CH 4

Chaper-4
Setting Product Strategy
11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 1

Introduction
• Product strategy is critical to the success of
the overall marketing strategy.
• Value is captured in two key areas:

– Product Strategy
• Existing and proposed products.
– Branding
• Value enhancement through awareness and image.

Product Strategy
• Product value is derived from
– Features, and
– Benefits received
• Products can be tangible goods, services,
places, ideas, organizations, or people.

Features and Benefits
• Features: Specific attributes that enable a
product or service to perform its function.
• Benefits: Need-satisfaction outcomes.

Product Characteristics and Classifications
Many people think a product is tangible, but a

product is anything that can be offered to a market
to satisfy a want or need, including
 Physical goods,
 Services,
 Experiences,
 Events,
 Persons,
 Places,
 Properties,
 Organizations,
 Information, and ideas.

Product Levels: The Customer-Value
Hierarchy

Product Levels: The Customer-Value Hierarchy
 In planning its market offering, the marketer needs to

address five product levels
 Each level adds more customer value, and the five
constitute a customer-value hierarchy.
1)The fundamental level is the core benefit: the

service or benefit the customer is really buying.
 A hotel guest is buying rest and sleep.
 The purchaser of a drill is buying holes.
 Marketers must see themselves as benefit
providers.

2)At the second level, the marketer must turn

the core benefit into a basic product.
Thus, a hotel room includes:
A bed,
Bathroom,
Towels,
Desk,
Dresser, and
 Closet

3)At the third level, the marketer prepares an

expected product, a set of attributes and
conditions buyers normally expect when
they purchase this product.
Hotel guests minimally expect a:

Clean bed,
Fresh towels,
Working lamps, and
A relative degree of quiet

4)At the fourth level, the marketer prepares

an augmented product that exceeds
customer expectations.
a) In developed countries, brand positioning

and competition take place at this level.
b) In developing and emerging markets
competition takes place mostly at the
expected product level.

5)At the fifth level stands the potential product, which

encompasses all the possible augmentations and
transformations the product or offering might undergo in
the future.
Here is where companies search for:
New ways to satisfy
customers and differentiate
their offering.

Each augmentation adds cost, however,

and augmented benefits soon become
expected benefits and necessary points-of
parity in the category.

Product Classifications
 Marketers classify products on the basis of durability, tangibility, and use

(consumer or industrial).
Durability and Tangibility

 Products fall into three groups according to
durability and tangibility:
a) Nondurable goods are tangible goods normally
consumed in one or a few uses, such as beer and
shampoo.
 Because these goods are purchased frequently, the
appropriate strategy is to:
 Make them available in many locations,
 Charge only a small markup, and
 Advertise heavily to induce trial and build preference.

b) Durable goods are tangible goods that normally survive

many uses: refrigerators, machine tools, and clothing.
Durable products normally require more

personal selling and service, command a higher
margin, and require more seller guarantees.
c)Services are intangible, inseparable, variable, and perishable
products that normally require more quality control, supplier
credibility, and adaptability.
 Examples include haircuts, legal advice, and
appliance repairs.

Consumer-Goods Classification
 When we classify the vast array of consumer goods on the basis of

shopping habits, we distinguish among
 Convenience,
 Shopping,
 Specialty, and
 Unsought goods.
a)Convenience Goods
 The consumer usually purchases convenience goods
frequently, immediately, and with minimal effort.
 Examples include
 Soft drinks, soaps, and newspapers, staples
are convenience goods consumers purchase
on a regular basis.

CONSUMER-GOODS CLASSIFICATION
b)Shopping Goods (SGs)
 SGS are those the consumer characteristically compares on such

bases as suitability, quality, price, and style.
 Examples include furniture, clothing, and major appliances.
 Homogeneous shopping goods are similar in quality but
different enough in price to justify shopping comparisons.
 Heterogeneous shopping goods differ in product features
and services that may be more important than price.
 The seller of heterogeneous shopping goods carries a
wide assortment to satisfy individual tastes and trains
salespeople to inform and advise customers.

Consumer-goods Classification
c)Specialty Goods (SGs)

SGs have unique characteristics or brand
identification for which enough buyers are
willing to make a special purchasing effort.
Specialty goods don’t require comparisons;
buyers invest time only to reach dealers
carrying the wanted products.
Dealers don’t need convenient locations,
although they must let prospective buyers
know where to find them.

