MARKETING STRATEGY ASSIGNMENT

Marketing Strategy Assignment

Marketing Strategy Assignment

Situation Analysis

Strategy is about playing towards strengths and away from weaknesses. Marketing is about understanding AMT target markets and target market needs.

Market Needs

AMT focuses on small business in the local market? with special focus on the high-end home office and the 5-20 unit small business office. AMT have broken the markets into groups according to standard classifications used by market research companies: home offices and small businesses. (Aaker 2000) Exact definitions of these market segments are not necessary for the marketing planning purposes here; general definitions will suffice. AMT know the home office customers tend to be heavy users? wanting high-end systems; people who like computing and computers. The low-end home office people buy elsewhere. AMT also know that the small business customers tend to be much less proficient on computers? are more likely to need and want hand-holding? and more likely to pay for it. (Simon 2008))

Macroenvironment

AMT target HOs are on average as dependent on reliable information technology as any other business. They care more about reliable service and confidence than about the rock-bottom lowest price. They don't want to rely solely on their own expertise? so they choose to deal with them instead? with the promise of service and support when needed. (Hoffman 2006)

AMT standard HOs will be one-system installations? without networks? and will generally be more powerful systems than the average small business. Fax modems? voicemail? and good printers are likely system component additions. They tend to be interested in desktop publishing? accounting? the Internet? and administration software as well as their job-specific software needs.

It's important that AMT realize AMT won't be selling to the price-oriented HO buyers. AMT will be able to offer an attractive proposition to the service-oriented and security-oriented buyers only. (Gabriel 2005)

AMT target SBs is very dependent on reliable information technology. They use their computers for a complete range of functions beginning with the core administration information such as accounting? shipping? and inventory. They also use them for communications within the business and outside of the business? and for personal productivity. They are not? however? large enough to have dedicated computer personnel such as the MIS departments in large businesses. Ideally? they come to them for a long-term alliance? looking to them for reliable service and support to substitute for their in-house people. These are not businesses that want to shop for rock-bottom prices through chain stores or mail order. They want to be sure they have reliable providers of expertise.

AMT standard SBs will be 5-20 unit installations? critically dependent

The Company

Mission

AMT is built on the assumption that the management of information technology for business is like legal advice? accounting? graphic arts? and other bodies of knowledge? in that it is not inherently a do-it-yourself prospect. Smart business people who aren't computer hobbyists need to find quality vendors of reliable hardware? software? service? and support. They need to use these quality vendors as they use their other professional service suppliers? as trusted ...