Marketing Strategy and Consumer Behavior

Section One: Introduction

Marketing is one of the most important processes in business management. It connects

business organizations with their target customers and leads to products sales. Without

marketing, businesses cannot achieve their objectives. This paper considers major issues

pertaining to marketing. The rest of the paper is organized into the following sections. Section

Two discusses strategies of introducing new products in the market, while Section Three explores

the process through which products acquire meaning. Section Four explores the negative effects

of encouraging customers to make purchases, while Section Five section discusses ways through

which marketing creates needs. The last section gives a summary of the paper and considers

other ways of conceptualizing marketing.

Section Two: Strategies of Introducing New Products in the Market

Businesses need to be innovative in order to overcome competitive pressures in the

market. Offering the same unchanged products can lead to loss of customers. Changes in the

competitive landscape, customer needs, technology, and business regulations are some of the

most important factors that necessitate the need to introduce new products. There are many

strategies through which companies can introduce new and better products into the market. One

of the strategies is by launching the product in stages (Kuenzel & Musters, 2007). This requires

dividing the product launch process into different phases such as internal and external testing,

market positioning, excitement building, and event timing. During the internal and external

testing process, the marketing team studies how well the product meets the identified customer

needs. Once this is done, the team positions the product in the market relative to the existing
competition and employs aggressive marketing strategies to build excitement. The product

launch event is timed to maximize sales.

Another important way of introducing a new and innovative product is by having a post-

event strategy. This strategy provides a comprehensive plan for maintaining the excitement and

momentum generated during the product launch. The plan may consist of a series of promotional

campaigns targeting different market segments. It also includes customer incentives and the

distribution of information about the product and its benefits (Jager, 2007). The next step in the

new product launch strategy is the establishment of strategic relationships with selected industry

players. These relationships can be in the form of collaborations with product distributors and

vendors, marketing agencies, and public relations firms. These collaborations can benefit new

products through enhanced market penetration, improved brand image, and increased sales.

Section Three: The Process through Which Products Acquire Meaning to Consumers

The meaning that a product acquires to customers is an essential consideration in the

design of marketing strategies. Generally, meaning has different interpretations among

customers. To some, it is the value gained by consuming the product. To others, meaning is the

price paid to get the product, as well as, the convenience of its use. From these two perspectives,

it is evident that meaning encompasses the perception of what a product is worth to the

customers compared to the available alternatives (Edo, 2015). On the backdrop of this definition,

one of the ways through which products acquire meaning to customers is through the ability to

satisfy the specific needs of customers. In other words, the product should be able to be used as it

was intended (Homan, Legon & Libai, 2004). Products satisfy needs by conferring benefits such

as quality, service, image, brand reputation and the success that the customer gets by using them.
 The second way through which products acquire meaning to customers is by selling at a

price that gives customers greater value than competing offers. This means that the product

should be able to sell at a lower price than competing products or maintain a higher price but

offer extra benefits that competing products do not offer (Osselaer & Janiszewski, 2002). The

third way through which products acquire meaning to customers is by being convenient to

acquire, use and dispose. Products that are difficult to find in the market or not user-friendly tend

to acquire little or no meaning to customers. Lastly, meaning is acquired by making customers

feel valued by the company selling the product. This includes making it easier for customers to

interact with the company’s staff and responding promptly to customers’ concerns.

Section Four: Negative Consequences of Encouraging Purchases

The process of encouraging purchases can result in unintended negative consequences.

One of these consequences, as explained by Ho-Dac, Carson & Moore (2013), is the

misrepresentation of facts and information. Although marketing campaigns aim to present

products in good light, the creative process may end up depicting the product falsely. For

example, the advertisers may exaggerate the benefits of the product so as to win more potential

customers. Exaggerated messages portray unrealistic and unattainable product images, which

turn customers away in the long-run.

The second negative consequence is the manipulation of vulnerable customers such as

children. According to Sago and Hinnenkamp (2014), children are often not able to understand

marketing messages as attempts to encourage them to purchase products. Thus, they accept all

advertisements without scrutinizing the messages and the claimed benefits of the products. This

makes children targets in advertisement campaigns, a factor that may affect their health and

wellbeing. For example, companies marketing foods that are rich in sugars, carbohydrates, and
fats do not explain the adverse health effects of these foods. However, the depiction of the foods

as delicious encourages more purchase, which is not good for the consumer's health.

The third consequence is the promotion of stereotypes. Attempts to encourage product

purchases can project certain groups in society in stereotypical ways. For instance, the

presentation of women in adverts about cleaning equipment and men in adverts on electronic

products may propagate gender stereotypes. These types of advertisements tend to promote false

beliefs about product usage (Sago & Hinnenkamp, 2014). The last major negative consequence is

the promotion of materialism. Encouraging customers to purchase products can create

unnecessary desires and needs among consumers. Moreover, advertisements encourage people to

compete with one another by purchasing more products.

Section Five: Ways through which Marketing Creates Needs

There are several ways through which marketing creates needs. First, it encourages

consumers to purchase better and new products. Often, marketing encourages consumers to

replace their used or old possessions with best or new models (Hawkins, Mothersbaugh & Best,

2015). This way, marketing stimulates new desires among consumers. Secondly, marketing

encourages consumers to find alternative ways of satisfying their needs. Thus, consumers are

tempted to explore the new product uses with the hope of realizing better results.

Third, marketing helps in explaining product uses and provides opportunities for

consumers to have their concerns addressed (Newton, Ewing & Finch, 2013). If consumers are

satisfied with the information given, they may develop the need for the product. Lastly,

marketing helps in fostering positive brand images, which translate into perceived product

quality. This makes customers want to purchase the product because it is associated with a

powerful brand.
Section Six: Summary and Conclusions

Marketing plays a critical role in the success of businesses. The competition-paced nature

of the modern world of business requires companies to employ aggressive marketing strategies

to create brand awareness and encourage the purchase of their products. Effective marketing

strategies enable products to acquire meaning to customers, which is critical to the successful

launch of new products. Although marketing campaigns are intended to encourage more sales,

they may lead to negative consequences such as the promotion of materialism and stereotypes,

misrepresentation of facts, and manipulation of customers.

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