Marketing 2 - Chapter 7 Discussion Question Answers

Kevin Adams

Marketing II

3/6/16

Chapter 7 Questions

1. Coca-Cola answers the question “what would you like to drink”, for many customers. Coca-Cola is a sweet and appealing beverage that most people enjoy having rather than drinking a bland water. Disney is very appealing to kids, and parents may question what would be good for their kids to watch, or what toys to buy, and Disney answers these questions. Marlboro appeals to smokers, who want a “higher” quality cigarette, rather than some of the cheaper options. American Express and Ford are also similar to Marlboro who basically try to be better than their competitors. All of these brands answer the question “what should I get”. There’s many options in each of these industries but these brands hold most of the power when it comes to influencing consumers to make a choice.
2. Apple has used technology and innovation to become a strong company, while maintaining its appeal to nearly any and every age group and denomination in the world. The company does well to create new products and keep loyal customers. They have done a good job at keeping their customers from switching to other products like android, however I do not feel they will stay as strong in the future. Apple has a somewhat “luxury” appeal to its branding that makes it feel like the quality of their products are greater and more innovative than others. Apple also fights a lot of competitors who use ideas similar to theirs. Wells Fargo, has a strong business setup that makes lots of money, however they do not focus as well on customer satisfaction than they do on running a strong business. Wells Fargo is one of the lowest rated customer service banks of all times, however they have such a large customer group, that they don’t need to please all of the customers to still be a strong business.
3. All of the top 10 brands have the lead in each of their industries due to innovative ideas, that pushed them ahead of other companies, as well as a good customer relationship that keeps their customers loyal to their brands and continuing the use of the products in their families. Apple, used its advancements in technology to become the leading industry due to the power it had in the creation of the computer and cell phone industries. IBM, similar to Apple used its products to become a leading corporation. Google, used the demand for a strong search engine, and became larger than Bing, AOL, and previous search engines. McDonald’s created a low cost Fast-Food product, that appealing to people needing fast and cheap food. Microsoft followed behind Apple and IBM. Coco-Cola, grew its power early in the soft-drink industry and made a product that appeals to almost everyone. Marlboro runs the cigarette industry, with great branding and advertising in previous years, they grew into a strong leader. AT&T, Verizon, and China Mobile, all used the advancement of cell phones, and created services to offer data and coverage for products that are made by other leaders such as Apple.