4 a Paper

INDIVIDUAL paper GUIDELINES

DIAGNOSING MARKETING FAILURES

The failure of marketing programs often has little to with the actual product. Marketing programs fail because they fail to create value through the elements of the marketing mix. In other words, they fail to ensure that the marketing program achieves 100% (or as close to it as possible) on each of the 4 As: Acceptability, Accessibility, Affordability and Awareness. They also fail to appreciate the non-compensatory nature of the framework; the variables are essentially independent, and each must be present at a high level in order for a marketing program to succeed.

Please pick one example of a marketing failure. Analyze the failure using the “4A” framework presented in class and described in the readings, and develop a succinct written report of approximately five pages.

Please remember to analyze each A on both of its dimensions, and try to provide a reasonable quantitative estimate of the level achieved. You should also look at whether the chosen target market was appropriate for the product. Finally, make specific recommendations about what could have been done differently to make the product succeed.

Example

The failure of AirFone (telephony from airplanes) might be evaluated using this framework as follows:

The product / service achieved only a moderate level of acceptability; prior to the use of digital technology, the noise level was very high, and conversations were often drowned out by the ambient sound of the airplane engines. The service also provided little privacy to callers. Since most airplanes carried one phone for every two to three seats, accessibility was quite high. The product is literally in the customer’s face, and the level of awareness among the target market was thus quite high. With a price of $2.99 a minute, the service exceeded the affordability barrier of most potential users. This led to an extremely low level of utilization, which, combined with...