mutually exclusive. In other words, the same act of consumption can provide both utilitarian value and
91. Explain the concept of customer lifetime value (CLV).
Answers will vary. CLV represents the approximate worth of a customer to a company in economic terms.
Put another way, CLV is the overall, long-term profitability of an individual consumer. Although there is no
generally accepted formula for the CLV, the basic idea is simple:CLV = npv (sales – costs) + npv
(equity)The CLV then is equal to the net present value (npv) of the stream of profits over a customer’s
lifetime, plus the worth attributed to the equity a good customer can bring in the form of positive referrals
and word of mouth.
92. Discuss how social environment acts as an external influence on a consumer.
Answers will vary. The social environment includes people and groups who help shape a consumer’s
everyday experiences. Some influence is personal, meaning the consumer actually knows the people; some is
impersonal, coming from unknown people like celebrities; and still other influence is virtual, coming from
unknown sources online or in social networks. In addition, any time a consumer chooses to do something, at
least in part, to please or appeal to another consumer, the social environment plays a role in that process.
Group influence is one mechanism through which social influences work. Simple decisions ranging from
what breakfast foods to buy to complicated things like attending a university all are shaped by subtle
influences like acculturation, the sometimes not-so-subtle influence of family and friends.
93. In the context of the Consumer Value Framework (CVF), discuss the importance of Customer Relationship
Management (CRM).
Answers will vary. CRM is a systematic information management system that collects, maintains, and
reports detailed information about customers to enable a more customer-oriented managerial approach. A
basic CRM premise is that customers form relationships with companies as opposed to companies
conducting individual transactions with customers. A CRM system tracks detailed information about
customers so marketers can make more customer-oriented decisions that hopefully lead to longer-lasting
relationships. CRM means each customer represents a potential stream of resources rather than just a single
sale.
94. Briefly explain the concept of market segmentation?
Answers will vary. Market segmentation is the separation of a market into groups based on the different
demand curves associated with each group. Market segmentation is a marketplace condition; numerous
segments exist in some markets, but very few segments may exist in others. Market segmentation is not
really a marketing tactic because the segments are created by consumers through their unique preferences.
Market segmentation is critically important to effective marketing, though, and the marketing researcher’s job
becomes identifying segments and describing the segments’ members based on characteristics such as age,
income, geography, and lifestyle.
95. Discuss the importance of perceptual maps for spotting opportunities in the marketplace.
Answers will vary. Perceptual maps are widely used to plot the way consumers view competitors in an
industry. They are very useful for spotting opportunities in the marketplace. They allow a business to better
understand exactly whom they compete with, and identify what-if situations by examining what would
happen if they changed an offering by raising or lowering characteristics. Very commonly, brands analyze
themselves on a perceptual map with price and quality as the dimensions. If a firm lowers price or raises
quality, their competition may well change. Perceptual mapping is used in practically every competitive
industry, including the nonprofit sector. The simple two-dimensional graphics give the user an easy way to
analyze a market.
Answers will vary. Rather than being viewed as opposites, utilitarian value and hedonic value are not