Criteria for Effective Targeting Of Market Segments
Identification:
To divide the market into separate segments on the basis of a series of common or shared needs or characteristics that are relevant to the product or service. Marlboro Cigarettes targeted some segmentation such as demographic are relatively easy to identify or are even observable. Marlboro Cigarettes contain a unique formula and a few different types of Marlboro Cigarettes were use to target the group with different characteristics.
Sufficiency:
For a market segment to be worthwhile target it must consist of sufficient number of people to warrant tailoring a product or promotional campaign to its specific needs or interests. Study by the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that, of all the student smokers, 41.8% of middle school and 52% of high school students usually smoked Marlboro Cigarettes.
Stability:
Most marketers prefer to target consumer segments that are relatively stable in terms of demographic and psychological factors and needs that are likely to grow larger over time. Young adult are a sizable and easily identifiable market segment, they are eager to buy Marlboro Cigarettes, able to spend on it and easily reached the message.
Accessibility:
Marlboro Cigarettes market segments are reachable in an economical way. They can advertise and communicate to consumer through internet, television, radio and magazine.
Consumer Analysis
Nowadays, young men adult like to take cigarettes especially when they having outdoors socialize and most of them will take Marlboro Cigarettes. The reason why they choose Marlboro Cigarettes is because young men adult like to follow the trend like the Marlboro Man in advertisement. Besides that, influences of friends can also be one of the reasons. People always talking about cigarettes product nowadays and the most popular product in America is Marlboro Cigarettes. On the other hand, young men adult choose this product because of its better quality compare to other brands because the taste of Marlboro Cigarettes is stronger and nicer. In the past, people taken many kinds of cigarettes to just enjoying their fun and satisfaction, but now most of the young men adult nowadays like to take Marlboro Cigarettes. The Marlboro Cigarettes make them look smarter, cool and more confidents.
2. Advertisement Analysis
Image of Marlboro
Marlboro is a brand of cigarettes, the “Marlboro Country” and “Marlboro Man” is today widely recognized symbols of American culture and commerce, and both in the United States and around the world and the Marlboro Man are Wayne McLaren and David McLean, both of them has died of lung cancer. They have been part of one of the longest running advertising cigarettes campaigns of all time for more than 35 years, and they have come to occupy a prominent place in the global landscape of consumer products and fantasies.
The image of Marlboro has been one of independence; ruggedness, strength, and adventure (refer to appendix 2). Yet, it seems that the image of Marlboro presents itself in a way that no one who smokes Marlboros is ever alone. There is a sort of collective independence among those loyal to the brand. This has been presented in the advertising as either an implicit feature, as through the tattooed men, or explicitly through cowboys working together in Marlboro Country, sharing work and Marlboro cigarettes.
Advertisement in Magazine
Marlboro cigarettes have many types: the Marlboro Red, Marlboro Gold, Marlboro Silver, Marlboro Filter Plus, Marlboro Filter Plus Extra and Marlboro Gold Edge. The advertisements of the Marlboro Red and the Marlboro Lights are the background color of the Marlboro Lights advertisements is golden. This is similar to the Yellow brand of the Marlboro Lights. Moreover, the Background of the Marlboro Red is red. The virility resembles the brand of the Marlboro. In addition to the colors, the types of the brand of the cigarettes can also be divided by their tastes. The red Marlboro is the heaviest one, so the advertisements focus more on the virility. The obvious examples are the friendship between two men and the brevity of conquering the horse (refer to appendix 3). For the Marlboro Lights, the taste is not so heavy. Therefore, the advertisements stress the lightness of golden sunlight (refer to appendix 4). Since the taste of the Marlboro Lights is cool so the advertisements emphasize the fresh trees and water (refer to appendix 5).
Advertisement in Televisions
Smoking is bad for our health so it is hard to accept by people so Marlboro has focus hard in their advertisement, they has do many types of advertisement in 35 years, such as Advertising Marlboro campaigns, Marlboro Red Advertising, The Marlboro Man Advertising and Marlboro Cigarettes Advertising from year 1951 to 1994. The most powerful brand image of the century, the Marlboro Man stands worldwide as the ultimate American cowboy and masculine trademark, helping establish Marlboro cigarettes as the best-selling cigs brand in the world. The Marlboro Man and Marlboro Country remain in the minds of generations of Americans. Now, the West is changing and so is America. Once of the Marlboro television advertisement is, in the 1960s, Marlboro’s television advertisements shows the idea of freedom in wide-open spaces, especially once the theme from the movie The Magnificent Seven was added to the scenes of cowboys leading their herds through dusty canyons of “Marlboro Country” or charging off to rein in a stray colt. Part of the success of the campaign might be attributable to the fact that Marlboro forged some credibility by using real cowboys in some of the ads instead of actors just playing the part.
