Specialized Features
New coverage
in every chapter
of the fourteenth
edition shows how companies
and consumers are dealing with
marketing and the uncertain
economy
in the aftermath
of the recent Great Recession.
5
1
to Enhance Your Learning
Throughout the fourteenth
edition, you will find
revised coverage of the
rapidly
changing nature of customer
relationships
and new material on such
topics as
customer-managed
relationships, crowdsourcing, social
networking,
and
consumer-generated
marketing.
to end, a fully
integrated
customer value framework
captures the essence of today’s
marketing.
3
The
enhanced-learning
design
of the book features
annotated, illustrated
chapter-opening vignettes to introduce key chapter
concepts. For each chapter, the Objectives
Outline shows what students will need to
know and where to find it. The
end-of-chapter Reviewing Objectives and Key
Terms summary tie back to the chapter
objectives.
4
Updated
annotated figures
and
author comments
throughout each chapter
provide the authors’ insights on key points.
•
Study Plan.
The Study Plan helps ensure that you have a
basic understanding of course material
before
coming to class by
guiding you directly to the pages you need to review.
•
Mini-Simulations.
Move beyond the basics with interactive
simulations that place you in a realistic marketing situation and
require you to make decisions based on marketing concepts.
•
Applied Theories.
Get involved with detailed videos,
interactive cases, and critical-thinking exercises.
•
Critical Thinking.
Experience real marketing situations that
might not always have a right answer but will have a best answer.
This allows for great discussion and debate with your classmates.
And More:
•
Self-Assessments
•
Videos
•
Pearson eText
•
Flash Cards
Principles of
Principles of
Marketing
14
|
E
PHILIP
Kotler
Northwestern UniversityGARY
Armstrong
University of North CarolinaPearson Prentice Hall
Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kotler, Philip.
Principles of marketing / Philip Kotler, Gary Armstrong. -- 14th ed. p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-216712-3
ISBN-10: 0-13-216712-3
1. Marketing. I. Armstrong, Gary (Gary M.) II. Title. HF5415.K636 2011
658.8--dc22
2010052017
DEDICATION
vii
As a team,Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong provide a blend of skills uniquely suited to writing an introductory marketing text. Professor Kotler is one of the world’s leading au-thorities on marketing. Professor Armstrong is an award-winning teacher of undergraduate business students. Together they make the complex world of marketing practical, approach-able, and enjoyable.
PHILIP KOTLER
is S. C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. He received his master’s degree at the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. at M.I.T., both in econom-ics. Dr. Kotler is author of Marketing Management(Pearson Prentice Hall), now in its four-teenth edition and the world’s most widely used marketing textbook in graduate schools of business worldwide. He has authored dozens of other successful books and has written more than 100 articles in leading journals. He is the only three-time winner of the coveted Alpha Kappa Psi award for the best annual article in the Journal of Marketing.Professor Kotler was named the first recipient of two major awards: the Distinguished Marketing Educator of the Year Award given by the American Marketing Association and the Philip Kotler Award for Excellence in Health Care Marketing presented by the Academy for Health Care Services Marketing. His numerous other major honors include the Sales and Marketing Executives International Marketing Educator of the Year Award; The European Association of Marketing Consultants and Trainers Marketing Excellence Award; the Charles Coolidge Parlin Marketing Research Award; and the Paul D. Converse Award, given by the American Marketing Association to honor “outstanding contributions to sci-ence in marketing.” A recent Forbessurvey ranks Professor Kotler in the top 10 of the world’s most influential business thinkers. And in a recent Financial Timespoll of 1,000 senior exec-utives across the world, Professor Kotler was ranked as the fourth “most influential busi-ness writer/guru” of the twenty-first century.
Dr. Kotler has served as chairman of the College on Marketing of the Institute of Manage-ment Sciences, a director of the American Marketing Association, and a trustee of the Market-ing Science Institute. He has consulted with many major U.S. and international companies in the areas of marketing strategy and planning, marketing organization, and international mar-keting. He has traveled and lectured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and South America, advising companies and governments about global marketing practices and opportunities.
GARY ARMSTRONG
is Crist W. Blackwell Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Undergraduate Education in the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business from Wayne State University in Detroit, and he received his Ph.D. in marketing from North-western University. Dr. Armstrong has contributed numerous articles to leading business journals. As a consultant and researcher, he has worked with many companies on market-ing research, sales management, and marketmarket-ing strategy.But Professor Armstrong’s first love has always been teaching. His long-held Blackwell Distinguished Professorship is the only permanent endowed professorship for distin-guished undergraduate teaching at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has been very active in the teaching and administration of Kenan-Flagler’s undergraduate pro-gram. His administrative posts have included Chair of Marketing, Associate Director of the Undergraduate Business Program, Director of the Business Honors Program, and many oth-ers. Through the years, he has worked closely with business student groups and has re-ceived several campuswide and Business School teaching awards. He is the only repeat recipient of school’s highly regarded Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, which he received three times. Most recently, Professor Armstrong received the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest teaching honor bestowed by the sixteen-campus University of North Carolina system.
