Marketing strategy for product lunching in different culture

The 5800 XpressMusic ,Nokias new model among the touch screens space and we have gotten some quality face time with the device. Appropriately nicknamed the Tube, the device has a number of Nokia peculiarities that could appeal to certain sensibilities, but probably won't be taking a big bite out of existing touchphone market share at least in the S60-phobic United States.The review of the phone s below.

The 5800 introduces a lot of new features with the upgraded version of the Symbian S60 operating system ,many of which will find their way into other Nokia handsets. We will look at some of these in more depth at a later date.

Nokia claims the decision was made to appeal to the world market, particularly asian countries that prefer handwriting recognition to keyboards. Hence the stylus input option. It doesn't ruin everything for those of us that would rather tap with our thumbs, but means pushing that much harder on the screen, and using the tips of your fingers when you type instead of the flat -- knocking off a good 5 wpm or so in the process we'll talk more about software keyboards in the next section. There's also a plectrum (guitar pick) included that can hang from a wrist strap if you don't want to smudge the screen and don't feel like sliding out the stylus.

The LCD itself is certainly impressive, at 640 x 360, but colors and brightness aren't complete knockouts. Purists will enjoy the dull screen surface, which certainly cuts down on glare, but casual users often prefer glossy screens for watching movies, something this aspect ratio is very well suited to.There's a very, very loud speaker in the back. It's not the clearest thing in the world, but if you want to share a song or something with a friend, they'll certainly hear it. There's also a 3.5mm jack up top, right where it should be.

The 3.2 megapixel camera focuses well and takes great pictures in daylight -- indoors is likely a different story, as with most cameraphones, but there's a rather powerful dual LED flash to help out with that.All of this -- in addition to things like GPS, WiFi and a side-loading microSD slot (there's a free 8GB card included) -- are wrapped up into an elongated, chubby package, hence the Tube moniker. We'd hate to have something of its shape and thickness in a tight jeans front pocket on a regular basis, but we must admit that it's very comfortable to hold and use with a single hand, something that can't be said for all touchscreen phones.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_5800_XpressMusic

Introducing the product

Nokia is a communications based company, which focuses on mobile telephone technology. When mobile phones first became available on the market the models were very basic with the best technology being SMS messaging (sending written "text messages" from one phone to another). Then the next advance in technology was being able to put different faces on your phone (different style covers for the front and back of
your mobile device) and after that the technological advances have come thick and fast, with advances such as:

§  MMS

§  WAP (internet)

§  Polyphonic ringtones

§  Predictive SMS (where the phone will finish off a word for you if it can guess what you are typing)

§  Camera phones and

§  Video recorders

Principles of Marketing Strategy:

§  Market Positioning

§  Market Promotion

§  Market Distribution

§  Market Adverting, etc

Market Positioning

Although there are different definitions of Positioning, probably the most common is: "A product's position is how potential buyers see the product", and is expressed relative to the position of competitors.

Positioning is a concept in marketing which was first popularized by Al Ries and Jack Trout in their bestseller book "Positioning - a battle for your mind". They iterate that any brand is valued by the perception it carries in the prospect or customer's mind. Each brand has thus to be 'Positioned' in a particular class or segment. For example, Mercedes is positioned as a luxury brand, and Volvo is positioned for safety.

The position of the brand has to be carefully maintained. When Marlboro reduced its prices, sales dropped immediately because its customers began associating it with the generic segment. Rolex watches are even more dramatically positioned as luxury items, and have become a symbol for accomplishment in life. If Rolex reduces its prices, it will reduce brand cachet and sales.

This differs slightly from the context in which the term was first published in 1969 by Jack Trout in the paper "Positioning" is a game people play in today’s me-too market place" in the publication Industrial Marketing, in which the case is made that the typical consumer is overwhelmed with unwanted advertising, and has a natural tendency to discard all information that does not immediately find a comfortable (and empty) slot in the consumers mind.

 It is based on the concept that communication can only take place at the right time and under the right circumstances.

What most will agree on is that Positioning is something (perception) that happens in the minds of the target market. It is the aggregate perception the market has of a particular company, product or service in relation to their perceptions of the competitors in the same category. It will happen whether or not a company's management is proactive, reactive or passive about the on-going process of evolving a position. But a company can positively influence the perceptions through enlightened strategic actions.

