MARKETING ADVANTAGE STRATEGY

Marketing Advantage Strategy

Marketing Advantage Strategy

Prelude

Topshop is applying its fast-fashion prowess to attractiveness with the introduction of two cosmetics varieties, a centre line and an in-and-out cyclic tendency collection.

In May, the full lineup is slated to launch in Topshop's peak 30 doorways, encompassing its U.S. outpost, and on the retailer's Web site. Topshop's London flagship will have the most spacious brandish, carving out 400 rectangle feet for the cosmetics lines, said Mary Homer, Topshop organising director. All doorways will convey the edge and fastener products. Topshop has about 300 doorways and 140 franchise positions, globally.

The centre assemblage is 97 stockkeeping flats powerful and is conceived to blend whimsical conceive with bold color. Pencil-like doodles adorn putty-colored wrapping and the very dark outside carton characteristics an illustration of the merchandise interior, conceived by Sarah Thorne, Topshop graphic and wrapping designer.

It's playful, nearly like the Topshop young female drew it herself, said Lizzie Dawson, a Topshop designer who directed the line's in-house development. Topshop tapped Intercos to manufacture the products. (Mather, 1995)

Market Segmentation

Inasmuch as international standardization is a marketing decision, it is appropriately treated within the established contexts in the field. Conceptually, validation of international marketing standardization requires an examination of the marketing management process. In much of the international marketing literature, standardization is discussed without reference to a firm's relevant market segments in host markets, thus leaving the impression that the strategy is aimed at cultivating mass markets. It is further assumed that the firm pursuing international marketing standardization does so in every market, for all of its products and services, and that this strategy is successfully implemented in dozens of markets in which the TOPSHOP operates.

The central consideration in pursuing international marketing standardization is the presence of clearly identifiable inter-market segments. Market segmentation is a necessary and critical component of the marketing plan and inter-market segments are those that transcend national boundaries. Adapted from the micro-economic theory of price discrimination, market segmentation essentially accomplishes one important goal. Using the relevant criteria, customers are grouped into homogeneous subsets, thereby allowing the firm to cultivate particular market niches in which fewer or no competitors are present with differentiated offerings, thus affording the firm the opportunity to gain a competitive advantage. The theory is normative with the ultimate goal of profit maximization.

A critical consideration in this process is the development of separate marketing plans for various segments the firm targets to cultivate. In an international context, market segments targeted across national boundaries must be similar if they are to be cultivated with a standardized approach. Two avenues are available for achieving cross-national equivalence of segments. The first approach involves a country-by-country segment identification task in which the firm applies an identical segmentation scheme in its various country markets, with the expectation of identifying [near-] identical segments in various host markets. The resultant clusters of customers are known as inter-market segments.

Mobile Marketing

From the point of view of the perception towards advertising through mobile phones, opinion is very differentiated between extremes, there are users ...