Culture and Positioning as a Determinant of Strategy: Personality and the Business Organization by Tony Ellson (Palgrave Macmillan) This book offers an alternative to the traditional process of segmentation, targeting and positioning, highlighting some important implications for management and marketing practitioners as well as academics. Strategic positioning is the assertion of an organization's personality on decisions of how and where to compete. Operational positioning is an exercise in communication that concentrates on perception and image.
The book suggests that the principal drivers of strategic positioning play a fundamental role in the determination of strategy at all levels and play a pivotal role in differentiating competitors and generating competitive advantage. In particular, strategic positioning requires awareness and sometimes adjustment and changes in an organization's culture rather than just the cosmetic approach sometimes sought through promotion, advertising and communications plans.
Positioning has been described as something that takes place in a prospect's mind, a manipulation of consumer perceptions through a communications approach. This application of positioning uses the process of segmentation in order to gain a fuller understanding of target groups in the market as part of the informing process for a successful promotional approach. Day (1990) views positioning at a strategic level as vision linking with competitive advantage, positioning at a tactical level as a concept linking product positioning with segmentation and targeting, and positioning at an operational level as a tool linking a brand to the customer through the use of communication. It is, from the strategic marketing viewpoint, a tactical or operational aspect of the marketing plan.
The book will try to identify the differences between strategic and operational positioning and attempt to define the role that each plays in the process of segmentation and targeting and the determination of marketing strategy.
Smith identifies differentiation as a promotional strategy to gain a market position and enhance a willingness to pay higher prices, and acknowledges that strategy is an integrated approach that engages the whole business. Whilst emotional enhancement of the product, or psychological means, are an intangible part of the product, strategy determination is a means of matching resources and skills, competencies to the changing environment. Superficial modification rather than real changes within the organization is necessary to make the connection between the organization and a target segment.
Marketing is not simply a manipulator of the customer, a teller and seller, an advertising promotion, a user of advertising and promotion, a manipulator of advertising, distribution and product branding, a purveyor of the short-term fix , or an inventor of a catchy new slogan. Satisfied customers, the recognition of dynamic relationships between customer and supplier, the long-term strategic relationships with customers, and the long-term foundation for company prosperity where the customer is the focal point of a long-term strategic relationship or partnership are the underlying aims of marketing.
The book will examine the need for, and advantages of, strategic positioning matching reality rather than manipulating the mind of customers.
Strategic planning requires overall management decisions that influence and facilitate integrated policies affecting every aspect and area of the business. The match between resources or distinctive competencies and external environment is fundamental to an organization achieving the purposes that it wishes to accomplish. Marketing should develop a range of facets and resources within the organization to win the hearts and minds of target markets rather than be confined by functional limitations of the role of marketing. This is a multi-faceted approach that relies more on social processes than the constraints of the limited borders of product, price, promotion and place. This research looks at strategic positioning as a reflection of the persona of the company. This might be reflected in a statement of mission or vision, it might reflect the culture of the organization, the `something' that you can sense, but cannot see or touch. Whatever this `something' might be, a company is dependent on the behaviours of the people who are perceived as the company and employees by the customer. The approach, the strategy, the decisions and judgements, are all reflections of the company. Strategic positioning is likely to reflect that 'some-thing' of a company through the brand, the product or service, the offering it makes to the market place.
The book looks at the role of the history of a company and the personal preferences of senior management in strategic positioning as well as the influences of culture.
Some portray business without a sense of purpose or direction and comprised of separate functional parts as ignoring the need to motivate customers to want to do business. There would then be a need for a business to change its capabilities and resources in order to meet new opportunities and threats that arise, or to accomplish a match with a changing market and environment. This would require real changes rather than superficial modification including change to the behaviours within the organization or adaptability across a range of characteristics that define a business, the purpose of which is to influence interactions and fit between the organization and a target segment. The recognition of the need for change is blurred by past success and yet strategy and capability are defined by the portrayal of a whole picture of the organization as perceived by the customer.
Vision expresses identity and direction, the way a business intends to compete and competitive advantage and superior value is distinguished by the distinctive competencies rather than any attempt to be something else. This requires an understanding of organizational life in recognition that it is not that simple.
The book explores the need to be aware of and contribute to, the adjustment or change of an organization's culture as part of the determination of strategy and in particular in the role of positioning as a determinant of strategy.
