Marketing


Foundations of Marketing 

1 · What Is Marketing?

“Marketing is human activity directed at satisfying needs & wants through an exchange process.” — Philip Kotler

  • Needs → Wants → Demand: Basic needs (food) evolve into wants (delicious food); when purchasing power joins the mix, we get demand.

  • 4P Mix: Product · Price · Place · Promotion — the classic toolkit for turning demand into value.

Kotler calls marketing customer satisfaction; every corporate action around product planning, pricing, distribution, and promotion is ultimately about delighting a specific market.


2 · Core Concepts at the Heart of Marketing

ConceptSlide Highlights
Need / Want / DemandDemand constantly shifts—beverages have one of the shortest cycles.
Product (or “Offer”)Anything that can satisfy a need: goods, services, people, places, ideas.
Customer ValueValue = Benefits – Cost. The gap between what customers get and what they pay.
Customer SatisfactionPerformance vs expectations: < = disappointment, == satisfaction, > delight.
Quality & TQMTotal Quality Management (TQM) drives Return on Quality (ROQ) and feeds satisfaction.
Exchange & TransactionThe unit of marketing action—trading value to trigger a response (buy, vote, join).
MarketThe set of buyers able & willing to exchange resources for what they want.

3 · The Marketing Process (STP → 4P)

  1. Segmentation — Divide the broad market into homogeneous slices.

  2. Targeting — Choose the slice the firm can serve best.

  3. Positioning — Plant the product’s unique promise in consumers’ minds.

  4. Marketing Mix — Craft the optimal 4P blend to deliver that promise.

Strategic vs Tactical:

  • Strategic marketing shapes concept, testing, and long‑term positioning.

  • Tactical marketing tracks sales, image, price comparisons, and communications.


4 · Environmental Analysis — 3C & SWOT

  • 3C Analysis: Company · Competition · Customer (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats).

  • SWOT grids pair internal strengths/weaknesses with external opportunities/threats to derive OS/OW/TS/TW strategies—expansion, alliances, cutback, etc.

(The slides apply SWOT to a premium ice‑cream entry; worth a revisit later.)


5 · Marketing Mix in Action

Product Life Cycle (PLC)

StageCompetitionProfitStrategy Focus
IntroNone0Improve prototype, high price, awareness‑building promos
GrowthFewPeakMarket penetration, prevent rivals
MaturityManyShrinkingDiversify, brand differentiation, loyalty ads
DeclineFew0Harvest, minimal promo, channel pruning

BCG Matrix

  • Star (growth ↑, share ↑) — invest for long‑term profit.

  • Question Mark (growth ↑, share ↓) — decide: build or divest.

  • Cash Cow (growth ↓, share ↑) — harvest cash, maintain.

  • Dog (growth ↓, share ↓) — withdraw or niche.

4P Drill‑Down Highlights

  • Product: Quality, variety, new‑use discovery.

  • Price: High in intro/growth, drop for inventory clearance in decline.

  • Place: Exclusive/selective early; open distribution later.

  • Promotion: Heavy awareness early, loyalty & differentiation mid‑cycle, minimal late.


6 · Case Snapshot — Samsung “Zippel” Refrigerator

  • Target: High‑income (₩3 M+), homeowners > 40 pyeong.

  • Need: Luxury, large capacity, desire to show off.

  • Positioning: Separate “Zippel” brand from Samsung; premium double‑door design.

  • Outcome: Rapid market leadership in the high‑end fridge segment.


Closing Thoughts

Marketing turns abstract human desires into concrete exchange—and profit. Next post I’ll zoom into STP with live examples from the ice‑cream SWOT and explore how segmentation variables actually play out.

As always, call out any misreads; this log stays raw and honest.

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