Class: Intro to Marketing

You are writing a reply to forum posts made by my classmates.

2 replies. 125-words in each reply (250 words total). 

The main forum post[1] is at the bottom.

What you are replying to:

First Reply:

1. Make a list of products you believe failed because of poor marketing channel choices.Ch 8

You need your marketing channels if your ever looking to expand your products or ideas because very rarely is the product leaving directly from the maker to the consumer. The marketing channel is every component from start to finish. Poor marketing channels can result in a failed or failing product due to sales. With some research here are a few things I have found that have failed due to poor marketing channel choices.

1. Microsoft’s Zune

2. Crystal Pepsi

3. Google Glasses

I choose these three not only because I believe they are widely known by the average person but also because all three were made and by large companies that still exist. Though they failed, a lot of the the lessons learned from the launching of these products have helped them to succeed in other ways moving forward.

3.Are small business owners at a disadvantage if they lack the marketing research resources large companies have? Why or why not? Ch 10

Yes and no. Many large companies were at one time considered a small business and had to do the same things new small business are having to do right now. I would say the set back to any small business though would be resources. Not having a robust research team to conduct the work for them, means that they are having to do more work with less people. That same work though directly connects the consumer to the company. The wants, needs and desires can be immediately heard and evaluated in real time as opposed to making it through many channels and potentially being lost in translation. It’s not about being advantaged or disadvantaged it’s about knowing the limitations on both ends and using what big companies lack that small business have, eyes and ears in their own back yard.

MarketWatch. (2015, April 10). 12 worst American product flops. Retrieved March 30, 2020, from https://www.marketwatch.com/story/12-worst-american-product-flops-2015-04-10 Tanner, J. F., & Raymond, M. A. (2013). Principles of marketing version 2.0. Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge. 

Second Reply:

To start out I will answer question two on why marketing professionals care about and participate in supply chain decisions.  It can be extremely beneficial for a marketing professional to care and participate because the supply chain can be directly impacted by the success of the marketing campaign.  Having a good relationship and keeping information flowing openly can lead to important decisions to help out the business.  An example can be an immediate understanding that certain marketing campaigns work and will require more investment in the supply chain.  Knowing what to expect can help ramp up or slow down production during different marketing campaigns.  

The second question that will be answered is question three and knowing whether small business owners are at a disadvantage if they lack the marketing research and resources large companies have.  In some ways yes they are limited because they don’t have the budgets or manpower for research and advertising.  They might also not be as efficient in the money spent as well because they might make bad marketing decisions from inexperience.  They can however have an advantage in smaller markets because they know the locals and the local area much better than larger businesses that focus on a large area.  They could have more face-to-face interaction and develop more loyal customers than larger businesses.

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[1] Initial Forum Question: 

Answer two out of the three discussion questions, listed below, for this week.  

1. Make a list of products you believe failed because of poor marketing channel choices.  

2. Why do marketing professionals care about and participate in supply chain decisions?  

3. Are small business owners at a disadvantage if they lack the marketing research resources large companies have? Why or why not?