6. Let’s analyse now consuming from the viewpoint of product adoption and promotional mix.
At this juncture, I have changed the product from Toyota Mark II to a toothpaste brand called Aquafresh.
Product adoption process is a five stage process from the awareness creation to the acceptance of a product.
Regarding my product in question, my friend Antony was a good user of another type of toothpaste which goes by the name of Colgate, but the marketing team of Aquafresh toothpaste, used great marketing communication efforts through television, radio, magazines, internet to reach my friend and through their professional staff they clearly described the features and advantages of Aquafresh to my friend to raise his interest on the product. They went like:
· Did you know that when you brush, your teeth absorb essential ingredients from toothpaste? New AquaFresh Advanced offers advanced protection for you and your family - it not only fights cavities, promotes healthy gums and gently whitens teeth, it also strengthens teeth from the inside out
· Its Deep Strengthening Formula has been specially designed to actively release fluoride.
· It strengthens, not just on the tooth surface, but also penetrates deeper into the enamel to help replace lost calcium for a 25% improvement in tooth hardness
· Our freshest ever mint leaves your whole mouth feeling refreshingly clean.
My friend was made aware of the features, that awareness made him develop interest on the product, he started asking other people whether they use the product and how satisfied they are, he compared it with his former brand, he also compared the price, availability. He eventually decided he would take atrial of the product, he bought a couple of Aquafresh toothpaste for use to himself and his family, he was amazed by the feedback his family gave about aquafresh that they liked it and they can see the changes in their tooth and how their mouth feels after using it. He then bacame regular user of the product todate.
In terms of Aquafresh promotional mix, they used mass communication channels such as TV, radio, newspapers, internet to reach their target market, this was very effective since many people were covered. In areas where the interest was perceived to be on the higher side, they used personal sources like sales people, relatives and friends, this proved to be pretty effective.
7.At any cost?
The pricing of my product, on this scinario is affected, mostly by:
The Organisation and marketing objectives, which emphasize on putting a price that is affordable to many of their target
customers while allowing the Company to meet the cost of production. Of particular importance is also the price of thecompetition, on this the company is ready to go down to 5% on the set price.
Like the case with any other products the other marketing mix variables such as place (distribution), promotion, and
people, do have an impact on the manner this product is priced. Eg some places are too far from the centres thus
makes the transport cost and other logistics a bit higher, this slightly makes the price on the higher side.
My company chiefly use the marketing- orientated pricing, as mentioned above, they don´t only look at one particular factor but many other contributors to the market and more importantly customer satisfaction, production cost and the level of competition pricing. the strategy on pricing also differ with the marketing segment selected and targeted at a particular time, the company may choose to adopt penetration pricing, if entering a new segment to allow the company gain the reasonable market share. And also at other areas they use price skimming since the customers are already loyal and they know the product well thus are ready to pay higher price due to quality awareness and goodwill.
The relationship between the price of the product and the consumer personality is as covered above, depends on the awareness already created, and price varies with the customer layalty and acceptance of the product. However generally speaking once customer have tested the product they most likely adopt and ready to pay the price.