Product positioning process

Generally, the product positioning process involves:

1. Defining the market in which the product or brand will compete (who the relevant buyers are)
2. Identifying the attributes (also called dimensions) that define the product 'space'
3. Collecting information from a sample of customers about their perceptions of each product on the relevant attributes
4. Determine each product's share of mind
5. Determine each product's current location in the product space
6. Determine the target market's preferred combination of attributes (referred to as an ideal vector)

The process is similar for positioning your company's services. Services, however, don't have the physical attributes of products - that is, we can't feel them or touch them or show nice product pictures. So you need to ask first your customers and then yourself, what value do clients get from my services? How are they better off from doing business with me? Also ask: is there a characteristic that makes my services different?

Write out the value customers derive and the attributes your services offer to create the first draft of your positioning. Test it on people who don't really know what you do or what you sell, watch their facial expressions and listen for their response. When they want to know more because you've piqued their interest and started a conversation, you'll know you're on the right track.

Market Promotion

Promotion involves disseminating information about a product, product line, brand, or company. It is one of the four key aspects of the marketing mix. (The other three elements are product marketing, pricing, and distribution.)

Promotion is generally sub-divided into two parts:

• Above the line promotion: Promotion in the media (e.g. TV, radio, newspapers, Internet and Mobile Phones) in which the advertiser pays an advertising agency to place the ad
• Below the line promotion: All other promotion. Much of this is intended to be subtle enough for the consumer to be unaware that promotion is taking place. E.g. sponsorship, product placement, endorsements, sales promotion, merchandising, direct mail, personal selling, public relations, trade shows

The specification of these four variables creates a promotional mix or promotional plan. A promotional mix specifies how much attention to pay to each of the four subcategories, and how much money to budget for each. A promotional plan can have a wide range of objectives, including: sales increases, new product acceptance, creation of brand equity, positioning, competitive retaliations, or creation of a corporate image.

The term "promotion" is usually an "in" expression used internally by the marketing company, but not normally to the public or the market - phrases like "special offer" are more common.

An example of a fully integrated, long-term, large-scale promotion

The marketing mix

The marketing mix refers to the combination of elements within accompanies marketing strategy; these are designed to give the customer what they want and in the long term are designed to maximize profits. The marketing mix is based around the idea of the 4 P's:

Product-The product is the centre of the marketing mix and the other three P's are based around it. Consumers purchase goods and services for a variety of individual reasons and a company must be aware of all of these when selling a product (that is why they conduct market
research).

Price-Is a key factor in the selling of a product, and is usually the one that is open to the most change based on different pricing strategies, for example, competitor based, penetration or skimming. The three main factors affecting the amount charged for a product or service, are; the cost of production, customer demand and competition.

Place-This refers to the chosen outlets for a product or service, for a product to be very successful it must be easy to access, Mobile phones are very easy to access nowadays, they are sold in supermarkets, specialized outlets (either by network or brand) and all major department stores.

Promotion-This involves providing information to the customer over a variety of media platforms, using radio, television and print advertising as well as using other promotional tools such as "money off deals" and "free giveaways".

 

Market Distribution

Distribution (or place) is one of the four elements of marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations (go-betweens) involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user.

The other three parts of the marketing mix are product, pricing, and promotion.

The marketing mix

Price- The phones that Nokia produce are usually sold at high prices (new phones can be expected to enter the market at around £200+, if they carry the latest technology). The price of the new phones usually decreases after an introductory period, which is usually around 2 months long. Nokia's prices are usually competitor based, in such a way as, they try to keep their prices a bit lower then those of the closest competitors, but not as low as the "smallest" competition as consumers do not mind paying the extra money for the "extra quality" they will receive with a well known brand, such as Nokia.

Place- Nokia phones are generally sold at all established mobile phone dealerships such as Car phone Warehouse and The Link, although they are also sold at other retailers such as Dixon's and other electrical suppliers. The products are only sold in the electrical suppliers and stores other then dedicated phone dealerships after the introductory period so the phones can remain limited edition, as this will encourage younger consumers to buy them.

Promotions- Nokia tend to promote the new technologies and mobile devices they create using one big advertising campaign that focuses on a singular technology instead of each individual handset so they can appeal to a lot of different markets with one campaign.

Product- Nokia phones tend to include all the latest technology and a lot of the consumers favorites aspects such as text messaging and games like Snake and Memory. When the phones came out they were big and bulky and quite unattractive but now they are all quite sleek and
stylish with phones now getting small enough to fit in the palm of your hand as standard. Most of the phones produced nowadays have accessories that consumers must buy with them (carry cases, hands free kits and in-car chargers) these generate Nokia a lot of profit, as they are very high priced.

