The Importance of Segmentation and Positioning in International Strategic Marketing
MKT 4186[pic 1][pic 2]International Strategic Marketing Project on Segmentation and PositioningSercotel groupKaining XUE [pic 3]309708Statement of authorship I certify that this assignment is my own work and contains no material which has been submitted as part of an assignment in any institute, college or university. Moreover, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text of the assignment. [pic 4] Signed ………………………………………………………………. Name…………………………………………………………………….. Student number……………………………………………………. Part A: The importance of segmentation and positioning in international strategic marketingThe basic principle of competitive positioning is to locate the products or services in the customer group in different parts of the market.Brand positioning is a strategic process that involves building an image in the minds of consumers. (Michael 1988) The brands market position is to maintain the brands endurance. Therefore, a continuous marketing plan is needed to strengthen brand awareness of the market.
Companies that use cost-leading strategies are trying to position themselves in the minds of consumers, as a company that offers products that consumers want at a lower price than competing products available on the market. (Michael 1988)Companies that use differentiated business strategies are trying to position themselves in the minds of consumers as a company that offers unique products that consumers will pay more because they cant find comparable products or products that are comparable to other products on the market. Features. Consumers have higher expectations for products and are therefore willing to pay the difference for differentiated products. As long as the products features add value to the product, making it more attractive to consumers, it can enhance product perception.The positioning task consists of three steps:• To set some competitive advantages to create a position.• Selectively communicate and deliver selected positions in the target market.• To use the right competitive advantage.Not every company faces the opportunity to gain a competitive advantage. Some companies only define secondary advantages, which usually become obsolete and meaningless. A company maintains its position as a competitor. Generally speaking, hotel resorts and restaurants will open them on the beach, near the airport, ski resorts or central business districts, and they feel that there will be permanent benefits and profit advantages. (Michael 1988) History clearly shows that when a beach has been eroded or polluted, ski resorts have lost their reputation and the Central Business District has lost its appeal. In this case, their original geographical advantages disappeared, and their inevitable demise. In fact, some cases show the importance of these dimensions because they are related to each other – for example, Huawei is a company that represents certain values in the minds of customers, which means that the companys simplified service offerings and brand identity, also the diverse range of products and services.