3. Personality and Self
Brand Personality
Brand personality is the set of human characteristics which is associated with brands. A strong and favorable brand personality will strengthen a brand but not necessarily demand a price premium. Brand personality enables to establish relationship between brand & consumer with emotional content. The degree of proximity between brand and consumer personality will influence the purchase intension and brand loyalty. http://www.indianmba.com/Faculty_Column/FC306/fc306.html
There are five types of brand personality which are sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication and ruggedness. For Marlboro cigarette, it can be represented by the excitement, sophistication and ruggedness of brand personalities. The excitement of Marlboro can be daring and spirited. Marlboro gives excitement to the smokers because it gives inspiration when they are smoking. When they smoke Marlboro, they are seen to be more daring and spirited in terms of the physical and mental.
Upper class and charming fall under the sophistication dimensions. Marlboro image is mainly personified for the middle class and upper class people. It reflects that the smokers are more charming and they are perceived to be more upper class status in the social level compared to others. Besides, it also gives a cool image to others when people smokes Marlboro cigarette. Thus, it will eventually influence the consumer buying decisions when they purchased Marlboro cigarette.
http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu:8080/n/b/o/nbo03e00/Snbo03e00.pdf
For ruggedness in Marlboro cigarettes, it represents tough, macho, freedom-loving, adventurous person. The “Wild West” cowboy imagery is associated with the brand projects of a certain rugged, western, macho personality that underscores its appeal to male smokers who aspire to live that type of lifestyle, even if fulfilling only a transitional, momentary fantasy. This represents that when a person who smokes Marlboro cigarettes is perceived to be tough and strong. (refer to appendix 6)
http://brandinsightsllc.com/includes/pdf/ArchetypeII.pdf
Product Personality
Product personality can be categorized under three different categories which are gender, geography and colour. Gender is often used in brand personalities where some products are perceived to be masculine while others as feminine. For Marlboro cigarette, it is more perceived as masculine product. It targets more on male consumers because Marlboro has an image of masculinity and adventurous.
http://tobaccodocuments.org/youth/AmCgPMI19890811.Mp.html
Furthermore, Marlboro also comes with different colours of packaging and it represents different types of cigarettes (refer to appendix 7). Different types of the Marlboro cigarettes can also be divided by their tastes. Marlboro cigarettes are divided into many categories such as Marlboro Red, Marlboro Lights, Marlboro Menthol, Marlboro Menthol Light, Marlboro Fresh Mint and Marlboro Black Menthol. These packaging are differs from the colours. Each colour indicates different personalities.
The dominant colour on the Marlboro packet is red; on the Marlboro Lights packet is yellow, and on the Marlboro Menthol is green. Marlboro Red represents exciting, hot, passionate and strong personalities (refer to appendix 8). It represented by a cowboy or a group of cowboys accompany with the horses on a broad pasture in the advertisement (refer to appendix). Thus, the Marlboro Red which is red colour represents that the smoker is strong enough as it is the heaviest taste among all.
On the other hand, Marlboro Lights is gold in colour (refer to appendix 9). Gold represents regal, wealthy, and stately. This can represent higher status in social level for smokers who choose Marlboro Lights. The taste of this type of cigarette is obviously lighter compared to Marlboro Red. In addition, Marlboro Menthol is green in the colour of the package (refer to appendix 10). Green colours gives a sense of secure, natural, relaxed or easy-going. It represents the coolness of Marlboro Menthol.
http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/Literary_Criticism/crit97_work/Marlboro.htm
Self Image
Consumers have a variety of enduring images of themselves. Individuals tend to buy products or services whose images or personalities are meaningful to their own self-image (Schiffman, Leon. G. and Kanuk, Leslie.Lazar. 2009). There are five different types of self-images which are actual self-image, ideal self-image, social self-image, ideal social self-image, and expected self-image.