Consumer-goods Classification
d)Unsought Goods (UDS)
UGS are those the consumer does not know

about or normally think of buying, such as
smoke detectors.
Classic examples of known but unsought
goods are:
Life Insurance,
Cemetery Plots, And
Gravestones.

Consumer Products
Convenience Products Shopping Products
> Buy frequently & immediately > Buy less frequently

> Low priced > Gather product information
> Many purchase locations > Fewer purchase locations
> Includes: > Compare for:
• Staple goods • Suitability & Quality
• Impulse goods • Price & Style
• Emergency goods
Specialty Products Unsought Products
> Special purchase efforts > New innovations

> Unique characteristics > Products consumers don’t
> Brand identification want to think about
> Few purchase locations > Require much advertising &
personal selling
Industrial-goods Classification
 We classify industrial goods in terms of their relative cost and how they
enter the production process:

a) Materials and parts,
b) Capital items, and
c) Supplies and business services.
 Materials and Parts

 Materials and parts are goods that enter the manufacturer’s product completely.
 They fall into two classes:
 Raw materials, and
 Manufactured materials and parts.

Raw materials fall into two major groups:
a) Farm products (wheat, cotton, livestock,

fruits, and vegetables) and
b) Natural products (fish, lumber, crude
petroleum, iron ore).

 Capital Items (CI)
 CI are long-lasting goods that facilitate developing or managing the

finished product.
 They include two groups:
a) Installations and
b) Equipment.
 Installations consist of buildings (factories, offices) and heavy equipment
(generators, drill presses, mainframe computers, elevators).
 Installations are major purchases.
 They are usually bought directly from the producer, whose sales
force includes technical personnel, and a long negotiation precedes
the typical sale.
 Producers must be willing to design to specification and to supply
post sale services.
 Advertising is much less important than personal selling.

INDUSTRIAL-GOODS CLASSIFICATION
Equipment includes :
Portable factory equipment and tools (hand tools,
lift trucks) and
Office equipment (personal computers, desks).
 These types of equipment don’t become part of a finished product.
 They have a shorter life than installations but a longer life than
operating supplies.
 Although some equipment manufacturers sell direct, more often
they use intermediaries, because the market is geographically
dispersed, buyers are numerous, and orders are small.
 Quality, features, price, and service are major considerations.

 Supplies and Business Services (SABS)
SABS are short-term goods and services that facilitate
developing or managing the finished product.
Supplies are of two kinds:
a) Maintenance and repair items (paint, nails,

brooms) and
b) Operating supplies (lubricants, coal, writing

paper, pencils).

 Together, they go under the name of MRO goods.
 Supplies are the equivalent of convenience goods;

 they are usually purchased with minimum effort on a straight-rebuy basis.
 They are normally marketed through intermediaries because of their low
unit value and the great number and geographic dispersion of customers .
 Price and service are important considerations,
because suppliers are standardized and brand
preference is not high.

Business Services Include:

Maintenance and repair services (window
cleaning, copier repair)
Maintenance and repair services
are usually supplied under
contract by small producers or
from the manufacturers of the
original equipment.
Business advisory services (legal,
management consulting, advertising).
Business advisory services are
usually purchased on the basis of
11/4/2022 Chthe
4 Marketingsupplier’s
M anagement reputation and 26
New-Product Development Process
1. Idea generation
2. Idea screening
3. Concept development and testing
4. Marketing strategy development
5. Business analysis
6. Product development
7. Test marketing
8. Commercialization
11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 9-7 27

Product Strategy and
The Product Development Process
Idea Initial Business Design Market Commercialization
Generation Concept Analysis Prototype Testing
and Testing
Screening
Based on Research Estimate Design and Limited Plan targeting and

customer customer development, produce market timing of launch
needs and value of production working trials or
wants product and marketing prototypes simulate Plan production and
concepts mix costs d testing marketing mix support
Screen out Test Test for launch
unprofitable Refine Compare prototype different
or concept costs with functionality, marketin
unsuitable based on potential customer g mix
ideas research share, sales, appeal combinat
profitability to ions for
identify good support
candidates

