Marketing Research and Promotional messages Essay

Marketing messages are a key component to attracting attention and lead the targeted consumer through the sales cycle and to purchase (Consumer Behavior and Targeting Audience). When a company is looking to create a marketing communication message it is important to understand the type of consumer they are marketing towards. The company needs to look at the type of consumer they are targeting then analyze their needs, perceptions and attitudes. These three things will help a company develop an effective marketing communication message to target their consumer. Consumer Women are the number one consumers in the United States, influencing over 80 percent of the goods and services purchased (Murray Skoloda , 2009).They are big spenders whether it is household, corporate or small business. In the last decade women have become more educated, are working harder and making more money than years past. If a women is earning at least half of the household income then she has a large say involving household purchases. Women are juggling more at work and home, marketing has become more media based. There are more women using multi-media than ever like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Consumer Needs When looking at consumers purchasing trends, wants and needs drive the marketing decisions. Looking at a women’s aspirations can help understand the wants and needs behind a purchase. Examples of wants and needs: Make a better home Help and want kids to be successful Have time to do what you want Travel more Look more attractive Be healthy Be healthier and have a nice body Look younger Women need to take care of themselves, their families and their household duties. When targeting women with marketing strategies the focus should be on getting ahead, having fun, looking fabulous and taking care of household duties. You have to market around the consumers needs, for example, Pantene shampoo commercials focus on how shinny, soft and healthy the hair will look after using the product. Victoria Secret focuses on the look and feel of their products. All of these marketing and promotional strategies focus of what the consumer wants and needs. Perceptions Consumer perception is the understanding behind the motivations that drive buying behaviors. Understanding consumer motivations help companies create marketing strategies. Women are motivated by emotion, intuition and experience (Blank, 2014). Finding what makes them happy, what they are proud of, and what they cherish and enjoy will help create a marketing strategy that will help promote and sell the product. For example, women that have small children will always look at products that are safe, and sometimes even look at safety ratings before purchasing. This means the marketing strategy should be built around safety. Another example, women are always looking to feel and look younger so it would be smart for the cosmetic industry to focus on anti-aging and blemishing products. Usually when women have a great experience or find a product that they like, they will stay loyal, and tell their friends. Over all you need to market the product toward the targeted consumer and their needs. Attitudes Attitude plays an important role in marketing strategies, it is the attitude towards a product, group or brand that drives the consumers decision to purchase the product. Consumers have pre formed attitude towards some of the product and brands and once formed it is hard to change those attitudes (Masterman & Wood, 2006). Women are very open to trying new products and brands but once they have a bad experience or customer service experience, that will change their attitudes towards the product and it will be hard to rebuild the trust. It is important to thinking about the marketing  strategies when looking to change attitudes and bias options on products. Looking at marketing communication it is important to consider the consumer you are targeting and their needs. Learning about the consumer and their needs helps build a strong marketing strategy that can drive the purchase of the product. Understanding the consumer and how they perceive information helps with the sale of the product. Looking at the consumers attitudes will help build strong relationships and help brand the product. Reference: Masterman, G., & Wood, E. H. (2006). Innovative Marketing Communications: Strategies for the Events Industry . Burlington, MA: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Blank, C. (2014). Consumer Perception Theory. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/consumer-perception-theory-40176.html Murray Skoloda , K. (2009). TOO BUSY TO SHOP Marketing to â€Å"Multi-Minding† Women . Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND TARGET AUDIENCE DECISIONS). Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/