Actual self-image is that how consumers in fact see themselves. Marlboro smokers find themselves as macho, strong and ruggedness in their personality. Ideal self-image is defines that how consumers would like to see themselves. Marlboro smokers feel proud and confident when they smoke Marlboro cigarettes in the crowd. This is because people who smoke Marlboro would like to see themselves as a higher status in the social level or upper class people.
On top of that, social self-image is how consumers feel others see themselves. The smokers who smoke Marlboro cigarettes feel that others see themselves as a tough and outgoing person. They also feel that others may see themselves as a very strong person. Simultaneously, ideal social self-image is how consumers would like others to see them. Since Marlboro is a well-known cigarettes brand and the largest brand among all, smokers tend to purchase it. They want others to look them as tough and adventurous person.
Last but not least, expected self-image is defines that how consumers expect to see themselves at some specified future time. Marlboro smokers expect to see themselves as strong, tough and adventurous person. They also want themselves to be in the upper class of the social level. They might want themselves to be more charming when they smoke Marlboro cigarettes.
5. Psychographics & Lifestyle Analysis
Lifestyle refers to a pattern of consumption reflecting a person’s choices of how he or she spends time and money. Each person chooses products, services, and activities that help define a unique lifestyle. In economic sense, one’s lifestyle represents the way one has elected to allocate income, both in terms of relative allocations to different products and services, and to specific alternatives within these categories. For example Marlboro cigarettes have many types. They are Marlboro Red, Marlboro Light, Marlboro Menthol, and Marlboro Menthol Light. The dominant color on the Marlboro pocket is red and Marlboro Lights packet is yellow. In addition to the colors, the types of the brand of the cigarettes can also be divided by consumers taste. For instance, an ultra low tar smoker; as a lady want to smoke, and she will looking for a cigarette which is the taste not so heavy. So, the lady will buy for Marlboro Light. (Refer to appendix 11)
Psychographic variables are any attributes relating to personality, values, attitudes, interests, or lifestyles. Psychographics is use to determine how the market is segmented by the propensity of group within the market and stated their reasons. It also is to make a particular decision about a product, person, ideology, or otherwise hold an attitude or use or medium. Besides that, psychographics can help a market fine-tune its offerings to meet the needs of different segments.
We can use many psychographic variables to segment consumers, but they all share the underlying principle of going beyond surface characteristics to understand consumers’ motivations for purchasing and using product. Most contemporary psychographic research attempts to group consumers according to some combination of three categories of variables which are activities, interests, and opinions; known as AIOs.
When apply the psychographic analysis into Marlboro cigarettes, Marlboro cigarettes have many types such as Marlboro Red, Marlboro Light, Marlboro Menthol, and Marlboro Menthol Light. The Marlboro Red is the heaviest taste one. From the name of the Marlboro Lights and Marlboro Menthol Light, we can know that the taste is not so heavy. It allows matching up the Marlboro Company between their consumer’s tastes that reflects their identities. (Refer to appendix 12)
AIOs
Activities, interests, and opinions which are AIOs are characteristics’ of an individual used by researchers to create a psychographic profile of the individual. When combined with quantifiable demographic characteristics such as age, income, or education level, an AIO profile provides depth look into the buying behavior of the segment. Measurement of the AIO is used by marketers as a research tool to determine influences on consumer behavior and appropriate consumer markets. In AIOs research, the subject is asked if he or she agrees or disagrees with certain statements designed to explore his or her attitudes, motives, needs, and perceptions. Product-specific AIOs, rather than general AIOs, may be used in new product development or copyrighting to predict consumer response.
Activities
Activity considered appropriate on social occasions. Activities needed to engage in society, such as work, hobbies, social or entertainment events. According to our survey, for the white collar, Marlboro cigarettes users often smoke during their lunch time and tea-time. This had become their behavior to smoke during their break time is because to release their stress.
Other than that, Marlboro smokers will smoke in club house because they might have socialized with their business partners. To success in their business, smoking is considered one kind of protocol action because this encourages the interaction between their business partners. Will socialization increase the rate of success for your business? The answer is yes, because it can show the sincerity to your customers.
Marlboro smokers will smoke when they are clubbing or have their nightlife entertainment. When they are smoking, they will feel that they are maturity and cool.