Nokia's marketing mix has worked very well until recently as the market they are aiming at has become more and more saturated and after looking at all the mobile phone sales figures, it looks as if the phone companies can aim at this same youth market for about another 2
years until they need to change, but they should change sooner so they can start making a bigger profit and get a head start on the competition who will also have to change the market they are aiming at. Nokia's current promotional strategy is working very well as they are able to "talk to" a large number of consumers in different markets rather then the niche markets the old promotional strategies where restricted to.
 

Market Adverting

Advertising is often thought of as the paid, non-personal promotion of a cause, idea, product, or service by an identified sponsor attempting to inform or persuade a particular target audience. Advertising has taken many different forms since the beginning of time. For instance, archaeologists have uncovered walls painted in Rome announcing gladiator fights as well as rock paintings along Phoenician trade routes used to advertise wares. From this early beginning, advertising has evolved to take a variety of forms and to permeate nearly every aspect of modern society. The various delivery mechanisms for advertising include banners at sporting events, billboards, Internet Web sites, logos on clothing, magazines, newspapers, radio spots, and television commercials. Advertising has so permeated everyday life that individuals can expect to be exposed to more than 1,200 different messages each day.

Nokia Marketing strategy of Bangladesh

For this project we have been instructed to come up with a marketing strategy for an existing company/product we have chosen to do Nokia communications, particularly the mobile phone sector of Nokia's business. To do this properly we will need to:

* appropriately identify, collect and use primary and secondary data that is relevant to the marketing strategy of Nokia.

* Produce a clear analysis of the external influences affecting the development of a marketing strategy.

* Complete a realistic rationale for the development of a coherent marketing mix for Nokia communications.

* Show a full understanding of a marketing strategy for Nokia with a clear understanding of marketing principles.

* Produce a full, well-balanced marketing strategy that reflects appropriate use of marketing models and tools.

Developing a Marketing Plan Outline

The traditional time for plan development is at year-end, when budgets are being set. If we have formal budgeting in place, this makes sense. A marketing plan, however, can be developed or updated at any time because it helps with day-to-day, as well as long-term decisions.

Marketing Plan Outline

Planning need not be scary or difficult. By taking the process a step at a time ― first creating the marketing plan outline, then writing the plan from the outline ― it becomes manageable. We will need to set aside quality time for creating our plan, whether a single day or several sessions. There are different ways to write a marketing plan, ranging from simple, one-day plans to book length documents. One way is to develop a marketing plan outline using a five-step process, then writing the plan at a level of detail applicable to your situation.

 Five Steps to Creating the Outline development.

As you complete these five steps, you will simultaneously solidify your outline and complete the research necessary to write the plan from that outline. The five steps are:

Step 1: Gather and analyze information.

You will need information about your company, competitors, customers, and other industry players. This includes all you know and can research in your industry with respect to products, promotions, pricing structures, distribution channels and federal regulations. Don't forget to research Internet marketing techniques and Websites. From this information, you can complete a Porter 5 Forces analysis and SWOT as well as identify your target market, or "perfect customers".

Step 2: Verbalize your main challenge(s).

Write down the main marketing related challenges you want to overcome for each brand or product, with respect to your customers. Think in terms of unfilled customer opportunities and the

You may even want to write your challenges down in question form - "How do we  and keep them in front of you when developing your marketing plan outline and completing the write up. Refer to these main challenges often and your marketing plan will answer the question "How do I address these challenges?"

Step 3: Developing objectives.

The objective addresses the "big picture" and ― in broad, general terms ― answers the question "How will we overcome our main marketing challenge. Think in quantifiable and measurable terms (grow by x%, launch new product line with Y items by November, move into the southern market with a z% market share, etc.)

Step 4: Create strategies.

Strategies support your objective, defining the general approaches you will take to meet your objective. For example, strategies for moving into a new region could include 1) establishing relationships with suppliers (distribution), 2) choosing the correct product mix to meet customer needs in that area (pricing and product), and 3) launching a multi-pronged campaign to include advertising, online promotions, and direct mail (promotion).

Step 5: Choose marketing programs (tactics).

The programs are where the action takes place ― these are the things you will do to bring your strategies to life. Marketing programs to support strategy 3 in the above example (launching a multi-pronged campaign to include advertising, online promotions, and direct mail) could include 1) a geographically-targeted pay per click campaign, 2) a series of postcards sent to those in the target zip codes, and 3) Website-only coupons, advertised on the postcards and other media in the region (radio, TV, newspapers, billboards, etc.).

Use the information and insight you gain from completing these five steps to solidify and expand upon your outline.

