Sony Targets Laptop Consumers in China
How should Lopez interpret and compare the different studies?
Lopez needs to design his marketing strategy based on four market research efforts – large scale study of the Chinese laptop consumer, detailed interviews with laptop users, results of the CLUES report and Project Compass. My recommendation is for Lopez to utilize each of these tools in varying quantities during different stages of his Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP) strategy. The Shanghai report identified that China has developed huge income, education gaps and are seeking objects of higher status, technology and knowledge as differentiating points. Such status seeking trends imply that unlike in many other geographical areas around the world, price reduction will not assuredly result in increased sales. The Chinese market is already inundated with inexpensive (even knock off) and less trendy substitutes – a market which Vaio does not want to compete in. The action for Vaio is to continue producing Vaio as a premium, luxury product that represents innovation, trendiness, quality, and a symbol of status and style. As mentioned above, the needs and demand curves of the Chinese consumer are highly different from the rest of the world, hence I would recommend sparse use of the Compass survey and focus exclusively on the market segments identified by the CLUES report. The customer interviews once again dwelt upon the consumer’s placement of the laptop as a brand identity. Particularly of interest was the interviewees’ indifference to extraneous products and software, which were viewed as ‘marketing ploys’ and finally disabled or deleted. This implied that even though the laptop manufacturer provided the differentiating products as valuable add-ons, they were not causing the desired effect in the consumer. Vaio’s marketing strategy needs to develop proper positioning for each market segment and customize the product accordingly.
Which segment(s) should Lopez target? Why?
The CLUES report
Lopez needs to design his marketing strategy based on four market research efforts – large scale study of the Chinese laptop consumer, detailed interviews with laptop users, results of the CLUES report and Project Compass. My recommendation is for Lopez to utilize each of these tools in varying quantities during different stages of his Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP) strategy. The Shanghai report identified that China has developed huge income, education gaps and are seeking objects of higher status, technology and knowledge as differentiating points. Such status seeking trends imply that unlike in many other geographical areas around the world, price reduction will not assuredly result in increased sales. The Chinese market is already inundated with inexpensive (even knock off) and less trendy substitutes – a market which Vaio does not want to compete in. The action for Vaio is to continue producing Vaio as a premium, luxury product that represents innovation, trendiness, quality, and a symbol of status and style. As mentioned above, the needs and demand curves of the Chinese consumer are highly different from the rest of the world, hence I would recommend sparse use of the Compass survey and focus exclusively on the market segments identified by the CLUES report. The customer interviews once again dwelt upon the consumer’s placement of the laptop as a brand identity. Particularly of interest was the interviewees’ indifference to extraneous products and software, which were viewed as ‘marketing ploys’ and finally disabled or deleted. This implied that even though the laptop manufacturer provided the differentiating products as valuable add-ons, they were not causing the desired effect in the consumer. Vaio’s marketing strategy needs to develop proper positioning for each market segment and customize the product accordingly.
Which segment(s) should Lopez target? Why?
The CLUES report