Preface xvi
Part 1: Defining Marketing and the Marketing Process 2 1 Marketing: Creating and Capturing Customer Value 2
2 Company and Marketing Strategy: Partnering to Build Customer Relationships 36
Part 2: Understanding the Marketplace and Consumers 64 3 Analyzing the Marketing Environment 64
4 Managing Marketing Information to Gain Customer Insights 96
5 Consumer Markets and Consumer Buyer Behavior 132 6 Business Markets and Business Buyer Behavior 164
Part 3: Designing a Customer-Driven Strategy and Mix 188
7 Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy: Creating Value for Target Customers 188
8 Products, Services, and Brands: Building Customer Value 222
9 New Product Development and Product Life-Cycle Strategies 258 10 Pricing: Understanding and Capturing Customer Value 288 11 Pricing Strategies 312
12 Marketing Channels: Delivering Customer Value 338
13 Retailing and Wholesaling 372
14 Communicating Customer Value: Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy 406
15 Advertising and Public Relations 434 16 Personal Selling and Sales Promotion 462
17 Direct and Online Marketing: Building Direct Customer Relationships 494
Part 4: Extending Marketing 526 18 Creating Competitive Advantage 526
19 The Global Marketplace 550
20 Sustainable Marketing: Social Responsibility and Ethics 580
Appendix 1 Marketing Plan A1
Appendix 2 Marketing by the Numbers A11
References R1 Glossary G1 Credits C1 Index I1
ix
Preface xvi
Part 1: Defining Marketing and the Marketing Process 2
Marketing: Creating and Capturing
Customer Value 2
What Is Marketing? 4
Marketing Defined 5 | The Marketing Process 5 Understanding the Marketplace and Customer Needs 6
Customer Needs, Wants, and Demands 6 | Market Offerings— Products, Services, and Experiences 6 | Customer Value and Satisfaction 7 | Exchanges and Relationships 7 | Markets 7 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy 8
Selecting Customers to Serve 8 | Choosing a Value Proposition 9 | Marketing Management Orientations 9
Preparing an Integrated Marketing Plan and Program 12 Building Customer Relationships 12
Customer Relationship Management 12 | The Changing Nature of Customer Relationships 16 | Partner Relationship
Management 19
Capturing Value from Customers 20
Creating Customer Loyalty and Retention 20 | Growing Share of Customer 21 | Building Customer Equity 21
The Changing Marketing Landscape 22
The Uncertain Economic Environment 23 | The Digital Age 26 | Rapid Globalization 27 | Sustainable Marketing—The Call for More Social Responsibility 27 | The Growth of Not-for-Profit Marketing 28
So, What Is Marketing? Pulling It All Together 29
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 30 | Key Terms 31 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 32 | Focus on Technology 32 | Focus on Ethics 33 | Marketing & the Economy 33 | Marketing by the Numbers 33
Video Case: Stew Leonard’s 34
Company Case: JetBlue: Delighting Customers Through Happy Jetting 34
Company and Marketing Strategy:
Partnering to Build Customer
Relationships 36
Company-Wide Strategic Planning: Defining Marketing’s Role 38
Defining a Market-Oriented Mission 39 | Setting Company Objectives and Goals 40 | Designing the Business Portfolio 40
xi
Contents
Planning Marketing: Partnering to Build Customer Relationships 45
Partnering with Other Company Departments 46 | Partnering with Others in the Marketing System 47
Marketing Strategy and the Marketing Mix 48
Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy 48 | Developing an Integrated Marketing Mix 51
Managing the Marketing Effort 53
Marketing Analysis 53 | Marketing Planning 54 | Marketing Implementation 54 | Marketing Department Organization 55 | Marketing Control 56
Measuring and Managing Return on Marketing Investment 57 Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 59 | Key Terms 60 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 60 | Focus on Technology 60 | Focus on Ethics 61 | Marketing & the Economy 61 | Marketing by the Numbers 61
Video Case: Live Nation 62
Company Case: Trap-Ease America: The Big Cheese of Mousetraps 62
Part 2: Understanding the Marketplace and Consumers 64
Analyzing the Marketing
Environment 64
The Microenvironment 66
The Company 67 | Suppliers 67 | Marketing Intermediaries 68 | Competitors 68 | Publics 69 | Customers 69
The Macroenvironment 70
The Demographic Environment 70 | The Economic Environment 77 | The Natural Environment 78 | The Technological Environment 80 | The Political and Social Environment 81 | The Cultural Environment 86 Responding to the Marketing Environment 89
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 91 | Key Terms 92 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 92 | Focus on Technology 93 | Focus on Ethics 93 | Marketing & the Economy 93 | Marketing by the Numbers 93
Video Case: TOMS Shoes 94
Company Case: Target: From “Expect More” to “Pay Less” 94
Managing Marketing Information
to Gain Customer Insights 96
Marketing Information and Customer Insights 98 Assessing Marketing Information Needs 100 Part 2: Understanding the Marketplace and Consumers (Chapters 3–6) Part 3: Designing a Customer-Driven Strategy and Mix (Chapters 7–17) Part 4: Extending Marketing (Chapters 18–20)
1
2
3
Developing Marketing Information 100
Internal Data 100 | Competitive Marketing Intelligence 101 Marketing Research 103
Defining the Problem and Research Objectives 103 | Developing the Research Plan 104 | Gathering Secondary Data 104 | Primary Data Collection 106 | Implementing the Research Plan 118 | Interpreting and Reporting the Findings 118 Analyzing and Using Marketing Information 119
Customer Relationship Management 119 | Distributing and Using Marketing Information 120
Other Marketing Information Considerations 121 Marketing Research in Small Businesses and Nonprofit Organizations 121 | International Marketing Research 123 | Public Policy and Ethics in Marketing Research 124
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 126 | Key Terms 127 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 127 | Focus on Technology 128 | Focus on Ethics 128 | Marketing & the Economy 128 | Marketing by the Numbers 129
Video Case: Radian6 129
Company Case: Harrah’s Entertainment: Hitting the CRM Jackpot 129
Consumer Markets and Consumer
Buyer Behavior 132
Model of Consumer Behavior 134
Characteristics Affecting Consumer Behavior 135 Cultural Factors 135 | Social Factors 139 | Personal Factors 144 | Psychological Factors 147
Types of Buying Decision Behavior 150
Complex Buying Behavior 150 | Dissonance-Reducing Buying Behavior 151 | Habitual Buying Behavior 151 | Variety-Seeking Buying Behavior 152
The Buyer Decision Process 152
Need Recognition 152 | Information Search 152 | Evaluation of Alternatives 153 | Purchase Decision 154 | Postpurchase Behavior 154
The Buyer Decision Process for New Products 156 Stages in the Adoption Process 156 | Individual Differences in Innovativeness 157 | Influence of Product Characteristics on Rate of Adoption 157
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 158 | Key Terms 159 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 159 | Focus on Technology 160 | Focus on Ethics 160 | Marketing & the Economy 161 | Marketing by the Numbers 161
Video Case: Radian6 161
Company Case: Porsche: Guarding the Old While Bringing in the New 162
Business Markets and Business
Buyer Behavior 164
Business Markets 166
Market Structure and Demand 167 | Nature of the Buying Unit 168 | Types of Decisions and the Decision Process 168
Business Buyer Behavior 170
Major Type of Buying Situations 171 | Participants in the Business Buying Process 172 | Major Influences on Business Buyers 173 | The Business Buying Process 176 | E-Procurement: Buying on the Internet 178
Institutional and Government Markets 180
Institutional Markets 180 | Government Markets 181
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 183 | Key Terms 183 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 184 | Focus on Technology 184 | Focus on Ethics 185 | Marketing & the Economy 185 | Marketing by the Numbers 185
Video Case: Eaton 185
