through this.