marketing strategies and practice m.com. semester – iii question bank
M.COM. SEMESTER – III BUSINESS STUDIES (MANAGEMENT) MARKETING STRATEGIES AND PRACTICE Q.2. State different types of Marketing Strategies ANS: The Marketers use the different combination of marketing mix (4Ps to 7Ps) to get advantage over the competitors in the market. The position of the firm in the market plays a major role in deciding the strategies. Following the strategies based on different positions in the market. 1. Market Leader Strategies: This is adopted when the firm enjoys maximum share of market. Here the firm focuses on expanding the market size, defending its share and increasing the relative market share. It can be achieved by identifying new segments for sale of product, introducing differentiation (of price and product) to stand apart from the competition and introducing scheme to infuse more sale in the existing market segments. Leaders have to beware of challenger’s strategies and continuously work on their weak areas. 2. Market Challenger Strategies: The challengers work on identifying the areas where the leader may be weaker like change of technology, dissatisfied customers etc. · The challengers can adopt frontal attack strategy by adopting the same features of goods and making choice for consumer difficult · The challengers may take up flank attack if frontal is not possible or otherwise too. Here challenger attack where ever the market leader is weak or is caught off-guarded. · The encirclement attack can be taken up by adopting both frontal and flank attack at the same time · The challengers can take less offensive course by capturing the segments or markets which have not been taken up by leaders and gradually increasing overall market share · Guerrilla Strategy can be adopted by constantly engaging the leader in price war or surprising the firm with very unique features of the product to compete. Introduction to Marketing Strategies Examples of Market leaders and challengers. Marketing leaders are the one who have highest relative market share and work on defending its share and expanding it. Challengers are usually second or third in terms of relative market share, but constantly attack the leader for increasing their share or occupying markets where leaders have weaker presence 3. Market Follower Strategies: These firms do not challenge or compete with the leaders. They, in turn, follow the success strategies of leaders and learn from them. The time tested marketing mix strategies are adopted leading to reduced risks. Example of Market Follower. Dell has been following the marketing strategies of Sony Vaio 4. Niche Market Strategies: It is adopted by small firms which would like to have full control on small segment. This strategy is more cost efficient as product differentiation will be created specially to cater to a small market with predictable demand.