There always seems to be something more logical, as well as tidy, in chronological sequence. After all, if previous understanding gained either through empirical research or plain advocacy has any purpose, then we should at least acknowledge that others have made important contributions to where we now stand. The book is therefore largely constructed in sequential date order within the chapters and sections. The literature is reviewed chronologically under each main heading on the grounds that progress builds on previous understanding and contribution. Likewise, the explanation of the research design and methodology is assisted by a sequential approach. The case study of Parteisch UK and Parteisch International is chronological, thus providing a logical and more grounded approach and hopefully assisting with the understanding and contribution to the structure and rationale of the book.
Part I considers the context and rationale of the research with some of the evolving ideas that have contributed to the suggestion that positioning is a determinant of strategy.
Part II consists of a review of literature useful to the aims of the research. In particular, Chapter 2 examines segmentation, targeting and positioning; Chapter 3 looks further at positioning and differentiation, the role of personality, and positioning in strategy; Chapter 4 explores the links between positioning and strategy through the review of relevant literature on organizational culture, the family business, change, and vision and mission. Chapter 5 considers selected contemporary reports in newspapers and business journals relevant to the context and rationale of the study.
Part III examines the research design and methodology of the case study with particular emphasis on phenomenological and ethnographic techniques, the use of a longitudinal case study, and the identification of methods of triangulation.
Part IV contains the illusive case study of Parteisch UK and Parteisch International. This case study uses narrative and descriptive methods to underline themes of contemporary business rather than absolute fact. It identifies and highlights the impact of strategic positioning on the organization, the customers, and the long-term strategic approach of a business. It is, of course, the fictional tale of a company that does not exist. No names or characters are real and the particular circumstances do not exist. The case study is the essence of a contemporary business rather than the fact. After all, tales are merely an expression of who we are and what we have learnt rather than an absolute expression of fact and detail of the particular. This is more fully discussed in Part III.
Part V considers the findings of the case study in Chapter 8 alongside the literature review of Chapters 2, 3, and 4, and the reports from con-temporary business in Chapter 5. This results in the suggestion of six propositions. Chapter 9 describes three studies undertaken as a multi-method approach to triangulate the findings and propositions raised by the case study — a qualitative study of internal perceptions of sales staff
at Parteisch UK, another qualitative study of the market and customers of Parteisch UK, and the quantitative study of the perceptions of senior managers at Parteisch International. An evaluation and validation of the findings of the propositions is undertaken as part of the multi-method approach to this study.
Part VI discusses the findings of the study and puts these findings into the context of positioning and culture as a determinant of strategy. Chapter 10 considers the impact of the findings on marketing management, the implications for practitioners and scholars, as well as possible avenues for future research.
A suggested alternative model forms the basis for the context of this book. This model places strategic positioning at the head of the process of segmentation, targeting and positioning The purpose of this book is to explore the influences on how and where a business decides to compete in order to understand the role of positioning and to identify the possible meaning and context of positioning as a determinant of strategy.
Strategic positioning is distinctive from operational positioning and that strategic positioning is sustained by the genuine capabilities and competencies of a business rather than perceptions and images promoted by communication techniques employed by advertising and promotion. There is a clear implication that the source or driver of strategic positioning is the culture or 'personality' of the business as determined by the history of the company and the personal preferences of the owners or senior managers.
If strategic positioning is the outcome of these factors, then the methods of segmentation, the choice of target segment, and customer perceptions are also likely to be influenced by them. The expression of culture, history, and preferences is likely to be displayed by the behaviours of the business in a similar way to the traits of humans that in sum total lend themselves to the establishment of a metaphorical personality. If organizations have a personality that amounts to a strategic positioning in the minds of customers, then it is an important feature that will be reflected in corporate strategy and indeed, the determination of marketing strategy and all other functional areas across the value chain. A diminution of relevant and meaningful competencies and capabilities to match profitable and growing market segments is likely to have a major and significant effect upon the future success of a business. It suggests that organizations risk becoming stuck in an ever-decreasing circle dictated by their own paradigmatic view of the world, their industry, and their customers. This would mean that effective strategic positioning requires an awareness, as well as recognition, of the need to make adjustment or change to the organization's culture as part of the marketing strategy. This is an important and difficult task for all managers in a business organization that seeks growth and durable success.
