Case Summary
J.S. Park had taken responsibility for coming up with a strategy for enhancing the image and business viability of Samsung in Canada. He had doubts at first on what he was expected to do but after a while, he was able to device strategies that gave the brand a new image. This new image came with an increased advertising and promotional budget which stood at $ 15M in 2003. Innovations were also supported so as to ensure that the commodities that the company was availing to customers were of cutting edge technology. Marketing strategies that were employed include market segmentation as shown by the four groups, namely, high income families, young users, business users and hobbyists. This helped them identify their strongest market segment and emphasize on them while improving the weak ones. Below is a deeper look into how J.S Park was able to accomplish this.
Market Orientation, Strategic Marketing and Organizational Performance
Market orientation can be described as the inclination of the customers as far as what they want to purchase is concerned. It is normally studied by marketing specialists so as to know how to model their products to meet the demands of the market. J.S. Park and the Samsung group carefully analyzed the Canadian Market and took notice of what they wanted. The business community in Canada wanted electronics that would assist them enhance their business while young people wanted gadgets that would make it easy for them to connect with friends and have fun. By identifying the needs of these groups, the corporation was able to come up with products that met their needs.
J.S. Park and his corporation also carried out strategic marketing. Strategic marketing is carried out by targeting customers who have an interest in the goods and services that are being promoted. This is different from the usage of general advertisements that go to any member of the population. Strategic marketing came in handy with the identification of high income families as the vital customer base for the brand. Why did J.S. Park do all take all these steps?
The driving force for J.S. Park and the other leaders at Samsung was organizational performance. Samsung’s performance hand been analyzed, and the management felt that as much as they were doing well, they had the potential of doing better. The reputation of selling low quality electronics had to be cleared, and this had to be done through a rebranding process. The analysis of the performance of the organization was vital to its improvement.
Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning
Segmentation is the division of the market share into distinct groups based on a variety of factors. The identified groups are then targeted by positioning the products of the company in places where they can be accessed. The segments that Samsung came up with are:
- High income families
- Young consumers
- Business user
- Iv. Hobbyists.
The high income families were identified as the key consumer group and targeted for more engagement.
4 Ps Marketing Mix
The four Ps of marketing stand for product, price, place, and promotion. J.S. Park employed all the four Ps in a clear manner that led to the improved image of Samsung.
Product
Low quality electronics from Samsung were phased out of the market and replaced with cutting edge technology products such as the high definition LCD televisions. This was done after it was discovered that Sony as well as other electronics companies were doing well because of the nature of products that they were bringing to the market. The defining factor was the technology involved, which ultimately defined the quality of the gadget.
Price
With the production of new improved products, the prices were adjusted in a way that matched the new commodities. The prices were not too high to turn customers away and they were not too low to make the company operate at a loss. With segmentation, targeting and positioning, the company knew who to sell what to and at what price.
Place
Large stores such as Future Shop and 2001 Audio Video were identified and filled with Samsung products. These are places that were easily accessible to consumers. Strategic position involves the placing of the produced commodities at locations where consumers can access them without any hitches.
Promotion
The $15 million that was dedicated to advertising in 2003 discloses how the company took the fourth P seriously. Appropriate advertising messages such as “SAMSUNG DIGITall-everyone is invited” came in handy in advertising Samsung products. The expansion of the advertising and promotional budget was a great step in telling the customers the new products that Samsung had introduced into the market.
Branding
Branding is everything to a business. The attempt to give Samsung a new brand image by coming up with new products based on better technology enabled the company to compete with Sony. The elimination of low quality products also helped give the brand a new image.