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Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways: Respond to each Colleague with 100 words or more.
- Ask a question about or offer an insight you gained from the example your colleague described.
- Provide an additional idea for what the strategy behind the campaign was that impacted your colleague.
- Provide an additional or alternative perspective on which of the 4 Ps of the marketing mix played the largest role in their decision making.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.
1st Person to respond to:
After seeing ads and influencers featuring Grove products, I visited their website. Their products are items I would typically purchase from Target, such as household cleaning items and personal hygiene items, but Grove promoted themselves as selling “green products” and offered a subscription, which would allow the designated item to direct ship on a schedule I could determine. I like the idea of using green products, but the feature of having these items automatically replenished as needed, without thinking about it, shipped to my home, sounded like a great time saver and convenience, so I looked around their website, selected a few products and set the replenishment dates.
I would not say their ads were persuasive, so much as informative, and I thought the service of direct ship had potential value to me. “Juggling the Jenkins” influencer Tiffany Jenkins was the first exposure I had to this product line. I didn’t see value in her promotion, but she did instigate brand awareness. Later ads by Grove explaining the subscription and options gave me the information I needed to hear to perceive value. I noticed display advertising, and after my initial purchase, I subscribed to a newsletter/promotion engine that feeds several promotions to my email, weekly. They additionally let me know when the product was shipped, when it arrives, and follows up with a survey to monitor my satisfaction level. Grove uses a complex mix of digital data collection and it did get me to try something new, my first subscription service. After trying this one, I also subscribed to Chewy.com for regularly needed pet supplies (cat food, litter, water filters, and I occasionally add exercise toys). Grove introduced me to a new “way” of online shopping I saw value in.
The 4Ps are Product (quality), Price (relative to quality of the product), Place (the route it takes to arrive at my home), and Promotion (Integrated Marketing Communications). Their strategy of IMC is primarily what taught me about this company, its services, and this style of sales. The placement is what convinced me to try it (direct ship), and once delivered, I was satisfied with the quality of the products. The hair shampoo and conditioner were acceptable, the lipstick was above average, the laundry soap was acceptable, and the delivery method was fast and I was pleased with auto-replenishment. However, for the price of their items, I didn’t feel the products were better quality than what I used previously, and while auto-replenishment is cool, it’s not a service I need; I have the time to shop, and honestly, I missed my Target (brick and mortar) runs. Ultimately, the higher pricing and the bombardment of emails (promotions and surveys) persuaded me to discontinue the service. I don’t enjoy the energy a company gives when they are so “needy” for feedback. While I appreciate the purpose of it, it projects a lack of confidence I find a bit off-putting.
Reference:
Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.). The marketing mix and the 4Ps of marketing. MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_94.htm
2nd Person to respond to:
Many times, as a single woman shopping for anything, it is assumed that we are unsure of what it is we are looking for and need assistance from a salesperson to complete the purchase. It is highly unlikely, in most cases that women are already knowledgeable enough about whatever we are buying, and we may have already done the research on the product or service beforehand. Quite often, this is the case when purchasing a new vehicle.
Car dealers offer sales during times of the year when consumers are in the market to make large purchases; usually coinciding with times when they receive end of the year bonuses from their jobs or income tax returns. Inventory is usually moved on lots to coincide with these sales as well. Good deals are offered for last years models to make way for next year’s replacements and so to are next year’s models being offered at good deals as well. Car dealers rely on the 4Ps of marketing as a way of advertising during these time periods. As consumers, when these sales, which happen during the times when we happen to have extra income to spend, can take advantage of the deals that multiple dealerships are offering. E.J. McCarthy argues that the type of product, its placement, how much and how to promote are the four questions (the 4Ps), organizations need to think through in order to successfully market their services and/or products to their targeted consumers. (Emerald Works Ltd, n.d.).
Purchasing a car is always frustrating no matter how badly you need one. Although, I had made up my mind on the make and model, there is always more than meets the eye to any major purchase. Along with the car, comes the warranties. Which one suits your needs and is it necessary? I remember thinking, “If the car is so highly recommended, why should I need an extended warranty?” After doing the math and adding it to the final costs included in my financing, the extended warranty for the extra coverage was not much extra so I added it to my financing, thinking better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. In this case, price played the largest role in influencing my decision to purchase the warranty.
Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.). Porter’s five forces: understanding competitive forces to maximize profitability. MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newTMC_08.php
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