Marketing Of Consumer Products Research Articles

Miss Universe, the Olmec and the Valley of Oaxaca

One of the most fundamental problems in archaeology is interpreting the spatial distribution of artifacts and styles. There is a particularly long tradition of argument about the meaning of widespread art styles and artifacts assemblages, in other words, the spread of archaeological ‘cultures’ or ‘horizon styles’. In Mesoamerica, the spread of ‘Olmec’ and ‘Olmecoid’ artifacts, ritual practices and iconography is a case that has generated many explanatory models. In this article, I draw on studies of modern cultural practices like beauty pageants and the marketing of consumer products to suggest some alternative modes of archaeological interpretation. In particular, the idea of ‘common difference’ may provide a richer and more complex way of thinking about the spread of styles and practices.

Cavity Protection or Cosmetic Perfection? Innovation and Marketing of Toothpaste Brands in the United States and Western Europe, 1955–1985

This article examines how the marketing and advertising of toothpaste brands evolved in the twentieth century, particularly from the 1950s to the 1980s. During these decades, the promotional strategies employed by leading toothpaste manufacturers were at odds with general developments in consumer product marketing. As branding strategies were being revolutionized by the discovery of a “Pepsi Generation,” the toothpaste market was itself being transformed by a technical innovation that was to have far-reaching consequences for the marketing of leading brands.

Aids to innovation in the design and manufacture of hand-held consumer products

The market for hand-held consumer products intended for use in typical modern households is expected to expand well into the next millennium and increase in competitiveness. In order to succeed in this market, products need to satisfy consumer expectations with regard to both fitness for purpose and the desirability of ownership. New opportunities for designers to satisfy modern consumer expectations arise continuously through advances in production technology and the availability of better materials. Designers need methods that aid the innovative process and the reported work describes a methodology for developing new products from the ideas residing in existing artefacts. The methodology deals specifically with hand-held artefacts having a mechanical function where the function of the artefact is to transpose and transform human hand effort into a form more suitable for performing a particular task without the aid of an electrical power source. The methodology has been illuminated with practical examples extracted from the work of undergraduate product design students. The students’ design ideas have been used to demonstrate the potential of the methodology in generating innovative product proposals.

Regulating Readers: The Social Origins of the Readers' Advisor in the United States

In this article I argue that the readers' advisory service was a product of social forces operating in the context of early twentieth century capitalism. The work of French regulation theorists provides a framework for analyzing these forces using the concepts of regime of accumulation and mode of regulation. It suggests that American capitalism during this time was engaged in a process of defining a new mode of regulation capable of ensuring labor discipline and forging a market for consumer products among the public. The readers' advisory service, in its efforts to develop a professional expertise for librarians, can be shown to be an experiment in contributing to the fulfillment of the needs imposed by the new mode of regulation. This experiment was conducted through the development of processes involving the legitimization of new ways of living, the "humanization" of books, the association of free time with the consumption of commodities, and the voluntary imposition of a system of discipline on patrons who availed themselves of the service.

Maximizing the value of milk through separation technologies.

Milk is the source of a wide range of proteins that deliver nutrition to the most promising new food products today. Isolated milk proteins are natural, trusted food ingredients with excellent functionality. Separation technologies provide the basis for adding value to milk through the production of proteins that provide the food industry with ingredients to meet specific needs, not possible with milk itself or with other ingredients. The major milk proteins, casein and whey protein, can be isolated by manipulating their compositional and physical properties and then by using various separation technologies to recover the proteins. Additionally, they can be processed in various ways to create a wide range of ingredients with diverse functional characteristics. These ingredients include milk protein concentrate, milk protein isolate, casein, caseinate, whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, hydrolysates, and various milk fractions. Within each of these ingredient categories, there is further differentiation according to the functional and nutritional requirements of the finished food. Adding value to milk by expanding from consumer products to ingredients often requires different technologies, marketing structure and distribution channels. The worldwide market for both consumer products and ingredients from milk continues to grow. Technology often precedes market demand. Methods for the commercial production of individual milk components now exist, and in the future as clinical evidence develops, the opportunity for adding value to dairy products as functional foods with health benefits may be achieved. The research and development of today will be the basis of those value-added milk products for tomorrow.

