The aim of this paper is to examine the role of marketing research in the formulation of marketing plans for Lisdoonvarna. The objectives of the study and the approach adopted are initially discussed. The results of the research and the implications of the findings for the marketing strategies adopted are examined in some detail.
International marketing strategies and styles vary widely from the marketing of almost identical brands through to the meeting of similar consumer needs across several countries via radically differing mixes of product, communication variables and price. Similarly, companies involved in marketing products or services in more than one country take many forms, ranging from home- based exporters through to multi-national concerns with operating subsidiaries in a number of countries. The most significant international businesses tend to be in this latter category and a key factor is the division of the various aspects of marketing policy making between the head or regional offices and the local operations. With such variations in strategy and structure it is not surprising that information needs are similarly diverse. It can be helpful to classify the main areas of research input as contributing to 1) market; 2) strategy or; 3) problem orientation.
The Hendry system represents a total systems approach to the analysis of the marketplace. It is based on the existence of fundamental properties of consumer preferences and competitive market structures. The paper devotes a section to each of these topics. It then relates, in the third section, the interaction of marketing strategies with the properties of the marketplace previously described. Sales and profits are used as multiple criteria of managerial performance.
Classification is a core issue in market segmentation. Through the use of relevant criteria, manufacturers are enabled to assess whether or not particular markets are better treated as homogeneous or, rather, as composed of a heterogeneous collection of subgroups, each differentially responsive to alternative product and promotional strategies. Classification criteria can also guide the formulation of these strategies and help in the assessment of their success or failure. This paper provides an overview of the current situation in the area. In doing so it outlines some general issues involved in classifying consumers, discusses some commonly used criteria and indicates possible new developments.
The technology we are going to describe has been developed as a composite procedure, which retains flexibility, whilst solving the problems of interlocking complex interviewing and analysis systems. We have named this composite system, The Consumer Oriented Grid Group Interview (COGGI) technique. We present it here as a relatively cheap and fast method of obtaining marketing strategies based on a type of consumer segmentation.
The Seminar on Market Research and Tourism is coming to an end. Let me briefly summarise its achievements. The thing that has impressed me most at this seminar was the difference between the almost unlimited optimism of the air transport companies and the careful planning of the tour operators with regard to marketing.