Selecting a Target Market and Establishing

a Position in the Market

(1 of 2)

Important Questions That All Start-ups Must Ask

In order to succeed, a new firm must address this important
issue: Who are our customers and how will we appeal to
them?
A well-managed start-up approaches this query by
following a three-step process:
Segmenting the market.
Selecting a target market.
Establishing a unique position in the target market.

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Selecting a Target Market and Establishing

a Position in the Market
(2 of 2)

The Process of Selecting a Target Market and Positioning Strategy

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Segmenting the Market

Market Segmentation
The first step in selecting a target market is to study a firms
industry and determine the different potential target markets
in that industry.
This process is called market segmentation.
Markets can be segmented in a number of different ways, including
product type, price point, and customers served.
For example, the computer industry can be segmented in the
following ways:
Product type (handheld computers, laptops, PCs, minicomputers,
and mainframes).
Customers served (individuals, business, education, and
government).
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Selecting a Target Market

Target Market
Once a firm has segmented the market, the next step is to
select a target market. The market must be sufficiently
attractive and the firm must have the capabilities to serve it.
Typically, a firm doesnt target an entire segment of a
market because many market segments are too large to
target successfully.
Instead, most firms target a niche within a segment.
For example, one segment of the computer industry is handheld
computers. Within this segment, there are several smaller niche
markets that represent a narrower group of customers with similar
needs.
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Establishing a Unique Position

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Positioning
After selecting a target market, the firms next step is to
establish a position within the market that differentiates
it from its competitors.
In a sense, a position is the part of a market or of a segment of
the market the firm is claiming as its own.

A firm establishes a unique position in its customers minds

by consistently drawing attention to two or three of its
products attributes that define the essence of what the
product is and what separates it from its competitors.

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Establishing a Unique Position

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Positioning (continued)
Firms often develop a tagline to reinforce the position
they have staked out in their market, or a phrase that is
used consistently in a companys literature and thus
becomes associated with the company.
An example is Nikes familiar tagline, Just do it.
The beauty of this simple three-word expression is that it applies
equally to a 21-year-old triathlete and a 65-year-old mall walker.

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Taglines
Match the Company to Its Tagline

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Selling Benefits Rather Than Features

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Selling Benefits Rather Than Features

Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of positioning their
companys products or services on features rather than
benefits.
A positioning or marketing strategy that focuses on the
features of a product, such as its technical merits, is usually
much less effective than a campaign focusing on what the
merits of the product can do.
Consider the example of the following slide.

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Selling Benefits Rather Than Features

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Two different approaches to promoting a cell phone
Approach
Selling Features

Selling Benefits

Conclusion

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Illustration
Our cell phones are equipped with sufficient memory to
store 100 phone numbers.
Our cell phones lets you store up to 100 phone numbers,
giving you the phone numbers of your family and your
friends at your fingertips.
While features are nice, they typically dont entice someone to buy a
product. The first statement tells a prospect how many phone
numbers the cell phone will hold, but doesnt tell the prospect why
thats important. The second statement tells a prospect why having
sufficient memory to store 100 phone number is important, and how
buying the product will enhance his or her life.
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Establishing a Brand
(1 of 4)

Establishing a Brand
A brand is the set of attributespositive or negativethat
people associate with a company.
These attributes can be positive, such as trustworthy, dependable,
or easy to deal with.
Or they can be negative, such as cheap, unreliable, or difficult to
deal with.

The customer loyalty a company creates through its brand

is one of its most valuable assets.

Brand Management
Some companies monitor the integrity of their brands
through a program called brand management.
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Establishing a Brand
(2 of 4)
Whats a Brand? Different Ways of Thinking About the
Meaning of a Brand

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Establishing a Brand
(3 of 4)

Establishing a Brand
So how does a firm establish a brand?
On a philosophical level, a firm must have meaning in its
customers lives. It must create valuesomething for which
customers are willing to pay.
On a more practical level, brands are built through a number of
techniques, including advertising, public relations, sponsorships,
support of social causes, and good performance.
A firms name, logo, Web site design, and even its letterhead are
part of its brand.
Its important for start-ups to have a polished image immediately so
that they have creditability when they approach potential
customers.

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Establishing a Brand
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Power of a Strong Brand

Ultimately, a strong brand can be a very powerful asset for
a firm.

Cobranding
One technique that companies use to strengthen their
brands is to enter into cobranding arrangements with other
firms.
Cobranding refers to a relationship between two or more
firms where the firms brands promote each another.

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The Four Ps of Marketing for New Ventures

Product

Price

Marketing Mix

Promotion

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Place
(or distribution)
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Product
Product
A firms product, in the context of the marketing mix, is the
good or service it offers to its target market.
The initial rollout is one of the most critical times in the
marketing of a new product.
All new firms face the challenge that they are unknown and that it
takes a leap of faith for their first customers to buy their products.
Some start-ups meet this challenge by using reference accounts.
A reference account is an early user of a firms product or service
who is willing to give a testimonial regarding his or her experience
with the product or service.