Dynamics of International Advertising: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives by Barbara Mueller (Peter Lang Publishing) brings to light the unique challenges in developing and implementing successful campaigns globally. With a balance of theoretical and practical perspectives, this text takes the reader inside the dynamics of advertising as it functions within the international marketing mix. Filled with current examples and case studies, Dynamics of International Advertising addresses the key issues that advertisers must keep in mind to create effective communication programs for foreign markets: cultural norms and values, political environments, economic policies, social contexts, and more. Both the process and product of international advertising are addressed—from research and strategy development to creative execution and media planning. This is an ideal textbook for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students in specialized courses dealing with international advertising or marketing. It is also an effective supplemental text for introductory advertising, marketing, or mass communications courses seeking to expand coverage of the international dimension. The text should prove useful to practitioners of international advertising, whether on the client side or within the advertising agency. And, finally, researchers of international advertising and marketing will also find the text a valuable resource.
An ever-increasing number of universities—both in the United States and abroad—are attempting to internationalize their curricula by offering courses in international communication, intercultural communication, international business, and international advertising. Dynamics of International Advertising: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives is a response to the demand for texts dealing with global issues and globalization. First and foremost, it is the ideal text-book for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students in specialized courses dealing with international advertising or marketing. It is also an effective supplemental text for introductory advertising, marketing, or mass communications courses seeking to expand coverage of the international dimension. The text should also prove useful to practitioners of international advertising, whether on the client side or within the advertising agency. Finally, researchers of international advertising and marketing will find it a valuable resource.
This book introduces the student, practitioner, and researcher to the challenges and difficulties in developing and implementing communications programs for foreign markets. While advertising is the major focus, the author recognizes that an integrated marketing communications approach is critical to competing successfully in the international setting. In order to communicate effectively with audiences around the globe, marketers must coordinate not only advertising, direct marketing, sales promotions, personal selling, and public relations efforts, but also the other aspects of the marketing mix as well. Therefore, the basics of inter-national marketing are briefly reviewed in the first several chapters of this text. The remainder of the book explores international advertising.
Every attempt has been made to provide a balance of theoretical and practical perspectives. For example, the issues of centralization versus decentralization and standardization versus localization or specialization are addressed as they apply to the organization of international advertising programs, development and execution of creative strategy, media planning and buying, and advertising research. Readers will find that these are not black-and-white issues. Instead, they can be viewed as a continuum. Some marketing and advertising decisions can be centralized while others may be decentralized. Similarly, depending on the product to be advertised and the audience to be targeted, some elements of the marketing and advertising mix may be standardized while others will be specialized.
This text is not intended to provide a country-by-country analysis of the global market-place (a futile effort, given how quickly our world changes). Instead, using current examples and case studies, Dynamics of International Advertising addresses the key issues that advertisers must keep in mind to create effective communications programs for foreign markets. The text comprises a total of ten chapters. In Chapter 1, factors influencing the growth of international advertising are examined. Chapter 2 highlights the role that product, price, distribution, and promotion play in selling abroad. Domestic advertising and international advertising differ not so much in concept as in environment; the international marketing and advertising environment is outlined in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 is devoted to developing a sensitivity to the various cultural factors that impact international marketing efforts. Chapter 5 addresses the coordination and control of international advertising. Chapter 6 deals with creative strategies and executions for foreign audiences. Chapters 7–9 explore media decisions in the global marketplace, inter-national advertising research and methods for obtaining the information necessary for making international advertising decisions, and, finally, regulatory considerations. Finally, Chapter 10 focuses on the social responsibility of international advertising agencies and multinational corporations in foreign markets.
The Influentials: One American in Ten Tells the Other Nine How to Vote, Where to
Eat, and What to Buy by Jon
Berry, Ed Keller (Knopf) One American in ten tells the other nine how to
vote, where to eat, and what to buy. They are
The Influentials. Who are they? The most influential Americans -- the ones
who tell their neighbors what to buy, which politicians to support, and where to
vacation -- are not necessarily the people you'd expect. They're not
• Influentials have been the "early majority" -- leading indicators of what
Americans will be buying -- for more than five decades, from choosing
energy-efficient cars in the 1970s to owning computers in the 1980s to adopting
401(k)s and IRAs in the 1990s to using the Internet and cell phones today.
