Chapter 13 – Marketing: Helping Buyers Buy
13–73
notes on critical thinking exercise 13-4
1. What need does this product fill?
2. What is the potential market for the product?
3. What are the target markets for such a product?
4. What type of consumer good is this product?
5. How will you distribute the product?
6. How could the consumer be convinced to purchase the product?
7. What are the other questions that need to be answered before a decision is made?
Chapter 13 – Marketing: Helping Buyers Buy
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Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________
critical thinking exercise 13-5
CONSUMER OR B2B GOOD?
For each product below, indicate whether it is a consumer good, a B2B (industrial) good, or both.
Explain the reasons for your choices.
ITEM
TYPE OF
GOOD
RATIONALE
1. McDonald’s Big Mac
Consumer
B2B
Both
2. Xerox copy paper
Consumer
B2B
Both
3. 14-pound bag of
sugar
Consumer
B2B
Both
4. John Deere front-
end loader
Consumer
B2B
Both
5. Hewlett-Packard la-
ser printer
Consumer
B2B
Both
6. Band-Aid strips
Consumer
B2B
Both
7. Designer wedding
dress
Consumer
B2B
Both
Chapter 13 – Marketing: Helping Buyers Buy
13–75
8. 20-pound box of
framing nails
Consumer
B2B
Both
9. Craftsman 48-inch–
cut riding lawnmow-
er
Consumer
B2B
Both
10. TurboTax tax prepa-
ration software
Consumer
B2B
Both
notes on critical thinking exercise 13-5
ITEM
TYPE OF
GOOD
RATIONALE
1. McDonald’s Big Mac
Consumer
B2B
Both
A McDonald’s Big Mac probably could not be
used to create another consumer product.
2. Xerox copy paper
Consumer
B2B
Both
An office could use the copy paper to create re-
ports for another customer (B2B good), but it
could also be sold to a customer for home use.
3. 14-pound bag of
sugar
Consumer
B2B
Both
A bag of sugar delivered to a restaurant would be
a B2B good because it is used to create baked
goods for sale. It can also be sold to a customer to
be used in his or her morning coffee.
4. John Deere front-
end loader
Consumer
B2B
Both
A front-end loader is a specialized piece of
equipment used in construction projects. Your
average homeowner doesn’t need one.
5. Hewlett-Packard la-
ser printer
Consumer
B2B
Both
Again, could be used in an office or in the home
of a consumer.
6. Band-Aid strips
Consumer
B2B
Both
In a hospital, Band-Aids would be a B2B good,
used to create a consumer service (health care). In
a buyer’s home, it is a consumer good.
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Chapter 13 – Marketing: Helping Buyers Buy
13–77
As the research results came in, engineering began playing with ways to improve electric grills.
Manufacturing kept in touch to make sure that any new ideas could be produced economically. Design
discussion questions for bonus case 13-1
1. How can Thermos now build a closer relationship with its customers using the Internet?
2. What other products might Thermos develop that would appeal to the same market segment that
uses outdoor grills?
3. What do you think the Thermos team would have found if it had asked customers what they
thought about having consumers put the grills together rather than buying them assembled? What
other questions might Thermos place on its website to learn more about customer wants and
needs?
notes on discussion questions for bonus case 13-1
1. How can Thermos now build a closer relationship with its customers using the Internet?
2. What other products might Thermos develop that would appeal to the same market segment that
uses outdoor grills?
Chapter 13 – Marketing: Helping Buyers Buy
3. What do you think the Thermos team would have found if it had asked customers what they
thought about having consumers put the grills together rather than buying them assembled? What
other questions might Thermos place on its website to learn more about customer wants and
bonus case 13-2
FOOD MARKETING IN THE INNER CITY
In many cases, food marketers don’t even try to sell products for the health-conscious in low-
income neighborhoods. Businesses both big and small thus contribute to the cycle of poor nutrition in the
In Harlem, Little Debbie’s cupcakes sell like hotcakes. One Harlem storeowner tried stocking his
store with fresh fruits and vegetables and Del Monte fruit in light syrup. His peaches, grapes, lettuce, and
tomatoes were ignored. Now he sells just potatoes and bananas.
Although African Americans suffer more from hypertension, for which doctors prescribe low-salt
diets, the Special Request line of low-sodium soups from Campbell is hard to find in the inner city where
discussion questions for bonus case 13-2
1. Major food companies and smaller grocery stores in the inner city are applying the marketing
concept as they learned it. They are giving people what they want, as measured by store sales.
They are not making much of an effort to encourage people to buy products that are more nutri-
tious. Is this a problem as you see it?
13–79
2. Food costs more in the inner city than it does in the more affluent suburbs. Do marketers have
any responsibility to change the situation? If not, does the government have any responsibility, or
should people be free to buy, sell, and eat whatever they want at whatever cost, with no interfer-
ence from the outside?