Redesigning protective packaging buffers from the failure modes derived from crack characteristics

Protective packaging buffers are commonly used for the purpose of containment, protection, communication, and marketing of consumer products. Because the use of protective packaging is expected to increase markedly in the years ahead, it is imperative that their designs be cost-effective. Much of the known design heuristics have been encapsulated in design methodologies and procedures, except for one aspect, that is, the failure modes of the buffers upon impact with the ground after being dropped from a height. All packaging designs are subjected to a series of confirmatory impact tests, before design deficiencies are rectified through iterative cycles of redesign and retest. Because of the heuristic nature of packaging design, many cycles of redesign are necessary before a satisfactory design solution is found. This article discusses how, from the nature and severity of the cracks, the probable causes of failure and corrective redesign measures may be estimated. Based on the value of the crack ratio (i.e., the ratio of the depth of the crack to the buffer's bearing thickness), three distinct modes of failure can be identified: marginal, critical, and catastrophic. The variation of G-value with crack ratios was studied for varying drop heights. By comparing the measured G-value to the failure mode, the conditions contributing to the failure—viz. height of drop, direction of impact, the location of the centroid, the type of fit, and degree of contact between the buffer and the product—may be estimated. Redesign guidelines to avert catastrophic buffer failure are also discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 721–731, 1999

Redesigning protective packaging buffers from the failure modes derived from crack characteristics

Protective packaging buffers are commonly used for the purpose of containment, protection, communication, and marketing of consumer products. Because the use of protective packaging is expected to increase markedly in the years ahead, it is imperative that their designs be cost-effective. Much of the known design heuristics have been encapsulated in design methodologies and procedures, except for one aspect, that is, the failure modes of the buffers upon impact with the ground after being dropped from a height. All packaging designs are subjected to a series of confirmatory impact tests, before design deficiencies are rectified through iterative cycles of redesign and retest. Because of the heuristic nature of packaging design, many cycles of redesign are necessary before a satisfactory design solution is found. This article discusses how, from the nature and severity of the cracks, the probable causes of failure and corrective redesign measures may be estimated. Based on the value of the crack ratio (i.e., the ratio of the depth of the crack to the buffer's bearing thickness), three distinct modes of failure can be identified: marginal, critical, and catastrophic. The variation of G-value with crack ratios was studied for varying drop heights. By comparing the measured G-value to the failure mode, the conditions contributing to the failure-viz. height of drop, direction of impact, the location of the centroid, the type of fit, and degree of contact between the buffer and the product-may be estimated. Redesign guidelines to avert catastrophic buffer failure are also discussed.

Using genetic algorithms to assess the impact of pricing activity timing

Current methods of assessing competitive structure from aggregate sales data, such as the estimating of marketing mix elasticities, offer insight into the magnitude and direction of competitive actions. However, this level of analysis offers no insight into the impact that the timing of such mix activity has on one’s market share. In this research, I illustrate a method of assessing market structure by utilizing the timing of competitive mix activity. Specifically, using a genetic algorithm approach, I estimate marketing mix timing rules for a consumer product market. This research illustrates the ability of these marketing mix timing rules to assess the impact that the timing of competitive mix activity has on one’s market share. In addition, I show that these marketing mix timing rules offer strategic insight that can complement existing methods of assessing competitors using aggregate sales data, such as elasticity analysis, thereby improving the brand manager’s understanding of the competitive structure of the market.

Us consumer product marketing in Saudi Arabia: Comparative perceptions

AbstractThe period between 1970 and 1990 has seen a steady decline of the market share of US products in Saudi Arabia. This article deals with the differing perceptions of US exporters and Saudi importers regarding factors that might have contributed to this decline. These factors include the marketing environment, the product, the price, the distribution, US business practices, advertising, trade policies and the market situation in Saudi Arabia, and the role played by the US government. An analysis of these factors has led to a series of recommendations to respective governments and businesses.

Simulating software development processes

One of the main factors affecting any product development schedule is rework. In the consumer product market, the risk of rework is often measured against the need to get to market quickly. This frequently happens in the software market as well; products are released with known bugs and then upgraded after user testing. Therefore, software development organizations may choose to limit the iterations of defect correction to meet schedules or control costs. The decision to release software after a certain point is a business decision, and there is little written about business decisions in any software-related literature, including the SEI's Capability Maturity Model. A quick review of software project management literature suggests that rework is implicit in software estimating techniques, but is not explicit. The amount of rework and the manner in which it is treated are very important factors in determining software schedules and cost.

PETAPS: A prototype decision support system for consumer product marketing and promotion

The concept of decision support systems has been proposed as an approach to providing flexible, computer-based support for relatively complex decision problems. In this paper, we report on the design and development of a prototype decision support system — Promotion Evaluation, Tracking and Planning System — built for a large, multinational consumer goods manufacturing and marketing company operating in Australia and New Zealand. We provide an analysis of the marketing environment and the role of promotions which leads to the identification of the critical decisions that needed to be supported. The diverse data needs, the suitable models to analyse the data, and the appropriate software tools to prototype the system are outlined. The components and the implementation of the prototype are described. The limitations of the prototype and suggestions for further refinement are dealt with in conclusion.