Company Case: Cisco Systems: Solving Business Problems Through Collaboration 186
Part 3: Designing a Customer-Driven Strategy and Mix 188
Customer-Driven Marketing
Strategy: Creating Value for Target
Customers 188
Market Segmentation 190
Segmenting Consumer Markets 191 | Segmenting Business Markets 198 | Segmenting International Markets 199 | Requirements for Effective Segmentation 200
Market Targeting 200
Evaluating Market Segments 201 | Selecting Target Market Segments 201
Differentiation and Positioning 207
Positioning Maps 208 | Choosing a Differentiation and Positioning Strategy 208 | Communicating and Delivering the Chosen Position 215
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 216 | Key Terms 217 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 217 | Focus on Technology 218 | Focus on Ethics 218 | Marketing & the Economy 218 | Marketing by the Numbers 218
Video Case: Meredith 219
Company Case: Starbucks: Just Who Is the Starbucks Customer? 219
Products, Services, and Brands:
Building Customer Value 222
What Is a Product? 224
Products, Services, and Experiences 224 | Levels of Product and Services 225 | Product and Service Classifications 226 Product and Service Decisions 229
Individual Product and Service Decisions 229 | Product Line Decisions 234 | Product Mix Decisions 235
Services Marketing 236
The Nature and Characteristics of a Service 236 | Marketing Strategies for Service Firms 238
5
6
7
Branding Strategy: Building Strong Brands 243
Brand Equity 243 | Building Strong Brands 244 | Managing Brands 251
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 252 | Key Terms 253 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 253 | Focus on Technology 254 | Focus on Ethics 254 | Marketing & the Economy 254 | Marketing by the Numbers 255
Video Case: General Mills—GoGurt 255
Company Case: Las Vegas: What’s Not Happening in Vegas 255
New Product Development and
Product Life-Cycle Strategies 258
New-Product Development Strategy 260 The New-Product Development Process 261
Idea Generation 261 | Idea Screening 264 | Concept Development and Testing 264 | Marketing Strategy Development 265 | Business Analysis 266 | Product Development 266 | Test Marketing 267 |
Commercialization 268
Managing New-Product Development 269
Customer-Centered New-Product Development 269 | Team-Based New-Product Development 270 | Systematic New-Product Development 270 | New-Product Development in Turbulent Times 272
Product Life-Cycle Strategies 273
Introduction Stage 275 | Growth Stage 275 | Maturity Stage 277 | Decline Stage 278
Additional Product and Service Considerations 280
Product Decisions and Social Responsibility 280 | International Product and Services Marketing 280
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 282 | Key Terms 283 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 283 | Focus on Technology 284 | Focus on Ethics 284 | Marketing & the Economy 284 | Marketing by the Numbers 285
Video Case: General Mills—FiberOne 285
Company Case: Samsung: From Gallop to Run 285
Pricing: Understanding and
Capturing Customer Value 288
What Is a Price? 290 Major Pricing Strategies 291
Customer Value-Based Pricing 291 | Cost-Based Pricing 295 | Competition-Based Pricing 299
Other Internal and External Considerations Affecting Price Decisions 300
Overall Marketing Strategy, Objectives, and Mix 300 | Organizational Considerations 301 | The Market and
Demand 301 | The Economy 303 | Other External Factors 304
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 306 | Key Terms 307 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 308 | Focus on Technology 308 | Focus on Ethics 308 | Marketing & the Economy 309 | Marketing by the Numbers 309
Video Case: IKEA 309
Company Case: Southwest Airlines: Balancing the Price-Value Equation 310
Pricing Strategies 312
New-Product Pricing Strategies 314
Market-Skimming Pricing 314 | Market-Penetration Pricing 314 Product Mix Pricing Strategies 315
Product Line Pricing 315 | Optional Product Pricing 316 | Captive Product Pricing 316 | By-Product Pricing 316 | Product Bundle Pricing 318
Price Adjustment Strategies 319
Discount and Allowance Pricing 319 | Segmented Pricing 319 | Psychological Pricing 320 | Promotional Pricing 321 |
Geographical Pricing 322 | Dynamic Pricing 323 | International Fricing 324
Price Changes 325
Initiating Price Changes 325 | Responding to Price Changes 327 Public Policy and Marketing 328
Pricing within Channel Levels 328 | Pricing Across Channel Levels 331
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 332 | Key Terms 333 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 333 | Focus on Technology 334 | Focus on Ethics 334 | Marketing & the Economy 334 | Marketing by the Numbers 334
Video Case: Smashburger 335
Company Case: Payless ShoeSource: Paying Less for Fashion 335
Marketing Channels: Delivering
Customer Value 338
Supply Chains and the Value Delivery Network 340 The Nature and Importance of Marketing Channels 341
How Channel Members Add Value 342 | Number of Channel Levels 343
Channel Behavior and Organization 344
Channel Behavior 344 | Vertical Marketing Systems 345 | Horizontal Marketing Systems 348 | Multichannel Distribution Systems 349 | Changing Channel Organization 350
Channel Design Decisions 351
Analyzing Consumer Needs 351 | Setting Channel
Objectives 352 | Identifying Major Alternatives 352 | Evaluating the Major Alternatives 353 | Designing International Distribution Channels 354
Channel Management Decisions 354
Selecting Channel Members 355 | Managing and Motivating Channel Members 355 | Evaluating Channel Members 356 Public Policy and Distribution Decisions 356
Marketing Logistics and Supply Chain Management 357 Nature and Importance of Marketing Logistics 357 | Goals of the Logistics System 358 | Major Logistics Functions 360 |
Integrated Logistics Management 363
9
10
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 366 | Key Terms 367 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 368 | Focus on Technology 368 | Focus on Ethics 368 | Marketing & the Economy 369 | Marketing by the Numbers 369
Video Case: Progressive 369
Company Case: Netflix: Disintermediator or Disintermediated? 369
Retailing and Wholesaling 372
Retailing 374
Types of Retailers 375 | Retailer Marketing Decisions 382 | Retailing Trends and Developments 389
Wholesaling 394
Types of Wholesalers 396 | Wholesaler Marketing Decisions 396 | Trends in Wholesaling 399
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 400 | Key Terms 401 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 401 | Focus on Technology 402 | Focus on Ethics 402 | Marketing & the Economy 402 | Marketing by the Numbers 403
Video Case: Zappos.com 403
Company Case: Tesco Fresh & Easy: Another British Invasion 403
The New Marketing Communications Model 409 | The Need for Integrated Marketing Communications 410
A View of the Communication Process 414
Steps in Developing Effective Marketing Communication 415 Identifying the Target Audience 415 | Determining the Communication Objectives 416 | Designing a Message 417 | Choosing Media 418 | Selecting the Message Source 420 | Collecting Feedback 420
Setting the Total Promotion Budget and Mix 422
Setting the Total Promotion Budget 422 | Shaping the Overall Promotion Mix 424 | Integrating the Promotion Mix 426 Socially Responsible Marketing Communication 427
Advertising and Sales Promotion 427 | Personal Selling 428
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 428 | Key Terms 429 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 429 | Focus on Technology 430 | Focus on Ethics 430 | Marketing & the Economy 431 | Marketing by the Numbers 431
Video Case: CP⫹B 431
Company Case: Pepsi: Can a Soda Really Make the World a Better Place? 432
Advertising and Public Relations 434
Advertising 436
Setting Advertising Objectives 437 | Setting the Advertising Budget 438 | Developing Advertising Strategy 439 | Evaluating
Advertising Effectiveness and the Return on Advertising Investment 449 | Other Advertising Considerations 450 Public Relations 454
The Role and Impact of PR 455 | Major Public Relations Tools 456