Interests
Underage Marlboro smokers might influence by family or friends to become a smoker. The reason is most people start smoking when they are in their teens and are addicted by the time they reach adulthood. Some of them will feel that they are grown up at that time.
Some of the people need to smoke to get their inspiration so that they can continue their work. This is because they can relax their mind. Thus, they can get being inspired. For example, a song writer have to smoke to keep they mind fresh so they can create a song.
Certain smokers needs a cigarette after their meals because then feel the taste of the cigarette is heavier and it bring more flavor out from the cigarette. For example, aged smoker need to smoke because a cigarette after the meals is already become their habit. In another way, we can say that smoker treat it as the ‘dessert’ after the meals.
Opinions
An opinion is defines as a verbal expression of some belief, attitude, or value. Based on our survey, higher education level smokers know about disadvantages of cigarette. Inversely, people who are lower education level smokers don’t know about the dangerous about smoking and what side effects it could bring. Both of them are difficult to quit smoking because it already a habit and strongly addicted to it. So, government and organizations should organize campaign to let the community understand the disadvantages of smoking. As parents, they should set a role model to their children to let them know about the disadvantages of smoking.
Marlboro cigarettes have many types; Marlboro Red is more popular among the products and attracts more male smokers. And the female smokers would like to purchase Marlboro Light because the cigarettes are suitable for their taste. For the price of cigarettes, many smokers think that the Marlboro price is reasonable based on its quality compared to other brands. If Marlboro comes out with new flavor, majority would like to try new product but some of them will loyal to the product they used to.
Marlboro smokers think that they are tough as the cowboys of advertisement when smoking. They feel energetic when they smoke, compared to when they are not smoking, they will feel weak and suffer. Other than that, the survey also shows that some female smokers believe that smoking can reduce their weight but the truth is they reduce weight because they are facing health problems which they don’t realize. (refer to appendix 13)
Recommendation
Cigarette smoking had bring along with a clear and consistent message that cigarette smoking is addictive and it cause lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and other serious diseases in smokers. Smokers are far more likely than non-smokers to develop diseases such as lung cancer. To be conscience in making profit, Marlboro cigarette had come along with the health warning on the product packaging. Be attentive, we would like to recommend Marlboro company to enhance and support a clear and consistent public health message about smoking, disease and addiction wherever the product is sell. Even though this may adverse with core business of Marlboro company but this is the responsibility they should take to convey the message to community and left them a choice to be a smoker or not.
Besides that, we would also like to recommend that reduce the amount of tobacco in Marlboro cigarette in order to reduce the risk of health of smokers. This will be possible to improve Marlboro market because many of the community today concern about health issue while they could not quit smoking. For those smokers, a new reduced-risk Marlboro cigarette would attract them.
As the recommendation for smokers, smoking may difficult to quit but as long as you have the willpower it will be possible. Find a substitute product to replace cigarette like chewing gum is the way to quit smoking. In addition, family advice and support is also important to influence a smoker to quit smoking. Smoking may bring bad image or impression for those youngest and they may be influence. So, think for your next generation, family as well as own healthy before being addicted in smoking.
Conclusion
As a conclusion, Marlboro cigarette had being a well known brand among the market and consumers. With the strong tobacco company as the background, Marlboro cigarette was became the international product and is supply to many of the country.
From the target market segment and consumer analysis, we know that Marlboro cigarette is mainly target male audience as they created a masculinity and cool image for Marlboro icon. The target market segment of Marlboro is clearly to adult that above 21 years old and mostly white collar group.
The advertisement analysis of Marlboro shows that Marlboro always comes out with independence, ruggedness, strength, and adventure in the advertisement. The advertisement of Marlboro had bring the message to consumer that no one who smokes Marlboros is ever alone and how tough when man smokes Marlboro.
The outcomes of personality and self of Marlboro cigarette is people felt that smokes Marlboro is much more differing from other brand of cigarettes. This is because Marlboro brand cigarette had makes use of excitement, sophistication and ruggedness as their brand personality. Besides that, Marlboro also offers variety flavor of cigarette with different color of packaging. This successful by creating product personality that offers smoker different type taste.
Lastly, from the psychographics and lifestyle analysis we found that Marlboro cigarette had became a part of the smokers. Marlboro smokers usually smoke Marlboro in their daily activities as well as becoming their lifestyle. Not only for own usage, Marlboro smokers also take Marlboro cigarette as their socialize tool.