Critical success factors in Japanese consumer products market: Guidance for foreign MNCs

AbstractThis article reports on empirical research that was performed in Japan with foreign multinational corporations in the consumer products industry. It identifies some critical success factors and pitfalls for developing a business position in the Japanese market, and presents evidence based on the experience of foreign companies that have successfully developed, in some cases leadership, positions in the Japanese consumer products market. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Globalization of consumer markets: structures and strategies

The concepts, strategic frameworks, and cases in Globalization of Consumer Markets provide managers of global firms with new ideas for growth and keep them current with state-of-the-art global marketing strategies and management tools. With an increased understanding of the structure of today’s consumer markets, readers will find they have the key to success and survival in the global marketplace.The contributing authors present managerially oriented chapters, each of which is based on research or practical experience. These are designed to advance the reader’s knowledge of the globalizing consumer market. Focused around structure--how consumer markets on a global scale are being shaped--and strategy--successful methods necessary to global competitive marketing and how these strategies work--are the two main themes around which the book is organized.To further enable marketing professionals’success in the global marketplace, Globalization of Consumer Markets details actual strategies, action programs for competitive management, and exemplary cases. There are new ideas from expert marketers on opportunities for growth in the global marketplace and, most importantly, state-of-the-art marketing strategies and management tools. For professional marketers, this book is a must for prosperity in marketing consumer products and services on a global level.This is an ideal book for professional education in marketing of consumer products and services on a global level. Professionals will find a progression of chapters taking them through degree of globalization; market behavior and development; standardization of marketing programs and processes; managerial implications; and extensive references for further study.

The delisting of products by retail buyers

The main aim of the research reported here is to identify any patterns in the delisting behaviour of retail buyers, where a delisted product is defined as one which is removed from sale by a retailer but which continues to be sold by other retailers. The influence of the retail buyer in the marketing of consumer products has become ever more significant. Much academic research into retail buying has aimed at identifying criteria that affect purchasing decisions but few generalizable findings have emerged due to the context‐specific nature of such decision making. In this research a specific context is chosen, that of the de‐selection or delisting of products, a topic that has received little attention to date. The results of interviews with 125 buyers, working for large and small retailers, on their reasons for 290 examples of product delistings are reported. The influence of more detailed contextual variables such as the buyer's age, experience and qualification, the product type, and the source of the p...

Managing the innovation process: matching project management style to project objectives

The authors question the validity of using formal, highly structured, mechanistic and process-driven project management techniques and management styles as a blanket cure-all for all types of projects irrespective of the nature and scope of the project being managed. They illustrate their argument by relating the innovative processes in organizations to the market-led product strategies adopted by many companies in the high-technology sector and in the vanguard of consumer product manufacture and marketing.

Market research surveys in the marketing of consumer products

To achieve commercial success, any skin care product having given functional properties will on the consumer market also depend on a high degree of attraction, comfort and effective marketing. To accomplish this, consumer surveys are necessary in the various stages of product development and the marketing process. A brief description of the latter is given and of the various types of related surveys. To illustrate certain product tests, examples are given of the relaunch of HTH in the nordic markets.

The Strategic and Tactical Implications of Convenience in Consumer Product Marketing

Suggests that the construct of convenience has not been clearly defined and operationalized. Proposes a conceptual framework which can be used to examine the convenience of consumer products, involving five dimensions: time, place, acquisition, use and execution. Discusses the implications for managers and recommends that marketers gain an improved understanding of convenience given the predicted growth of the sector.

Product Management in Less Developed Countries

A case study is presented of a Dutch multinational′s introduction of a consumer product to rural Ethiopia based on the author′s direct experiences as an employee of the company. How the company stimulated the demand for sugar by effectively responding to the unique environmental conditions with a particular focus on the creative approaches it utilised to penetrate the rural markets is described. Useful lessons learnt by the company in Ethiopia may be provided to other multinationals and entrepreneurs who may be considering the production and marketing of basic consumer products in less developed countries.

Marketing of Construction Services

Observations in the industry and a recent survey indicate that construction companies are anxious to improve their marketing activities. Literature regarding industrial marketing of consumer products is quite abundant, but has limited use in the construction industry. On the other hand, most of the few published works regarding marketing in the construction industry concentrate on design services as opposed to construction services. This paper discusses marketing principles and practices that could be applied by construction contractors. It reports on an exploratory survey of marketing executives employed by the ENR top 400 contractors, carried out to identify the existing marketing practices and analyze them by size of company, type of work undertaken, type of contract used, and the proportion of new clients versus repeat clients. Results support the need for an in‐depth study for the development of feasible and efficient marketing strategies for construction contractors.

PROMOTING COMMODITY PRODUCTS WITH CO‐OP

It's no secret that an aggressive co‐op advertising campaign can make an important difference in the marketing of branded consumer products. Consumers do buy the items by brand name, and therefore they can and will respond to the kind of “where‐to‐buy” information that conventional use of co‐op allowances delivers so well.