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 457 | Key Terms 458 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 458 | Focus on Technology 459 | Focus on Ethics 459 | Marketing & the Economy 459 | Marketing by the Numbers 460
Video Case: E*TRADE 460
Company Case: OgilvyOne: It’s Not Creative Unless It Sells 460
Personal Selling and Sales
Promotion 462
Personal Selling 464
The Nature of Personal Selling 464 | The Role of the Sales Force 465
Managing the Sales Force 468
Designing the Sales Force Strategy and Structure 468 | Recruiting and Selecting Salespeople 472 | Training
Salespeople 473 | Compensating Salespeople 474 | Supervising and Motivating Salespeople 474 | Evaluating Salespeople and Sales Force Performance 477
The Personal Selling Process 478
Steps in the Selling Process 478 | Personal Selling and Managing Customer Relationships 480
Sales Promotion 481
The Rapid Growth of Sales Promotion 482 | Sales Promotion Objectives 482 | Major Sales Promotion Tools 483 | Developing the Sales Promotion Program 487
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 488 | Key Terms 489 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 489 | Focus on Technology 490 | Focus on Ethics 490 | Marketing & the Economy 490 | Marketing by the Numbers 490
Video Case: Nestlé Waters 491
Company Case: HP: Overhauling a Vast Corporate Sales Force 491
Direct and Online Marketing:
Building Direct Customer
Relationships 494
The New Direct Marketing Model 496 Growth and Benefits of Direct Marketing 497
Benefits to Buyers 497 | Benefits to Sellers 498 Customer Databases and Direct Marketing 499 Forms of Direct Marketing 500
Direct-Mail Marketing 501 | Catalog Marketing 502 | Telephone Marketing 502 | Direct-Response Television Marketing 503 | Kiosk Marketing 504 | New Digital Direct Marketing Technologies 505
Online Marketing 508
Marketing and the Internet 508 | Online Marketing
Domains 509 | Setting Up an Online Marketing Presence 513
14
15
16
Public Policy Issues in Direct Marketing 518
Irritation, Unfairness, Deception, and Fraud 518 | Invasion of Privacy 519 | A Need for Action 520
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 521 | Key Terms 522 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 522 | Focus on Technology 522 | Focus on Ethics 523 | Marketing & the Economy 523 | Marketing by the Numbers 523
Video Case: Zappos.com 524
Company Case: EBay: Fixing an Online Marketing Pioneer 524
Part 4: Extending Marketing 526
Creating Competitive
Advantage 526
Competitor Analysis 528
Identifying Competitors 528 | Assessing Competitors 529 | Selecting Competitors to Attack and Avoid 531 | Designing a Competitive Intelligence System 533
Competitive Strategies 535
Approaches to Marketing Strategy 535 | Basic Competitive Strategies 536 | Competitive Positions 538 | Market Leader Strategies 538 | Market Challenger Strategies 541 | Market Follower Strategies 542 | Market Nicher Strategies 543 Balancing Customer and Competitor Orientations 544
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 545 | Key Terms 546 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 546 | Focus on Technology 546 | Focus on Ethics 546 | Marketing & the Economy 547 | Marketing by the Numbers 547
Video Case: Umpqua Bank 547
Company Case: Ford: Resurrecting an Iconic Company 548
The Global Marketplace 550
Global Marketing Today 552
Looking at the Global Marketing Environment 554 The International Trade System 554 | Economic
Environment 556 | Political-Legal Environment 557 | Cultural Environment 557
Deciding Whether to Go Global 560 Deciding Which Markets to Enter 561 Deciding How to Enter the Market 562
Exporting 563 | Joint Venturing 563 | Direct Investment 565
Deciding on the Global Marketing Program 565 Product 566 | Promotion 569 | Price 571 | Distribution Channels 572
Deciding on the Global Marketing Organization 573
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 574 | Key Terms 575 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 575 | Focus on Technology 576 | Focus on Ethics 576 | Marketing & the Economy 576 | Marketing by the Numbers 577
Video Case: Monster 577
Company Case: Nokia: Envisioning a Connected World 577
Sustainable Marketing: Social
Responsibility and Ethics 580
Sustainable Marketing 582 Social Criticisms of Marketing 584
Marketing’s Impact on Individual Consumers 584 | Marketing’s Impact on Society as a Whole 589 | Marketing’s Impact on Other Businesses 591
Consumer Actions to Promote Sustainable Marketing 592 Consumerism 592 | Environmentalism 593 | Public Actions to Regulate Marketing 599
Business Actions Toward Sustainable Marketing 599 Sustainable Marketing Principles 599 | Marketing Ethics 604 | The Sustainable Company 608
Reviewing Objectives and Key Terms 608 | Key Terms 609 | Discussing & Applying the Concepts 609 | Focus on Technology 610 | Focus on Ethics 610 | Marketing & the Economy 610 | Marketing by the Numbers 611
Video Case: Land Rover 611
Company Case: International Paper: Combining Industry and Social Responsibility 611
Appendix 1: Marketing Plan A1
Appendix 2: Marketing by the Numbers A11
References R1 Glossary G1 Credits C1 Index I1
18
19
xvi
The Fourteenth Edition of
Principles of Marketing
!
Still Creating More Value for You!
The goal of every marketer is to create more value for customers. So it makes sense that our goal for the fourteenth edition is to continue creating more value for you—ourcustomer. Our goal is to introduce new marketing students to the fascinating world of modern mar-keting in an innovative and comprehensive yet practical and enjoyable way. We’ve poured over every page, table, figure, fact, and example in an effort to make this the best text from which to learn about and teach marketing. Enhanced by mymarketinglab, our online home-work and personalized study tool, the fourteenth edition creates exceptional value for both students and professors.
Marketing: Creating Customer Value
and Relationships
Top marketers at outstanding companies share a common goal: putting the consumer at the heart of marketing. Today’s marketing is all about creating customer value and building profitable customer relationships. It starts with understanding consumer needs and wants, determining which target markets the organization can serve best, and developing a com-pelling value proposition by which the organization can attract and grow valued con-sumers. If the organization does these things well, it will reap the rewards in terms of mar-ket share, profits, and customer equity.
Five Major Value Themes
From beginning to end, the fourteenth edition of Principles of Marketingdevelops an innova-tive customer-value and customer-relationships framework that captures the essence of to-day’s marketing. It builds on five major value themes:
1. Creating value forcustomers in order to capture value fromcustomers in return. To-day’s marketers must be good at creating customer valueandmanaging customer relation-ships. Outstanding marketing companies understand the marketplace and customer needs, design value-creating marketing strategies, develop integrated marketing pro-grams that deliver customer value and delight, and build strong customer relation-ships. In return, they capture value from customers in the form of sales, profits, and customer loyalty.
Preface
Design a customer-driven
marketing strategy
Construct an integrated marketing program
that delivers superior value
Build profitable relationships and
create customer delight
Capture value from customers to create profits and customer equity
Understand the marketplace and
customer needs and wants
Create value forcustomersand build customer relationships
Capture value from
customers in return
FIGURE
|
1.1A Simple Model of the Marketing Process
This innovative customer-value frameworkis introduced at the start of Chapter 1 in a five-step marketing process model, which details how marketing createscustomer value and capturesvalue in return. The framework is carefully developed in the first two chapters and then fully integrated throughout the remainder of the text.
