3 Gathering Information and Scanning the Environment Marketing

3 Gathering Information and Scanning the Environment Marketing Management, 13 th ed

Chapter Questions • What are the components of a modern marketing information system? • What are useful internal records? • What is involved in a marketing intelligence system? • What are the key methods for tracking and identifying opportunities in the macro environment? • What are some important macro environment developments? Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -2

What is a Marketing Information System (MIS)? A marketing information system consists of people, equipment, and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute needed, timely, and accurate information to marketing decision makers. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -3

Table 3. 1 Information Needs Probes • What decisions do you regularly make? • What information do you need to make these decisions? • What information do you regularly get? • What special studies do you periodically request? • What information would you want that you are not getting now? • What are the four most helpful improvements that could be made in the present marketing information system? Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -4

Internal Records and Marketing Intelligence • • Order-to-payment cycle Sales information system Databases, warehousing, data mining Marketing intelligence system Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -5

Steps to Improve Marketing Intelligence • Train sales force to scan for new developments • Motivate channel members to share intelligence • Network externally • Utilize a customer advisory panel • Utilize government data sources • Collect customer feedback online • Purchase information Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -6

Table 3. 2 Secondary Commercial Data Sources • • • Nielsen MRCA Information Resources SAMI/Burke Simmons Arbitron Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -7

Sources of Competitive Information • Independent customer goods and service review forums • Distributor or sales agent feedback sites • Combination sites offering customer reviews and expert opinions • Customer complaint sites • Public blogs Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -8

Needs and Trends • Fads • Trends • Megatrends Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -9

Trends Shaping the Business Landscape • Profound shifts in centers of economic activity • Increases in publicsector activity • Change in consumer landscape • Technological connectivity • Scarcity of well-trained talent • Increase in demand for natural resources • Emergence of new global industry structures • Ubiquitous access to information • Management shifts from art to science • Increase in scrutiny of big business practices Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -10

Environmental Forces • • • Demographic Economic Socio-cultural Natural Technological Political-legal Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -11

Population and Demographics • Population growth • Population age mix • Ethnic markets • Educational groups • Household patterns • Geographical shifts Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -12

Economic Environment • Income Distribution • Savings, Debt, and Credit Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -13

Social-Cultural Environment • • • Views of themselves Views of others Views of organizations Views of society Views of nature Views of the universe Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -14

Table 3. 3 Most Popular American Leisure Activities • Reading • TV Watching • Spending time with family • Going to movies • Fishing • • • Computer activities Gardening Renting movies Walking Exercise Listening to music Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -15

Natural Environment • • Shortage of raw materials Increased energy costs Anti-pollution pressures Governmental protections Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -16

Keys to Avoiding Green Marketing Myopia • Consumer Value Positioning • Calibration of Consumer Knowledge • Credibility of Product Claims Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -17

Technological Environment • • Pace of change Opportunities for innovation Varying R&D budgets Increased regulation of change Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3 -18