THE MARKETING STRATEGY PROCESS
營銷戰略過程
The marketing process is a circular function. Marketing plans undergo many changes until all the parts are internally consistent and mutually supportive of the objectives. All aspects of a proposal need to work together to make sense. It is easy to get one part right, but an internally consistent and mutually supportive marketing plan is a great accomplishment. It’s a seven-part process.
營銷過程是一個循環過程。為了實現制定的目標，需要不斷地修改營銷計劃，以使各部分內在一致且互為補充。一個計劃只有在其各個部分相互銜接時才有意義。要做好其中的一部分非常容易，但要做出一個各部分內在一致且互為補充的營銷計劃，卻是一項了不起的成就。制定營銷戰略有以下7個步驟：
Consumer Analysis 消費者分析
Market Analysis 市場分析
Review of the Competition and Self 競爭對手調查和自身優勢分析
Review of the Distribution Channels 分銷渠道分析
Development of a 「Preliminary」 Marketing Mix 制定「初步」營銷組合
Evaluation of the Economics 經濟評估
Revision and Extension of Steps 1–6 until a consistent plan emerges 修正前6個步驟，直至產生一個協調的方案
Although there are seven steps, their order is not set in stone. Based on circumstances and your personal style, the order of the steps may be rearranged.
儘管有7個步驟，但它們的順序並非一成不變。根據實際情況和個人喜好，可以重新安排各個步驟。
CONSUMER ANALYSIS
消費者分析
Consumer Analysis → Market → Competition → Distribution → Marketing Mix → Economics → Revise
All marketing plans should begin with a look at the all-important 「consumer」 and his or her needs. People do not have the same needs or desires. The objective of consumer analysis is to identify segments or groups within a population with similar needs so that marketing efforts can be directly targeted to them. Starting anywhere else tends to restrict your thinking and all subsequent analysis. Several important questions must be asked to find the market that will unlock untold marketing riches:
所有營銷計劃，首先都需要分析至關重要的「消費者」以及他們的需求。人們的需求和欲望是各不相同的。消費者分析的目的在於，確定人群中具有相似需求的群體,以使營銷工作更具有針對性。從任何其他角度著手都可能限制你的思路以及所有以後的分析。必須先問自己如下重要的問題，以找到將會產生無窮無盡的營銷財富的市場：
需求類別是什麼?誰需要?為何需要?
What is the need or use that your product addresses? The question may seem unnecessary, but in answering it you may uncover a potential market for the product that was previously overlooked. That is why this question has to be addressed first, before you begin to pollute your mind with conventional thoughts.
你的產品針對什麼需求或用途?問這個問題看起來似乎沒有必要，但是在找到答案後，你可能會發現過去忽略了的潛在的產品市場。這也是為什麼必須首先涉及這個問題，以免傳統的思維方式影響你。
什麼人購買和什麼人使用該產品?
Buyers many times are different from users. Women, for example, make the majority of purchases of men’s underwear and socks. Determining the buyer as well as the user provides the essential initial insights to create a marketing plan.
在很多情況下，購買人並非使用者。例如，男人的內衣和襪子大多是由女性購買的。確定購買人和使用人是誰，為營銷計劃的制訂提供了基本的思路。
購買程序是什麼?
Once you have established the need, and who is making the purchases, you should try to form a hypothesis on how the product is bought. Marketing research is a prime source of information, but just as valid are your own observations, investigation, and intuition.
一旦確定了需求類別以及購買人是誰，就該設想一下客戶將如何購買產品。固然市場研究提供了主要信息，然而你自己的觀察、調查和直覺也同樣重要。
Understanding the buying process is critical because it will lead to the possible routes to reach buyers. The buying process includes all the steps that a person takes leading to a purchase. For any particular product, the buying process can include one or all of the following steps:
懂得購買程序至關重要，因為它能讓你了解直接到達購買者的渠道。購買程序包含導致一個人最終購買產品的所有步驟。任何一個特定產品，其購買程序可能包括以下一個或所有步驟：
Awareness → Information Search → Evaluate Alternatives → Purchase → Evaluate
意識→信息搜尋→評估替代品→購買→評估
Awareness. (Interest, Problem Recognition). 「I might need something.」 At some point a person will realize a need. Advertising may trigger that need. Prestige products such as designer clothes and fragrances trigger desire. They meet emotional needs such as love and group acceptance. You need to ask yourself, 「How do consumers become aware of my product?」 「Where are my targets likely to be exposed to my message?