2. Building and managing strong, value-creating brands.Well-positioned brands with
strong brand equity provide the basis upon which to build customer value and prof-itable customer relationships. Today’s marketers must position their brands powerfully and manage them well. They must build close brand relationships and experiences with customers.
3. Measuring and managing return on marketing.Marketing managers must ensure that their marketing dollars are being well spent. In the past, many marketers spent freely on big, expensive marketing programs, often without thinking carefully about the financial returns on their spending. But all that has changed rapidly. “Marketing accountability”—measuring and managing return on marketing investments—has now become an important part of strategic marketing decision making. This emphasis on marketing accountability is addressed throughout the fourteenth edition.
4. Harnessing new marketing technologies.New digital and other high-tech marketing developments are dramatically changing how consumers and marketers relate to one another. The fourteenth edition thoroughly explores the new technologies impacting marketing, from “Web 3.0” in Chapter 1 to new digital marketing and online technolo-gies in Chapters 15 and 17 to the exploding use of online social networks and customer-generated marketing in Chapters 1, 5, 14, 15, 17, and elsewhere.
5. Sustainable marketing around the globe. As technological developments make the world an increasingly smaller and more fragile place, marketers must be good at mar-keting their brands globally and in sustainable ways. New material throughout the fourteenth edition emphasizes the concept of sustainable marketing—meeting the pres-ent needs of consumers and businesses while also preserving or enhancing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
New in the Fourteenth Edition
We’ve thoroughly revised the fourteenth edition of Principles of Marketingto reflect the ma-jor trends and forces impacting marketing in this era of customer value and relationships. Here are just some of the major and continuing changes you’ll find in this edition.
• New coverage in every chapter of the fourteenth edition shows how companies and consumers are dealing with marketing and the uncertain economyin the aftermath
of the recent Great Recession. Starting with a major new section in Chapter 1 and continuing with new sections, discussions, and examples integrated throughout the text, the fourteenth edition shows how, now more than ever, marketers must focus on creating customer value and sharpening their value propositions to serve the needs of today’s more frugal consumers. At the end of each chapter, a new feature—Marketing and the Economy—provides real examples for discussion and learning.
• Throughout the fourteenth edition, you will find revised coverage of the rapidly
changing nature of customer relationshipswith companies and brands. Today’s mar-keters aim to create deep consumer involvement and a sense of community surround-ing a brand—to make the brand a meansurround-ingful part of consumers’ conversations and their lives. Today’s new relationship-building tools include everything from Web sites, blogs, in-person events, and video sharing to online communities and social networks such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, or a company’s own social networking sites. • The fourteenth edition contains new material on the continuing trend toward two-way
interactions between customers and brands, including such topics as customer-managed relationships,crowdsourcing,andconsumer-generated marketing. Today’s
• This edition provides revised and expanded discussions of new marketing technologies, from “Web 3.0” in Chapter 1 to “Webnography” research tools in Chap-ter 4 to neuromarketing in ChapChap-ter 5 and the dazzling new digital marketing and on-line technologies in Chapters 1, 15, and 17.
• New material throughout the fourteenth edition highlights the increasing importance ofsustainable marketing. The discussion begins in Chapter 1 and ends in Chapter 20,
which pulls marketing together under a sustainable marketing framework. In between, frequent discussions and examples show how sustainable marketing calls for socially and environmentally responsible actions that meet both the immediate and the future needs of customers, companies, and society as a whole.
• The fourteenth edition continues its emphasis on measuring and managing return on marketing, including many new end-of-chapter financial and quantitative marketing
exercises that let students apply analytical thinking to relevant concepts in each chap-ter and link chapchap-ter concepts to the text’s innovative and comprehensive Appendix 2: Marketing by the Numbers.
• The fourteenth edition provides revised and expanded coverage of the developments in the fast-changing areas of integrated marketing communicationsanddirect and on-line marketing. It tells how marketers are blending the new digital and direct
technolo-gies with traditional media to create more targeted, personal, and interactive customer relationships. No other text provides more current or encompassing coverage of these exciting developments.
• Restructured pricingchapters (Chapters 10 and 11) provide improved coverage of
pric-ing strategies and tactics in an uncertain economy. And a reorganized products, ser-vices, and brands chapter (Chapter 8) helps to promote the text’s coverage of services marketingand better applies the branding strategy discussions that follow to both
products and services.
• The fourteenth edition continues to improve on its innovative learning design. The
text’s active and integrative presentation includes learning enhancements such as an-notated chapter-opening stories, a chapter-opening objective outline, and explanatory author comments on major chapter sections and figures. The chapter-opening layout helps to preview and position the chapter and its key concepts. Figures annotated with author comments help students to simplify and organize chapter material. End-of-chapter features help to summarize important End-of-chapter concepts and highlight impor-tant themes, such as marketing and the economy, marketing technology, ethics, and financial marketing analysis. In all, the innovative learning design facilitates student understanding and eases learning.
An Emphasis on Real Marketing
Principles of Marketingfeatures in-depth, real-world examples and stories that show con-cepts in action and reveal the drama of modern marketing. In the fourteenth edition, every chapter opening vignette and Real Marketing highlight has been updated or replaced to provide fresh and relevant insights into real marketing practices. Learn how:
• Web seller Zappos.com’s obsession with creating the very best customer experience has resulted in avidly loyal customers and astronomical growth.
• Nike’s customer-focused mission and deep sense of customer brand community have the company sprinting ahead while competitors are gasping for breath.
• Trader Joe’s unique “cheap gourmet” price-value strategy has earned it an almost cult-like following of devoted customers who love what they get for the prices they pay. • ESPN has built a global brand empire as much recognized and revered as megabrands
such as Coca-Cola, Nike, or Google.
• Dunkin’ Donuts successfully targets the “Dunkin’ Tribe”—not the Starbucks snob but the average Joe.
• Four Seasons hotels has perfected the art of high-touch, carefully crafted service, prompting one customer to reflect: “If there’s a heaven, I hope it’s run by Four Seasons.” • The “Häagen-Dazs loves honey bees” integrated marketing campaign has helped make Häagen-Dazs more than just another premium ice cream brand—it’s now “a brand with a heart and a soul.”
• Hyundai hit the accelerator on marketing when the slow economy caused rivals to throttle down, making it the world’s fastest growing major car company.
• McDonald’s, the quintessentially all-American company, now sells more burgers and fries outside the United States than within.
• Google’s odyssey into mainland China—and back out again—vividly illustrates the prospects and perils of going global.
Beyond these features, each chapter is packed with countless real, relevant, and timely examples that reinforce key concepts. No other text brings marketing to life like the four-teenth edition of Principles of Marketing.