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Core Product vs. Actual Product

Core Product vs. Actual Product
As a firm prepares to sell its product, an important
distinction should be made between the core product and
the actual product.
The core product is the product itself, such as a CD that
contains an antivirus program.
The actual product, which is what the customer buys, may
have up to five attributes:
A quality level, features, design, a brand name, and packaging.

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Price
Price
Price is the amount of money consumers pay to buy a
product.
It is the only element of the marketing mix that produces revenue;
all other elements represent a cost.

The price a company charges for its products sends an

important message to its target market.
For example, Oakley positions its sunglasses as innovative, stateof-the-art products that are both high quality and visually
appealing.
This position in the market suggests a premium price that Oakley
charges.

Most entrepreneurs use one of two methods to set the price

for their products, as shown on the next slide.
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Approaches to Pricing
Two Approaches to Pricing
Approach to
Pricing

Cost-Based
Pricing

Value-Based
Pricing

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Description
In cost-based pricing, the list price is determined by adding a
markup percentage to a products cost. The advantage of this
method is that it is straightforward, and it is relatively easy to
justify the price of a good or service. The disadvantage is that it is
not always easy to estimate what the cost of a product will be.
In value-based pricing, the list price is determined by estimating
what consumers are willing to pay for a product and then backing
off a bit to provide a cushion. What a consumer is willing to pay is
determined by his or her perceived value of the product and by the
number of choices available in the marketplace. Most experts
recommend value-based pricing because it hinges on the
consumers perception of what a product or service is worth.
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Promotion
(1 of 2)

Promotion
Refers to the activities the firm takes to communicate the
merits of its product to its target market.
There are several common activities that entrepreneurs use
to promote their products and services.

Advertising
Advertising is making people aware of a product or service
in hopes of persuading them to buy it.

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Promotion
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Advertising (continued)
Advertisings major goals are to do the following:
Raise customer awareness of a product.
Explain a products comparative benefits.
Create associations between a product and a certain lifestyle.

Advertising has some major weaknesses, including the following:

Low credibility.
The possibility that a high percentage of the people who see the ad will not
be interested.
Message clutter.
Relatively costly compared to other forms of promotions.
The perception that advertising is intrusive.

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Putting Together an Advertisement

Steps Involved in Putting Together an Advertisement

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Google AdWords and AdSense Program

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AdWords
Allows advertisers to buy keywords on the Google Home
Page.
Triggers text-based ads to the side (and sometimes above)
search results when the keyword is used.
The program includes local, national, and international
distribution.
Advertisers pay a certain amount per click.
Advertisers benefit because they are able to place their ads
in front of people who are already searching for
information about their product.
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Google AdWords and AdSense Program

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AdSense
Allows advertisers to buy ads that will be shown on other
Web sites instead of Googles Home Page.
Google selects sites of interest to the advertisers
customers.
Advertisers are charged on a pay-per-click or a perthousand impression basis.
Advertisers benefit because the content of the ad is often
relevant to the Web site.
Web site owners benefit by using the service to monetize
their Web site.
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Public Relations
Public Relations
One of the most cost-effective ways to increase the
awareness of the products of a company is through public
relations.
Public relations refers to efforts to establish and maintain a
companys image with the public.
The major difference between public relations and
advertising is that public relations is not paid fordirectly.
The cost of public relations to a firm is the effort it makes to
network with journalists and other people to try to interest them in
saying or writing good things about the company and its products.
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Public Relations Techniques

Public Relations Techniques
Press release

Media coverage

Articles in industry
press and periodicals

Blogging

Monthly newsletter

News conference

Civic, social, and community

involvement
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Place (or Distribution)

Place
Place, or distribution, encompasses all the activities that
move a firms product from its place of origin to the
consumer.
The first choice a firm has to make regarding distribution is
whether to sell its products directly to consumers or
through intermediaries (such as wholesalers and retailers).
Within most industries, both choices are available, so the
decision typically depends on how a firm believes its target
market wants to buy its product.

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Approaches to Distribution
Selling direct versus selling through intermediaries
Approach to
Distribution

Selling Direct

Selling
Through
Intermediaries

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Description
Many firms sell direct to customers. Being able to control the
process of moving their products from their place of origin to the
end user instead of relying on third parties is a major advantage of
selling direct. The disadvantage of selling direct is that a firm has
more of its capital tied up because it must own or rent retail
outlets and must field a sales force.
Firms who sell through intermediaries pass off their products to
wholesalers who place them in retail outlets to be sold. An
advantage of this approach is that the firm does not need to own
as much of the distribution channel. The disadvantage of selling
through intermediaries is that a firm loses control of its product.
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Visual Depiction of Selling Direct Versus

Selling Through Intermediaries
Selling Direct Versus Selling Through Intermediaries

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