Market Segment

"A company must identify the parts of the market that it can serve best and most profitably. It must design customer-driven marketing strategies that build the right relationships with the right customers." I've divided the total market up by source of income. The first group is retail, second group is hospitality, the third is entertainment and the fourth is service. By taking the entertainment as my target, I've divided that group into smaller segments by benefits sought. Women who have already achieved status, women who work as an entertainer only for money and women working to achieve status. I know that the women that have only one obligation can afford to make time to work out and have people cook for them. They are not my target consumer. The next groups of women are those who work in the entertainment industry as means of money and nothing else. They don't value their craft and don't worry about maintaining a certain image and they are also not my target consumer. The last group is my target consumer because they are the women that love their job as an entertainer and want to perform and look to best of their ability. They don't mind paying extra for a quality product if it will make things easier.

Quote 11/ Chapter 6
Pg 167: Market Segment
(Philip Kotler, Marketing, An Introduction)

Buyer Decision Process

Kotler thinks that "Marketers need to focus on the entire buying process rather than on just the purchase decision." He has the steps as: Need recognition, information search, evaluation alternatives, purchase decision, post purchase behavior. The need my customers have is the demand to maintain the ideal body. This demand has them searching for many answers in many different places. They first search for information from co-workers that understand how hard this lifestyle is and wonder what they do to upkeep this image. When they can't find answers from them they'll look to their friends and family. They'll evaluate the alternatives having already tried diet pills, meal replacements, different workout regimens but nothing keeps their interest, or nothing works with their hectic schedule. Then they make the decision to purchase my cookbook. During their post purchase they adjust to the suggestions in the cookbook and spread their likes and dislikes to those in the 'information search' process.

Quote 10/ Chapter 5
Pg 146: Buyer Decision Process
(Philip Kotler, Marketing, An Introduction)

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

In Kotlers text, he has Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs which states the human needs. "Physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs." Understanding the needs of my consumers will help me to build the best product I can. I know that my customers will be striving off of their social needs and esteem needs. I know that they value how others perceive them and my intent to help them with such.

Quote 9/ Chapter 5
Pg 143: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
(Philip Kotler, Marketing, An Introduction)

My Marketing Research Process

In Kotlers text, the marketing research process is this: "Defining the problem and research objectives, developing the research plan for collecting information, implementing the research plan- colleting and analyzing data, and interpreting and reporting the findings." So to define the problem and objectives: Will decreasing the price open the door to more consumers and in return bring about more business? Or will decreasing the price lower the value and quality to the cookbook? Are the consumers worried about the price or will they be tech savvy enough to benefit from the options in which we chose to relay our information? In developing a research plan we will study this:

(Taken from Kotlers text) The demographic, economic, and lifestyle characteristics of our clients.
Where do they buy their groceries, and how much they are willing to pay.
What form of communication do they prefer (phone, email, text message, TV).
(Taken from Kotlers text) Retailer reactions to the proposed new product.
With these questions in mind, I propose to use primary data for collecting and analyzing our findings. I will use survey research that will include telephone and web research along with personal interviews. I will use secondary data to see how people prefer to learn, whether it's finding their own information by reading through website, or having the information sent to them, whether it's through mail, email or text message.

Quote 8/ Chapter 4
Pg 105: My Marketing Research Process
(Philip Kotler, Marketing, An Introduction)

Customer Insights

On the word of Kotler, customer insights are "fresh understandings of customers and the marketplace derived from marketing information that become the basis for creating customer value and relationships." My marketing information system was merely talking with, and listening to my clients. I also have many friends who dance and perform in Las Vegas shows and I got to talk with their co-workers. Gathering this information was easy, but creating a solution was the hard part. I asked myself "what will make this particular demand easier to overcome?" again and again and I finally came up with a cookbook. A cookbook with not only recipes but healthy options should you need to eat fast-food. But I came across another bump in the road when I remembered the little time they actually had to sit down and eat let alone prepare a meal. So I made everything accessible through website and instead of leaving the meal choice up to them I made an option where they could choose their meal or we could send everything to them in a text message or email. I also have workouts they can do while they cook to upkeep their figure. It's like having your own personal nutritionist and trainer! My company values are customers so we have a section in our website where people can suggest meals or send us their food preferences so we can make meals that fit their liking.

Quote 7/ Chapter 4
Pg 97: Customer Insights
(Philip Kotler, Marketing, An Introduction)

Responding to the Marketing Environment

Kotler says, "Many companies view the marketing environment as an uncontrollable element to which they must react and adapt. They passively accept the marketing environment and do not try to change it." I realize the potential that some may think that I'm pushing the fact that you need to look a certain way to be seductive and beautiful, which is certainly not the fact. I made this book for women to feel good about being healthy and learn to incorporate a healthy lifestyle into their own. Kotler also says, "Someone once observed, 'there are three kinds of companies: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those whole wonder what's happened.'" I'm making things happen. I'm opening eyes to a healthier life and showing that being healthy doesn't have to be a chore.

Quote 6/ Chapter 3
Pg 89: Responding to the Marketing Environment
(Philip Kotler, Marketing, An Introduction)

Understanding the Marketplace and Consumers

I made a product by looking at the way technology is advancing and listening to the people around me. I'm a student surrounded by other students and I'm a photographer surrounded by image-driven people. So how did I find the time to understand the consumer? Well, I am a consumer and I understand my own needs as well as others. What I want is convenience and what my clients want is the ideal look without the hassle. According to Kotler, it's important to understand the changing age structure. My target consumer is the millennial. "Born between 1977 and 2000…One thing that all of the Millennials have in common is their utter fluency and comfort with computer, digital, and Internet technology. They're consumers of every imaginable means of communication: TV, radio, cell phone, Internet, video games." My cookbook will be the first cookbook that won't only have the same recipes because it'll send them new recipes every week through email or text. Plus well have a website open only to those who purchased the book for other meal ideas and incorporated workouts. Cooking directions can be uploaded to mp3 players and our website will be open to any suggestions.

Quote 5/ Chapter 3
Pg 72: Understanding the Marketplace and Consumers
(Philip Kotler, Marketing, An Introduction)