Valuable Learning Aids
A wealth of chapter-opening, within-chapter, and end-of-chapter learning devices help stu-dents to learn, link, and apply major concepts:
• Chapter Preview.As part of the active and integrative chapter-opening design, a brief section at the beginning of each chapter previews chapter concepts, links them with previous chapter concepts, and introduces the chapter-opening story.
• Chapter-opening marketing stories.Each chapter begins with an engaging, deeply devel-oped, illustrated, and annotated marketing story that introduces the chapter material and sparks student interest.
• Objective outline.This chapter-opening feature provides a helpful preview outline of chapter contents and learning objectives, complete with page numbers.
• Author comments and figure annotations.Throughout the chapter, author comments ease and enhance student learning by introducing and explaining major chapter sections and organizing figures.
• Real Marketing highlights.Each chapter contains two highlight features that provide an in-depth look at real marketing practices of large and small companies.
• Reviewing the Objectives and Key Terms.A summary at the end of each chapter reviews major chapter concepts, chapter objectives, and key terms.
• Discussing and Applying the Concepts.Each chapter contains a set of discussion questions and application exercises covering major chapter concepts.
• Marketing and the Economy.End-of-chapter situation descriptions provide for discussion of the impact of recent economic trends on consumer and marketer decisions.
• Focus on Technology.Application exercises at the end of each chapter provide discussion of important and emerging marketing technologies in this digital age.
• Focus on Ethics.Situation descriptions and questions at the end of each chapter highlight important issues in marketing ethics.
• Marketing by the Numbers.An exercise at the end of each chapter lets students apply an-alytical and financial thinking to relevant chapter concepts and links the chapter to Ap-pendix 2, Marketing by the Numbers.
• Company Cases.All new or revised company cases for class or written discussion are provided at the end of each chapter. These cases challenge students to apply marketing principles to real companies in real situations.
• Video Shorts.Short vignettes and discussion questions appear at the end of every chap-ter, to be used with the set of mostly new 4- to 7-minute videos that accompany this edition.
• Marketing by the Numbers appendix.And innovative Appendix 2 provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the marketing financial analysis that helps to guide, assess, and support marketing decisions.
More than ever before, the fourteenth edition of Principles of Marketingcreates value for you—it gives you all you need to know about marketing in an effective and enjoyable total learning package!
A Valuable Total Teaching and Learning Package
A successful marketing course requires more than a well-written book. A total package of resources extends this edition’s emphasis on creating value for you. The following aids sup-portPrinciples of Marketing, 14e:Videos
The video library features 20 exciting segments for this edition. All segments are on the DVD (ISBN: 0-13-216723-9) and in mymarketinglab. Here are just a few of the videos that are of-fered:
Stew Leonard’s Customer Relationships Eaton’s Dependable Customer Service GoGurt’s Winning Brand Management FiberOne’s Exponential Growth Nestlé Waters’ Personal Selling
mymarketinglab (www.mypearsonmarketinglab.com) gives you the opportunity to test
yourself on key concepts and skills, track your own progress through the course, and use the personalized study plan activities—all to help you achieve success in the classroom.
The MyLab that accompanies Principles of Marketingincludes:
• Study Plan:The Study Plan helps ensure that you have a basic understanding of course material before coming to class by guiding you directly to the pages you need to review. • Mini-Simulations:Move beyond the basics with interactive simulations that place you in a realistic marketing situation and require you to make decisions based on market-ing concepts.
• Applied Theories:Get involved with detailed videos, interactive cases, and critical-thinking exercises.
• Critical Thinking: Get involved with real marketing situations that might not always have a right answer but will have a best answer. This allows for great discussion and debate with your classmates.
Plus:
• Interactive Elements:A wealth of hands-on activities and exercises let you experience and learn firsthand. Whether it is with the online e-book where you can search for spe-cific keywords or page numbers, highlight spespe-cific sections, enter notes right on the e-book page, and print reading assignments with notes for later review or with other materials.
More Valuable Resources
xxii
No book is the work only of its authors. We greatly appreciate the valuable contributions of several people who helped make this new edition possible. As always, we owe very special thanks to Keri Jean Miksza for her dedicated and valuable help in allphases of the project, and to her husband Pete and little daughter Lucy for all the support they provide Keri dur-ing this often-hectic project.
We thank Andy Norman of Drake University for his skillful development of company and video cases and help with preparing selected marketing stories; and Lew Brown of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for his able assistance in helping prepare se-lected marketing stories and highlights. We also thank Laurie Babin of the University of Louisiana at Monroe for her dedicated efforts in preparing end-of-chapter materials and keeping our Marketing by the Numbers appendix fresh; and to Michelle Rai of Pacific Union College for her able updates to the Marketing Plan appendix. Additional thanks also go to Andy Lingwall at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, for his work on the Instructor’s Man-ual; Peter Bloch at University of Missouri and ANS Source for developing the Power Points; and Bonnie Flaherty for creating the Test Item File & Study Plan.