Developing our marketing strategy of Bangladesh

With an understanding of our business' internal strengths and weaknesses and the external opportunities and threats, we can develop a strategy that plays to our own strengths and matches them to the emerging opportunities. You can also identify your weaknesses and try to minimise them.

The next step is to draw up a detailed marketing plan that sets out the specific actions to put that strategy into practice. See our guide on how to write a marketing plan.

http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/mplan/MarketingPlanIncludes.htm

Marketing Strategy for Canada

A publishing strategy can serve as the foundation of marketing strategy. A marketing plan contains a set of specific actions required to successfully implement a marketing strategy. For example: "Use a low cost product to attract consumers. Once our organization, via our low cost product, has established a relationship with consumers, our organization will sell additional, higher-margin products and services that enhance the consumer's interaction with the low-cost product or service." A strategy consists of a well thought out series of tactics to make a marketing plan more effective. Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives. Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results. A marketing strategy often integrates an organization's marketing goals, policies, and action sequences (tactics) into a cohesive whole. Similarly, the various strands of the strategy, which might include advertising, channel, , in ternate marketing, promotion and public relations can be orchestrated. Many companies cascade a strategy throughout an organization, by creating strategy tactics that then become strategy goals for the next level or group. Each group is expected to take that strategy goal and develop a set of tactics to achieve that goal from Canadian market. This is why it is important to make each strategy goal measurable. Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive. They are partially planned and partially unplanned. Mainly Canada follow this rules for captured the market.  

They actually set their plan by the basis of some question. Such as,

Marketing Plan Outline of Canada

 A marketing plan is designed to assess client needs, develop a product or service to meet those needs, communicate to the customer the attributes of the product/service, establish distribution channels to make products/services available to consumers, and to ensure that the company makes a profit.

Market Demands

In the case of market demand

Who are their competitors?

What are their products/services?

How does this product/service compare by quality, price, packaging and variety?

What percentage of the total market does each competitor enjoy?

By using those question and answer they mainly set their plan. Because company to company differ how they enter the market, and they capture their market.

Product Pricing

Product pricing is another important thing for a company. In the case of Nokia 5800 in Canada, They entire their market with a nominal price according the money value of Canada. Because Canadian people is more rather then Bangladeshi people. For that reason Nokia, sell their cell phone with some gifts, lottery etc.

Before the pricing Nokia also make some question. Such as,

What is the consumer acceptance price range for this type of product/service?

1. How does the proposed product's/service's price compare?
2. Is there sufficient margin between the manufacturer's cost and the consumer acceptance price level to provide for markups at the wholesale, distributor and retail level?
3.  What is the product cost breakdown?
4.  What markups are allowed at each level of distribution (markup chain and channel pricing)?

 Promotion

Describe the company's communications approach:

• Advertising
• Selling
• Sales promotion
• Publicity

Advertising 

What percentage of each media is to be used in your overall advertising package?

Advertising is the important steps for product introducing. Because advertising can increase the total product selling. By the advertising a person can know about the product. Another side is advertising as another way for make conscious about the product. By this adversiting marketing steps complete 50%. Some way of advertising is bellow

• Television
• Radio
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Billboards
• Business cards

Selling

What type of sales force is to be used - brokers, commissioned salespersons, etc.?

What tools are to be provided to salespersons to assist getting orders (volume discounts, purchasing shelf space, etc.)?

Will a sales training program be offered?

How will sales effectiveness be measured?

What incentives will be offered to salespersons for new accounts, achievements?

Sales Promotion

What sales promotion activities are planned?

• Samples
• Coupons

Publicity

How does the company plan to "kick off" the introduction of the product using publicity?

• Endorsements (place of origin)
• Testimonials
• Referrals
• Truck and bus signs
• Consistent visual theme

http://www.canadabusiness.ca/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1081945275709&lang=en&pagename=CBSC_ON%2Fdisplay&c=GuideFactSheet

Conclusion:

The marketer, in real life, does not face each decision with a copy of a text-book in his or her hand - ready to work through the various lessons. The marketer starts with a quite specific environment, which will immediately limit the range of relevant factors. To the perceptive marketer the range of options to be explored is usually obvious. Beyond this, the position is further constrained by the available resources. For instance, theory always says that the first step is marketing research, but if a competitor has just made a major change in strategy, a company may have just days to react - where research may take months.

Real-life marketing primarily revolves around the application of a great deal of common-sense; dealing with a limited number of factors, in an environment of imperfect information and limited resources complicated by uncertainty and tight timescales. Use of classical marketing techniques, in these circumstances, is inevitably partial and uneven.