Mkt 301

You have been asked to advise someone whether they should invest in a proposed U. S. bottled water business. Apply the concepts and frameworks taught in Module 01 to explain how you would analyze the U. S. market for bottled water and describe actual and potential marketing strategies that have been and could be developed for it.

The question is if there is a healthy market for bottled water. Using current trends as evidence, there is an excellent market for this product. In 2006, nearly eight billion gallons of bottled water were sold, surpassed only by carbonated soft drink sales (Beverage Marketing Corporation, 2007). Water is essential for life and it is becoming increasingly harder to find a sanitary source; thus the market for bottled water is only going to get bigger.

ANALYSIS OF MARKETING TECHNIQUES

Target marketing is a marketing campaign that is focused on groups of customers with similar needs. This alternative in marketing strategies and tactics would work well for marketing bottled water. One can capitalize on the existing healthy markets in large and medium sized cities by using target marketing. The target demographics within those cities are middle class individuals and families. These demographics needs bottled water as well as the ability to spend the resources needed to obtain it. This proposed marketing campaign will primary target families that are on vacation and traveling, while also focusing on customers who are active and outdoors with the need to re-hydrate.

Since we are specifically targeting people who are traveling and people who are active outside, target marketing will work well. However, one of the disadvantages to using target marketing is potential loss of more customers who are not in the targeted market. Yet, the advantages are that no resources would be wasted on marketing bottled water to the customers who would not be interested in the product.

Mass marketing is defined as the same product being...