Many reviewers at other colleges and universities provided valuable comments and suggestions for this and previous editions. We are indebted to the following colleagues for their thoughtful inputs:
Fourteenth Edition Reviewers
Acknowledgments
Alan Dick, University of Buffalo Rod Carveth, Naugatuck Valley
Community College
Anindja Chatterjee, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Mary Conran, Temple University Eloise Coupey, Virginia Tech
Karen Gore, Ivy Tech Community College, Evansville Campus
Charles Lee, Chestnut Hill College Samuel McNeely, Murray State University Chip Miller, Drake University
David Murphy, Madisonville Community College
Esther Page-Wood, Western Michigan University
Tim Reisenwitz, Valdosta State University Mary Ellen Rosetti, Hudson Valley
Community College
William Ryan, University of Connecticut Roberta Schultz, Western Michigan
University
J. Alexander Smith, Oklahoma City University
Deb Utter, Boston University
Donna Waldron, Manchester Community College
Wendel Weaver, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Previous Reviewers
Praveen Aggarwal, University of Minnesota, Duluth
Ron Adams, University of North Florida Sana Akili, Iowa State University Mary Albrecht, Maryville University Mark Alpert, University of Texas at Austin
Mark Anderson, Eastern Kentucky University
Lydia E. Anderson, Fresno City College Allan L. Appell, San Francisco State
Bruce Lammers, California State University at North Ridge J. Ford Laumer, Auburn University Debra Laverie, Texas Tech University Kenneth Lawrence, New Jersey Institute of
Technology
Richard Leventhal, Metropolitan State College, Denver
Charles Lee, Chestnut Hill College Marilyn Liebrenz-Himes, George
Washington University
Dolly D. Loyd, University of Southern Mississippi
Kerri Lum, Kapiolani Community College Larry Maes, Davenport University Tamara Mangleburg, Florida Atlantic
University
Patricia M. Manninen, North Shore Community College
Wendy Martin, Judson College, Illinois Patrick H. McCaskey, Millersville
University
June McDowell-Davis, Catawba College/High Point University Samuel McNeely, Murray State University H. Lee Meadow, Indiana University East H. Lee Meadow, Northern Illinois
University
John Mellon, College Misericordia Mohan K. Menon, University of Southern
Alabama
Martin Meyers, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
Chip Miller, Drake University William Mindak, Tulane University Ted Mitchell, University of Nevada, Reno David Murphy, Madisonville Community
College
David M. Nemi, Niagra County Community College
Carl Obermiller, Seattle University Howard Olsen, University of Nevada at
Reno
Betty Parker, Western Michigan University Vanessa Perry, George Washington
University
Susan Peterson, Scottsdale Community College
Abe Qastin, Lakeland College
Paul Redig, Milwaukee Area Technical College
Laurie Babin, University of Louisiana at Monroe
Michael Ballif, University of Utah Pat Bernson, County College of Morris Roger Berry, California State University,
Dominguez Hills
Amit Bhatnagar, University of Wisconsin Donald L. Brady, Millersville University Thomas Brashear, University of
Massachusetts, Amherst Fred Brunel, Boston University Jeff Bryden, Bowling Green University David J. Burns, Youngstown State
University
Kirsten Cardenas, University of Miami Rod Carveth, Naugatuck Valley
Community College Glenn Chappell, Coker College Hongsik John Cheon, Frostburg State
University
Sang T. Choe, University of Southern Indiana
Glenn L. Christensen, Brigham Young University
Kathleen Conklin, St. John Fisher College Mary Conran, Temple University
Michael Coolsen, Shippensburg University Alicia Cooper, Morgan State University Douglas A. Cords, California State
University, Fresno
Preyas Desai, Purdue University Philip Gelman, College of DuPage James L. Giordano, La Guardia
Community College
Karen Gore, Ivy Tech Community College, Evansville Campus
Hugh Guffey, Auburn University Kenny Herbst, Saint Joseph’s University Terry Holmes, Murray State University David Houghton, Charleston Southern
Thomas R. Keen, Caldwell College Tina Kiesler, California State University at
North Ridge
William Renforth, Angelo State University Gregory A. Rich, Bowling Green State
University
William Ryan, University of Connecticut Melinda Schmitz, Pamlico Community
College
Roberta Schultz, Western Michigan University
Alan T. Shao, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Lynne Smith, Carroll Community College Martin St. John, Westmoreland County
Community College
Randy Stewart, Kennesaw State University Karen Stone, Southern New Hampshire
University
John Stovall, University of Illinois, Chicago
Jeff Streiter, SUNY Brockport
Ruth Taylor, Texas State University Donna Tillman, California State
Polytechnic University
Janice Trafflet, Bucknell University Rafael Valiente, University of Miami Simon Walls, University of Tennessee Donna Waldron, Manchester Community
College
Mark Wasserman, University of Texas Alvin Williams, University of Southern
Mississippi
Douglas E. Witt, Brigham Young University
Andrew Yap, Florida International University
Irvin A. Zaenglein, Northern Michigan University
Larry Zigler, Highland Community College
We also owe a great deal to the people at Pearson Prentice Hall who helped develop this book. Executive Editor Melissa Sabella provided fresh ideas and support throughout to re-vision. Project Manager Meeta Pendharkar provided valuable assistance in managing the many facets of this complex revision project. Janet Slowik developed the fourteenth edi-tion’s exciting design, and Senior Production Project Manager Karalyn Holland helped guide the book through the complex production process. We’d also like to thank Elisabeth Scarpa, Anne Fahlgren, and Judy Leale. We are proud to be associated with the fine profes-sionals at Pearson Prentice Hall. We also owe a mighty debt of gratitude to Project Editor Lynn Steines and the fine team at S4Carlisle Publishing Services.
Finally, we owe many thanks to our families for all of their support and encouragement —Kathy, Betty, Mandy, Matt, KC, Keri, Delaney, Molly, Macy, and Ben from the Armstrong clan and Nancy, Amy, Melissa, and Jessica from the Kotler family. To them, we dedicate this book.
Principles of
1
Chapter Preview
This chapter introduces you tothe basic concepts of market-ing. We start with the question, What is marketing? Simply put, mar-keting is managing profitable customer relationships. The aim of marketing is to create value for customers and capture value from cus-tomers in return. Next we discuss the five steps in the marketing process—from understanding customer needs, to designing customer-driven marketing strategies and integrated marketing programs, to building customer relationships and capturing value for the firm. Fi-nally, we discuss the major trends and forces affecting marketing in this age of customer relationships. Understanding these basic concepts75 percent of Zappos.com’s sales come from repeat customers. “We actually take a lot of the money that we would have normally spent on paid advertising and put it back into the customer expe-rience,” says Hsieh. “We’ve always stuck with customer service, even when it was not a sexy thing to do.” Adds Aaron Magness, Zappos’ director of business development and brand marketing, “We decided if we can put all the money possible into our cus-tomer service, word of mouth will work in our favor.”
What little advertising the company does do focuses on— you guessed it—customer service. The most recent Zappos TV ads feature “Zappets,” puppetlike characters styled after actual Zappos employees, highlighting interactions between Zappos customer service reps and customers.
Free delivery, free returns, and a 365-day return policy have been the cornerstone of Zappos’ customer-centric ap-proach. To wow customers, it even quietly upgrades the ex-perience, from four-to-five-day shipping to second-day or next-day shipping. Its customer service center is staffed 24/7 with 500 highly motivated employees—about one-third of the company’s payroll—answering 5,000 calls a day. “Those things are all pretty expensive, but we view that as our marketing dol-lars,” says Hsieh. “It’s just a lot cheaper to get existing cus-tomers to buy from you again than it is to try to convince someone [new].”
I
magine a retailer with service so good its customers wish it would take over the Internal Revenue Service or start up an airline. It might sound like a marketing fantasy, but this scenario is reality for 12-year-old Zappos.com. At Zappos, the customer experience really does come first—it’s a daily ob-session. Says Zappos understated CEO, Tony Hsieh (pro-nouncedshay), “Our whole goal at Zappos is for the Zappos brand to be about the very best customer service and customer experience.” When it comes to creating customer value and re-lationships, few companies can match Zappos’ passion.Launched in 1999 as a Web site that offered the absolute best selection in shoes—in terms of brands, styles, colors, sizes, and widths—the online retailer now carries many other categories of goods, such as clothing, handbags, and accessories. From the start, the scrappy Web retailer made customer service a corner-stone of its marketing. As a result, Zappos has grown astronomi-cally. It now serves more than 10 million customers annually, and gross merchandise sales top $1 billion, up from only $1.6 million in 2000. Three percent of the U.S. population now shops at Zappos.com. And despite the harsh economy, Zappos sales have continued to soar in recent years.