• Influentials have led the way in social development as well, from the revival
of self-reliance (in managing their own health care, investments, and
consumption) to mass skepticism about the marketing claims of everything from
breakfast food to politicians.
Although
Both an intellectual adventure and a hands-on marketing manual,
The Influentials is an extraordinary gold mine of information and analysis
that no business can afford to ignore.
Sense: The Art and Science of Creating Lasting Brands by
Lippincott
Mercer (Rockport) In the mid 1950s Lippincott & Margulies began self-publishing
Sense, an industry magazine dedicated to exploring the leading issues
surrounding identity and design. Each issue contains a series of thought
provoking perspectives and insights that explore how companies and their
products can become better known and better understood. In addition to
insightful case studies on some of their more prominent clients, Sense explores
topics such as: How to bridge the gap between reality and perception; What to do
after a merger; Establishing a new identity; Struggling for distinctiveness;
What's the true measure of a brand?; Foundation for a new business; Managing
brand risk, and Corporate Brand and Wall Street.
Sense: The Art and Science of Creating Lasting Brands is a two-book package
that celebrates the best of the magazine. The first book is a collection of the
articles from all 96 issues and the second book explores each issue visually by
showcasing the cover and several spreads. This book provides insights from some
of the top talent in identity design and is a must-have for every designer.
Founded in 1945 by Gordon Lippincott, the man who coined
the term "corporate identity," Lippincott & Margulies has been a leader in the
field of identity design since its inception. Building on its strength in
industrial design, Lippincott & Margulies helped pioneer the field of package
design and brand identity, and many of its early efforts in these areas still
fill blue chip positions in their companies? portfolios. They have worked with
over 3000 clients including Amtrack, Betty Crocker,
Using a visual symbol to provide identity is hardly a new
idea: Egyptians branded their cattle, knights bore their personal crest on their
shields. But for a long time—even after mass marketing had dramatically
increased the value of a trademark—what a company stood for and how it
communicated that identity wasn't given much thought. Making sure that all the
appliances left the factory with the "Westinghouse" nameplate, for instance, was
about as complicated as it got.
CEOs—culled almost entirely from the ranks of manufacturing
and finance-didn't have the answers. With the fate of their corporate image (and
sometimes by extension their corporate fate) in the balance, they turned to a
new category of design professionals, visionaries who were convinced that
corporate image design would increasingly be key in maintaining corporate esprit
and redefining corporate strategy. These designers were zealots, inspired by the
ground-breaking products, architecture, and graphic design of companies such as
Olivetti in
Media Selling: Broadcast, Cable, Print, and Interactive edited by Charles
Warner, Joseph Buchman (Iowa State University Press) is an update and
expansion of the updated, 1993, second edition of Broadcast and Cable Selling.
Media convergence, fragmentation, the growth of the Internet, and the growth of
cross-platform selling necessitated the inclusion of all of the
advertising-supported media (newspapers, broadcast television, radio, cable
television, yellow pages, magazines, the Internet, and out-door). In the 10
years since the last edition of Broadcast and Cable Selling appeared, direct
mail advertising rose from the third-largest medium in terms of advertising
expenditures to the top position. Direct mail is not included as one of the
media covered in this book because the media, as commonly referred to, are news
and entertainment media supported entirely or in part by advertising. The
content of direct mail is all advertising and it is a component of the
direct-response or direct-marketing business, not the media business. In the
updated edition of Broadcast and Cable Selling, published in 1993, was included
a section near the end of the book on sales ethics. In this new edition, the
editors decided to move ethics up to the third chapter of the book because it
was felt that people who hope to have a career in media selling need to know the
rules of the game before they begin playing. Another reason for emphasizing
rules and ethics in this book is because the corporate and Wall Street scandals
of the last few years have made it more imperative than ever that businesses,
including the media, do the right thing, not only to restore the confidence of
investors but also to restore the trust of the public, government regulators,
and their own employees. Earlier
editions of Broadcast and Cable Selling dealt with needs-satisfaction selling,
but the professional selling climate has evolved from the needs-satisfaction
approach through consultative selling to solutions selling, today's preferred
approach by world-class sales organizations. Solutions selling is the approach
used in this book. The ground-breaking work of Daniel Goleman and his partners
in emotional intelligence has also created a new, highly effective approach to
building relationships—always the key to effective selling—and Robert Cialdini's
work on the psychology of persuasion and influence has helped us understand the
many fundamental psychological principles that direct human behavior. Both of
these topics are new in this current edition. Finally,
print, interactive, and outdoor media are included in this book because of the
growth of cross-platform selling that is the result of media company
consolidation. Huge media conglomerates such as AOL Time Warner and Viacom are
now bundling their media together in large cross-platform deals with major
national advertisers. Even on the local level, cross-platform selling is
occurring more and more often with combinations such as the ABC Television
stations and their local Web sites and Infinity Radio and Infinity Outdoor
selling on a cross-platform basis. This trend toward more cross-platform
selling means media salespeople of the future must be experts in several media.
