TOPIC 1: How Markets are segmented

Your job in this Discussion Thread is to find an ad, print or TV, and tell us who you think is the target market. The hints are in the type of music used, the spokesperson’s persona, the approach to the marketing communications message, the types of people used in the ad, the words chosen for the ad, etc. All this should tell you to whom the marketing communications is intended to influence. 

Here’s a link to the top ads for 2013–2014 as chosen by Ad Week, the industry trade publication.

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/worlds-26-best-commercials-2013-14-158533

First thing you’ll notice is that most of them are foreign, most of them tell a story, and most of them don’t even mention the advertiser until the end. You can choose your print or broadcast ad from one of these. Or, search youtube.com for your favorite commercial. 

If you find your own ad to analyze, be sure to embed or link it when you post it to the Discussion Forum. Then identify at least three of the characteristics you think comprise the target market. Make your choices using Table 4.1 from the main text as your framework. But, don’t merely say demographic/age. Tell us what age, or psychographic/values. Specifically note the value such as family or thrifty.

Table 4.1 Common Ways of Segmenting Buyers

TOPIC 2: Repositioning

Can you think of an existing product that has been repositioned by finding a new market with a different need than the original product?  Think of Croc’s Shoes, for example.  They repositioned from a casual, fun shoe to a practical work shoe for nurses and others on their feet all the time.