The Product Life Cycle
Marketers must carefully monitor the
environment to determine where their
industry or product may be among the
following stages of the PLC:
• Introduction
• Growth
• Maturity
• Decline

Product Life Cycle
Sales and
Profits ($)
Sales
Profits
Time
Product Introduction Growth Maturity Decline
Develop-
ment
Losses/
Investments ($)

Introduction Stage of the PLC
Sales Low sales
Costs High cost per customer
Profits Negative
Create product awareness
Marketing Objectives and trial
Product Offer a basic product
Price Use cost-plus
Distribution Build selective distribution
Advertising Build product awareness among early

adopters and dealers
Growth Stage of the PLC
Sales Rapidly rising sales
Costs Average cost per customer
Profits Rising profits
Marketing Objectives Maximize market share

Offer product extensions, service,
Product warranty
Price Price to penetrate market
Distribution Build intensive distribution
Advertising Build awareness and interest in the

mass market
Maturity Stage of the PLC
Sales Peak sales
Costs Low cost per customer
Profits High profits
Marketing Objectives Maximize profit while defending

market share
Product Diversify brand and models
Price Price to match or best competitors
Distribution Build more intensive distribution
Advertising Stress brand differences and benefits

Decline Stage of the PLC
Sales Declining sales
Costs Low cost per customer
Profits Declining profits
Marketing Objectives Reduce expenditure and milk the brand
Product Phase out weak items
Price Cut price

Go selective: phase out unprofitable
Distribution outlets
Advertising Reduce to level needed to retain
hard-core loyal customers
Product Mix and Product Lines
• Product Mix: The overall assortment of all product
or services offered.
• Product Lines: A group of products that are all
similar in some way.
• Product Mix Width: Number of lines offered.
• Product line Depth: Number of products in a line.

Brand Strategy
Product Category
Existing New
Brand Name
Extension Extension
Existing Line Brand
Brands
Multibrands
New New
Brand Strategy
• Line Extension
– Existing brand names extended to new forms, sizes,
and flavors of an existing product category.
• Brand Extension
– Existing brand names extended to new product
categories.
• Multibrands
– New brand names introduced in the same product
category.
• New Brands
– New brand names in new product categories.
Branding
• Branding not only identifies a particular
product, but it sets it apart from the
competition.

The Power of Brand Equity
• Brand Equity: the extra value customers perceive that
enhances their long-term loyalty to a brand.
– Can insulate a company against competitive threats.
– Can help new products achieve acceptance.
• The Value of Strong Brands:

– Encourages brand loyalty.
– Boosts customer lifetime value.
• The total amount that a customer spends on a brand or with a
company during the life of their relationship.

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Chaper-4

Setting Product Strategy

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 1

• Value is captured in two key areas:

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 2

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 3

• Benefits: Need-satisfaction outcomes.

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 4

Many people think a product is tangible, but a

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 5

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 6

 In planning its market offering, the marketer needs to

1)The fundamental level is the core benefit: the

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 7

2)At the second level, the marketer must turn

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 8

3)At the third level, the marketer prepares an

Hotel guests minimally expect a:

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 9

4)At the fourth level, the marketer prepares

a) In developed countries, brand positioning

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 10

5)At the fifth level stands the potential product, which

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 11

Each augmentation adds cost, however,

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 12

 Marketers classify products on the basis of durability, tangibility, and use

Durability and Tangibility

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 13

b) Durable goods are tangible goods that normally survive

Durable products normally require more

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 14

 When we classify the vast array of consumer goods on the basis of

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 15

b)Shopping Goods (SGs)

 SGS are those the consumer characteristically compares on such

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 16

c)Specialty Goods (SGs)

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 17

d)Unsought Goods (UDS)

UGS are those the consumer does not know

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 18

Convenience Products Shopping Products

> Buy frequently & immediately > Buy less frequently

Specialty Products Unsought Products

> Special purchase efforts > New innovations

enter the production process:

 Materials and Parts

 They fall into two classes:

 Raw materials, and

 Manufactured materials and parts.

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 20

Raw materials fall into two major groups:

a) Farm products (wheat, cotton, livestock,

11/4/2022 Ch 4 Marketing M anagement 21

 Capital Items (CI)

 CI are long-lasting goods that facilitate developing or managing the