Writing Homework Help

Class: Advertising/Promotion Strategy (Marketing)

Answer 3 questions

Your responses to each question should be no longer than two paragraphs.

The growing importance of online shopping is creating new challenges for marketers. With so many products on the market and easy access to information online, consumers naturally tend to group products together. Many marketers complain that online shopping has accelerated commoditization. It’s getting harder and harder for brands to differentiate only on the basis of quality and price. Brands increasingly must look beyond their product or service and stand out for their delivery, ethical stances and the customer experience.

Ethical stances have become more important for many shoppers. In its 2017 CSR study, Cone Communications found that 89% of the Americans surveyed “would switch brands to one that is associated with a good cause, given similar price and quality.”

As products commoditize, the customer experience is also becoming increasingly important to differentiate brands. A Walker study found that by the end of 2020, the experience that a brand delivers to customers will increase in importance, while products and price will become less so. Brands that emphasize service, values, culture and experience across all customer touch points will stand apart.

If a company wants to prevent its products from becoming commodities, it must strive to align innovative products with approaches to both marketing and customer service that emphasize the importance of every customer interaction. Across industries, it’s becoming harder and harder to differentiate products on quality or price. By authentically committing to social good and focusing on delivering a great customer experience, a company can avoid commoditization and drive business success.

1. Please provide an example of a company that has successfully differentiated itself on the basis of an ethical stance or mission. Please explain what the company has done to build awareness of its position and values? Ethical positions can sometimes be controversial. Does your company do anything to make certain that its ethical stance attracts enough customers without alienating too many others?

2. Please provide an example of a company that creates a positive customer experience and manages to prmote it successfully. Please explain how the company ensures that the customer is happy at each interaction point during the shopping experience? What does it specifically do to both please customers and make certain that word gets out regarding the experience it offers?

3. Please provide an example of a company that fell prey to commoditization due to a failure to differentiate itself adequately on the basis of its values and/or customer experience. Please explain how and why it failed.