Interestingly, Zappos doesn’t spend a lot of money on media advertising. Instead, it relies on customer service so good that cus-tomers not only come back but also tell their friends. More than
and forming your own ideas about what they really mean to you will give you a solid foundation for all that follows.
Let’s start with a good story about marketing in action at Zappos.com, one of the world’s fastest-growing Web retailers. The se-cret to Zappos’ success? It’s really no sese-cret at all. Zappos is flat-out cus-tomer obsessed. It has a passion for creating cuscus-tomer value and relationships. In return, customers reward Zappos with their brand loy-alty and buying dollars. You’ll see this theme of creating customer value in order to capture value in return repeated throughout this first chapter and the remainder of the text.
Part 2: Understanding the Marketplace and Consumers (Chapters 3–6) Part 3: Designing a Customer-Driven Strategy and Mix (Chapters 7–17) Part 4: Extending Marketing (Chapters 18–20)
Marketing
Creating and Capturing
Customer Value
Zappos has been steadfast in its focus on customer service even as it’s grown. In a sluggish economy, retailers especially should be focusing on customer service. But as Hsieh points out, it’s often the first thing to go. “The payoff for great customer service might be a year or two down the line. And the payoff for having a great company culture might be three or four years down the line.” At Zappos, customer intimacy starts with a deep-down, customer-focused culture. “We have a saying,” proclaims the company at its Web site. “We are a service company that hap-pens to sell [shoes (or handbags, or clothing, or eventually, any-thing and everyany-thing)].” The Zappos culture is built around its 10 Core Values, ranging from “Build open and honest relation-ships with communication” to “Create fun and a little weird-ness.” Value number one: “Deliver WOW through service!”
Zappos’ online success and passion for customers made it an ideal match for another highly successful, customer-obsessed online retailer, Amazon.com, which purchased Zappos in late 2009. Amazon.com appears to be letting Hsieh and Zappos con-tinue to pursue independently the strategy that has made them so successful in the past.
To make sure Zappos’ customer obsession permeates the en-tire organization, each new hire—everyone from the chief execu-tive officer and chief financial officer to the children’s footwear buyer—is required to go through four weeks of customer-loyalty training. In fact, in an effort to weed out the half-hearted, Zappos actually bribes people to quit. During the four weeks of customer service training, it offers employees $2,000 cash, plus payment for the time worked, if they leave the company. The theory goes that those willing to take the money and run aren’t right for Zappos’ culture anyway.
Hsieh says that originally the incentive was $100, but the amount keeps rising because not enough people take it. On av-erage, only 1 percent takes the offer, and Hsieh believes that’s too low. Zappos argues that each employee needs to be a great point of contact with customers. “Getting customers excited about the service they had at Zappos has to come naturally,” says Magness. “You can’t teach it; you have to hire for it.”
When dealing with customers, Zappos employees must check their egos and competitiveness at the door. Customer service reps are trained to look on at least three rival Web sites if a shopper asks for specific shoes that Zappos doesn’t have in stock and refer customers accordingly. “My guess is that other companies don’t do that,” Hsieh says. “For us, we’re willing to lose that sale, that transaction in the short term. We’re focused on building the lifelong loyalty and relation-ship with the customer.”
Relationships mean everything at Zappos. Hsieh and many other employees stay in direct touch with customers, with each other, and with just about anyone else interested in the company. They use social-networking tools, such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, to share information—
both good and bad. And the company invites customers to submit frank online re-views. Such openness might worry some retailers, but Zappos embraces it. As Mag-ness points out, “You only
need to worry if you have some-thing to hide,” and Zappos seems to take even criticism as a free gift of information.
Zappos has set new standards in the industry, leading the way for
a new type of consumer-focused company. “There’s something about these young Internet companies,” says a retailing expert. “I’m not sure exactly why—if it was because they were born in a different era, the leadership has a different worldview, or if they just have amazing access to customer data and see first-hand what customers are thinking,” he says. “It seems that Zap-pos is really the Zap-poster child for this new age of consumer companies that truly are customer focused. A lot of companies like to say they are, but none of them is as serious as Zappos.”
It’s that intense customer focus that has set the stage for Zap-pos’ growth, as the company branches out into new categories, such as electronics and home goods. “Hopefully, 10 years from now, people won’t even realize we started out selling shoes online. We’ve actually had cus-tomers ask us if we would please start an airline or run the IRS,” Hsieh says, adding, “30 years from now I wouldn’t rule out a Zap-pos airline that’s all about the very best service.”1
At Zappos, taking care of customers starts with a deep-down, customer-focused culture. Zappos is “happy to help, 24/7.”
Objective
OUTLINE
Define marketing and outline the steps in the marketing process.
What Is Marketing?
(4–5)Explain the importance of understanding customers and the marketplace and identify the five core marketplace concepts.
Understanding the Marketplace and Customer Needs
(6–8)Identify the key elements of a customer-driven marketing strategy and discuss the marketing management orientations that guide marketing strategy.
Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy
(8–12)Preparing an Integrated Marketing Plan and Program
(12)Discuss customer relationship management and identify strategies for creating value for
customers and capturing value fromcustomers in return.
Building Customer Relationships
(12–19)Capturing Value from Customers
(20–22)Describe the major trends and forces that are changing the marketing landscape in this age of relationships.
The Changing Marketing Landscape
(22–30)Stop here for a second and think about how you’d answer this question before studying marketing. Then see how your answer changes as you read the chapter.
Author
Comment
Today’s successful
companies have one thing in common: Like Zappos, they are strongly customer focused and heavily committed to marketing. These companies share a passion for understanding and satisfying customer needs in well-defined target mar-kets. They motivate everyone in the organization to help build lasting customer relationships based on creating value.Customer relationships and value are especially important today. As the nation’s economy has recovered following the worst downturn since the Great Depression, more frugal consumers are spending more carefully and reassessing their relationships with brands. In turn, it’s more important than ever to build strong customer relationships based on real and enduring value.
What Is Marketing?
(pp 4–5)Marketing, more than any other business function, deals with customers. Although we will soon explore more-detailed definitions of marketing, perhaps the simplest definition is this one:Marketing is managing profitable customer relationships.The twofold goal of marketing is to attract new customers by promising superior value and keep and grow current customers by delivering satisfaction.
For example, Walmart has become the world’s largest retailer—and the world’s largest company—by delivering on its promise, “Save money. Live better.” Nintendo surged ahead in the video-games market behind the pledge that “Wii would like to play,” backed by its wildly popular Wii console and a growing list of popular games and accessories for all ages. And McDonald’s fulfills its “i’m lovin’ it” motto by being “our customers’ favorite place and way to eat” the world over, giving it a market share greater than that of its nearest three com-petitors combined.2
Sound marketing is critical to the success of every organization. Large for-profit firms, such as Procter & Gamble, Google, Target, Toyota, and Marriott use marketing. But so do not-for-profit organizations, such as colleges, hospitals, museums, symphony orchestras, and even churches.
