Text 2: the marketing mix

Task 6 Write the possible combinations with the word ‘market’ and the words from the box, give their Russian equivalents.

Task 5 Underline the appropriate idea to complete this basic description of marketing, translate the abstract into Russian.

In the past marketing was (customer-driven/ product-driven) where business emphasized the product first and (considered/ confronted) the customer last. Nowadays the reverse strategy is the key to successful marketing. Products and services are created (to mean/ to meet) customer needs. Moreover, marketing must make use of its four basic components to be effective:

• Sales

• Promotion

• Advertising

• (Public Relations/Possible Requirements) or PR

In each aspect marketing aims for a solid customer base and increased (turnaround /turnover). Improving marketing performance is essential to be ahead of the (competition/ concentration).

  overseas service leader survey upscale   country home research mass   developing competence potential business share

....................... market.....................

....................... market.....................

....................... market.....................

....................... market.....................

....................... market.....................

....................... market.....................

....................... market.....................

A marketing mix is a combination of four major ingredients: product (ideas, goods, or services), price, place (distribution), and promotion. A marketer creates a blend of these ingredients - also known as the four Ps - to respond to the needs of the intended customers or audience:

Product. A businessperson's first marketing task is to decide on the goods or services that will attract customers. The key is to determine the needs and wants of customers and then translate those needs and wants into desirable products. Social trends often provide a clue to the types of products that consumers will want. Rising crime rates, for example, have created a growing need among small businesses for security services. Similarly, the rapid increase in the number of working women has inspired clothing manufacturers to produce more women's suits.

Price. Having made basic decisions about its products, the company must decide on how to price them. Sometimes low prices maximize profits. On the other hand, the desirability of some products - like Nike shoes - depends on a high-quality image, which a high price helps to confer.

Place. The third element in the marketing mix is place (or distribution): how products get to customers. Transportation comes into play here, but place also entails decisions about distribution outlets. Many alternatives are possible. Most clothing manufacturers sell to retailers, who resell to consumers.

Promotion. Often, the most important decision a company makes is how it should inform prospective customers about its products. The alternatives are many, and the choice may determine the success of a marketing effort. Some companies, such as Avon and Mary Kay Cosmetics, emphasize direct selling and spend most of their promotion dollars training and paying salespeople. Others, including the many producers of soap and headache remedies, promote their products through advertising, mainly on television. Department stores also spend heavily on advertising, but they choose local newspapers as the most effective medium.

Vocabulary:

ingredients	составляющие (компоненты)
product	товар
place (distribution)	методы распространения
price	цена
marketer	маркетолог
to decide on	выбрать
key	основной принцип (основная цель)
translate	зд. соотносить, устанавливать
desirable product	желаемый товар
social trends	социальные (общественные) тенденции
clue	ключ (подсказка)
crime rate	уровень преступности
security services	охрана
to price	устанавливать цену
desirability	предпочтение
high-quality image	имидж, основанный на высоком качестве производимых товаров
to confer	зд. судить, делать выводы
to entail	повлечь за собой, послужить причиной
distribution outlet	рынок сбыта, торговая точка
prospective customer	потенциальный потребитель (клиент)
to emphasize	придавать особое значение, делать акцент
direct selling	прямая продажа
marketing effort	маркетинговая деятельность
headache remedies	средства (препараты) от головной боли
local newspapers	местные газеты
medium	средство

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the marketing mix?

2. What is the first marketing task of any business?

3. How can you characterize the second component of the marketing mix- price?

4. What is the role of place (distribution) in the marketing mix?

5. How do companies promote their products?

6. What are the most important Ps in your opinion?

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27