3. Poor health costs all of us in higher medical bills and lower productivity of the workforce. If ma-
jor food companies will not promote nutrition to poor people, should that function be taken over
by nonprofit organizations such as churches, schools, and the government? What would you rec-
ommend?
4. Inner-city stores sell lots of snack items, soda, beer, and cigarettes, but little fruit and vegetables.
Would you try to do anything different if you were a grocery store owner? What would motivate
you to try to sell items that are more nutritious?
notes on discussion questions for bonus case 13-2
1. Major food companies and smaller grocery stores in the inner city are applying the marketing
concept as they learned it. They are giving people what they want, as measured by store sales.
They are not making much of an effort to encourage people to buy products that are more nutri-
tious. Is this a problem as you see it?
2. Food costs more in the inner city than it does in the more affluent suburbs. Do marketers have
any responsibility to change the situation? If not, does the government have any responsibility, or
should people be free to buy, sell, and eat whatever they want at whatever cost, with no interfer-
ence from the outside?
3. Poor health costs all of us in higher medical bills and lower productivity of the workforce. If ma-
jor food companies will not promote nutrition to poor people, should that function be taken over
by nonprofit organizations such as churches, schools, and the government? What would you rec-
ommend?
Chapter 13 – Marketing: Helping Buyers Buy
13–80
4. Inner-city stores sell lots of snack items, soda, beer, and cigarettes, but little fruit and vegetables.
Would you try to do anything different if you were a grocery store owner? What would motivate
you to try to sell items that are more nutritious?
bonus case 13-3
LINING UP FOR FREE APPS
In this digital age of free information, it can be a chore to convince consumers, especially young
ones, to purchase some products. After all, for every Web app or program that isn’t already distributed
freely, there are about a dozen other ways to obtain it through easy but extralegal means. Nevertheless,
information and the ways in which it is transmitted will become no more restrained in five years than they
discussion questions for bonus case 13-3
1. What key entrepreneurial characteristics seemed to drive Alder and Chabbott?
2. What’s the major challenge for Line Snob going forward?
Chapter 13 – Marketing: Helping Buyers Buy
13–81
notes on discussion questions for bonus case 13-3
1. What key entrepreneurial characteristics seemed to drive Alder and Chabbott?
2. What’s the major challenge for Line Snob going forward?
bonus case 13-4
MARKETING TO THE BABY BOOM GENERATION
The nation’s 78 million baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are the wealthiest group of
Americans. They have an estimated $1 trillion in annual disposable income and three-quarters of the na-
tion’s financial assets, but only 10% of advertising dollars are directed specifically at the 50-plus market.
The conventional wisdom among marketers is that you have to get consumers to commit to your
brand early in life and once they commit they will be loyal to your brand forever. However, a study con-
ducted by AARP showed that consumers aged 45 and older switch brands just as readily as younger gen-
erations. This has tremendous implications for savvy marketers.
Half of all boomers live in households without kids. Companies like General Mills changed the
Chapter 13 – Marketing: Helping Buyers Buy
13–82
Savvy entrepreneurs can capitalize on the unique qualities of this generation. Take Re/Max agent
Kathy Sperl-Bell. Sperl-Bell is a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES), 1 of more than 14,000 real estate
agents nationwide with an SRES designation, up from 5,000 in 2002. Agents go through a two-day train-
discussion questions for bonus case 13-4
1. Based on this upcoming, large spending group, what other types of products/services might be
popular and attention getting to this market? Why would these products/services be a good fit to
this group?
2. Is there a segment of the baby boomers who are more conservative and not interested in buying
products that speak to a younger living lifestyle as portrayed in this case study? If so, how would
you define this segment and what potential would there be to sell products and services to them?
3. For those baby boomers who would like to become entrepreneurs, what might be types of busi-
nesses that they would be good fits to operate? What would be their motivation to own and oper-
ate their own business?
notes on discussion questions for bonus case 13-4
1. Based on this upcoming, large spending group, what other types of products/services might be
popular and attention getting to this market? Why would these products/services be a good fit to
this group?
Chapter 13 – Marketing: Helping Buyers Buy
13–83
2. Is there a segment of the baby boomers who are more conservative and not interested in buying
products that speak to a younger living lifestyle as portrayed in this case study? If so, how would
you define this segment and what potential would there be to sell products and services to them?
3. For those baby boomers who would like to become entrepreneurs, what might be types of busi-
nesses that they would be good fits to operate? What would be their motivation to own and oper-
ate their own business?
endnotes
i Source: Brian L. Clark, “Pat Croce’s Secret,” Fortune Small Business, November 13, 2001.
v Source: Mehul Srivastava, “For India’s Consumers, Pepsi Is the Real Thing,” Bloomberg Businessweek, Septem-
ber 16, 2010.