Media Selling focuses on several basic concepts: Selling without tricks or manipulation—with authenticity— to build and
maintain long-term relationships based on trust. The imperative for honesty, integrity, and ethics in selling in this era
of corporate misdeeds and erosion of confidence in the media. Attitudes control successful sales performance, and attitudes are
controlled by using sound goals and objectives to motivate salespeople and
help them achieve their dreams. Developing emotional intelligence—self-awareness, self-management, social
awareness, and relationship management—is necessary for success in selling. Understanding the basic principles of persuasion and influence is
important for today's media salesperson. Solutions selling means selling solutions to marketing and advertising
problems. Becoming an expert negotiator because a majority of today's media business
is conducted through negotiating. Understanding the concepts of marketing and advertising in order to
develop appropriate solutions. Understanding all media is important in an era of cross-platform selling. Unique Features A fully integrated and organized selling system—AESKOPP—that enables
salespeople and sales managers to organize and evaluate sales efforts. A list of Core Competencies for salespeople that is useful to them and to
managers for guiding and evaluating sales performance. A strategic selling approach that emphasizes solving customer problems by
developing trusting, long-term relationships using the wisdom of emotional
intelligence and the principles of persuasion and influence. Definitions of the six steps of selling that focus on discovering and
under-standing customer needs and wants and solving advertising and
marketing problems. Tips on organizing, writing, and delivering major presentations to groups
at key accounts. A thorough section on negotiating and closing. Tips on effective sales organization systems, To-Do lists, and time
management. Author
Charles Warner has done it again. In
Media Selling, Warner recrafts his landmark text, Broadcast and Cable
Selling, to meet the needs of students and professionals in all of the
advertising-supported media. Like its predecessor, Warner's latest effort is an
indispensable tool for learning, training, and mastering sales and negotiating
techniques for the media. In the last
decade, the media industries have experienced unprecedented consolidation and
sweeping change. The third edition of Media Selling addresses these significant
industry changes and continues to be the seminal resource for information on
media sales. The text includes in-depth and expanded information not only on
broadcast and cable selling but also on newspapers, magazines, yellow pages,
Interactive, and outdoor media--a necessity in an era of media convergence and
cross-platform selling. Praised by
educators and sales training managers throughout the country,
Media Selling, Third Edition advocates a solutions selling approach that one
reviewer called "the best synthesis of behavioral psychology, common sense, and
professional salesmanship I've ever read." About the
Authors Joseph
Buchman is the co-author of the second edition of Broadcast and Cable
Selling. He has taught media management, sales, and marketing at Mark
Chessman is a Regional Vice President for America Online, leading the
company's advertising sales operations in the Ken
Foster has written four educational marketing books and taught Marketing
Communications and Media Analysis at the Phil
Frank is Group Vice President, New Business Development at Time, Inc.'s
Corporaate Sales Marketing Department. J.
Wiliam Grimes has served as President/CEO of four major media companies,
including Multimedia Inc., Zenith Media, and ESPN (1981 to 1988), and as
Senior Vice President of CBS. Tint
Larson is Associate Professor of Communication at the Redpath
is a Vice President of BIA Financial Network. Prior to joining BIAfn in
1985, he was a Senior Financial Analyst with NBC in Thomas
Stub* is Publisher of the Gwinnett Daily Post as well as President of the
Publishing Division of Gray Television, Inc. Paul
Talbot is Senior Vice President and Market Manager for the Infinity
Broadcasting radio stations in. Vincent
Thompson is a Regional Vice President for America Online and leads the
company's advertising sales operations in the Southwest.
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