意識。(興趣，承認問題存在)「我可能需要些什麼。」在某一個時刻，人意識到一種需求。廣告能促使這種需求產生。著名產品，例如品牌服裝設計師的服裝和香水，導致了這種需求。它們滿足了人們情感上希望被人們喜愛和接受的需求。你需要自問一下，「怎樣才能讓消費者知道我的產品的存在?客戶在哪裡會看到我的產品的信息?」
Information Search. 「Sounds good, let me find out more about it.」 People involved in purchase decisions are confronted with information from a variety of sources: Consumer Reports, salespeople, blogs, specialty magazines, family, friends, and local experts. As a marketing manager, you want your target market to get as much favorable information as possible about your product when and where buyers make their buying decisions. For example, store displays play that role at the point of purchase (POP).
信息搜尋。「聽上去不錯，我再了解一下。」涉及購買決策的人們從各個渠道獲得信息——消費報告、銷售人員、微博、專業雜誌、家人、朋友、當地專家。作為一名營銷經理，應盡力在購買人做出購買決策的時間和地點，把自己產品好的信息傳遞給他們。例如，商店裡布置的購物陳列點就起這個作用。
Evaluate the Alternatives. Which one is best for me? This includes not only products within a category, but substitutes as well. Depending on the importance of the product, consumers may seek additional information and advice. Car purchases often include a trip to the local mechanic or the neighborhood car buff. Placing positive information where your buyers are likely to look is one key to marketing success.
評估替代品。哪種產品最適合我?這不僅包括某一種產品，也包含其替代品。根據產品的重要性，消費者可能會尋求更多的信息和建議。買汽車的人常常會跑一趟當地的汽車修理站，或徵求鄰居車迷的看法。在你的購買人可能會去的地方留下良好的信息，是營銷成功的關鍵因素之一。
At this stage of the buying process the marketing manager would like to identify the influencers of his target’s buying behavior. In the golf industry the club pro is a key influencer in the equipment-buying decision of golfers. If you can sell the pro, you can sell to the club’s members.
購買程序到了這個階段，營銷經理就要確定是哪些人對他的目標人購買行為產生影響。在高爾夫球這個領域裡，對客戶購買球桿起決定作用的是俱樂部的職業教練。如果你能把球桿賣給他，就能賣給俱樂部會員。
Distribution is also crucial at the evaluation stage of the buying process. If a product is not readily available, a comparable substitute may be chosen just for convenience or immediacy of need. Coca-Cola’s and Pepsi’s wide distribution makes it tough for any new cola competitor to ever be any more than a fringe brand.
在購買程序的評估階段，研究分銷渠道也是至關重要的。如果產品一時無貨，人們可能出於方便或急用而選擇某個有可比性的替代品。可口可樂和百事可樂的巨大分銷網絡，使得任何新的可樂競爭對手都難有立足之地。
The Purchase Decision. This is the big sale. Even though the decision to buy could be yes, in certain instances the first purchase is only a trial. In those instances the decision process is more time-consuming and difficult to make because there is more risk involved. It is very important for the marketer to understand risk. Through the use of a number of marketing tools, such as advertising, knowledgeable salespeople, warranties, and printed materials, purchase risk can be reduced by offering the buyer information explaining what level of performance he or she can expect, as well as providing a basis of comparison with competing products.
購買。這是重頭。在有些情況下，消費者儘管做出了購買決策，第一次購買也可能僅僅是嘗試性的。在這種情況下，由於風險大，決策程序就變得更耗時間，決心更難下。對於一個營銷家來說，了解什麼是風險是十分重要的。通過運用多種營銷手段，例如廣告、經驗豐富的銷售人員、保修以及宣傳資料，並向購買者提供信息，說明他可以得到的性能，同時提供一些與競爭產品比較的信息，便可降低購買風險。
Evaluate. (Postpurchase Behavior). Did I make a mistake? This conclusion can be reached either on a physical level by testing the product’s efficacy or on a psychological level by checking for peer approval. Buyer’s remorse and postpurchase dissonance are terms to describe the period of confusion that often follows a purchase. Automobile advertising, for example, is not only targeted at potential buyers, but also at recent buyers to reassure them that they didn’t screw up.
評估。(售後行為)我是否犯了個錯誤?這可能是在測試了產品效能之後得出的實際結論，也可能是徵求他人認可的心理性結論。購買人的懊悔和售後心理波動，就是描寫這種購買後惶惑階段的術語。例如，汽車廣告的對象不僅僅是潛在的買主，還包括最近買了車的人，這如同向他們保證，他們的購買決策沒有錯。
(To be continued)
Reference:
Ten-Day MBA 4th Ed. by Steven Silbiger