Surname 1

Name:
Instructor:
Course:
Date:
A comparison of marketing strategies in the technology industry and in the beverage industry
I.

Objective
The objective of this paper is to compare and contrast the marketing strategies employed
in Technology industry and those used in the food and beverage industry. The goal will be first to
understand what the center of gravity of business in each industry. This will involve evaluating
the activities of example firms in these industries all the way from when they source for raw
materials, transform them, produce, innovate, and then supply to the market; as well as examine
how they acquire, satisfy, and retain customers. This is because all these activities, although
important, contribute differently to the cost of doing business. They also contribute quite
differently when it comes to the value that customers see, buy, and pay for. Furthermore, these
activities also contribute quite differently to the companys competitive advantage.
This would help determine which of these activities are of great focus in either industries,
and whether or not they result in each industry having a unique approach to marketing.
Fundamentally, this exercise will endeavor to determine which of the aforementioned activities
account for the value that customers identify with, pay for, continues to come back, and becomes
loyal for, in addition which contributes to the bulk of the cost the business incurs. It would also
help in understanding which activity contributes to what is termed as competitive advantage in
each industry. The end result would be locating the center of gravity of business in these
industries along the spectrum of activities associated with value creation.
This paper will confirm that in both industries, the center of gravity of business, the
uniqueness of marketing strategies employed by firms that are increasingly successful in both
industries resides in those activities that are related to acquiring, retaining, and satisfying
customers. Firms in both industries heavily employ the use of social media and television
advertisements in fostering their relationships with their consumers. This is because, the value,
the competitive advantage, in both industries resides with those companies that possess what is
termed as downstream assets the relationships they create, have, and foster with the consumers.
In conclusion, this study will offer certain recommendation for improving marketing in both
industries, suggest ways in which firms in both industries can learn from each other. Particularly
I would argue that for firms in both industries to achieve more from their marketing and be more
competitive, they must tilt their focus back to the customers, who are the center of the business.
Thus, their marketing activities should be focused on what else their customers need, why they
continue to buy from them instead of their consumers.
II.
Methodology
The methodology to be employed in effectively comparing the marketing strategies
employed in the two industries will include both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources
will include primarily looking at marketing case studies of successful firms in each industry, as
well as evaluating sample marketing materials that these firms use such as social media, direct
mail, web, email, and mobile. It will also include directly interviewing employees and consumers
in each of the industries and reviewing recorded video, pictorial, and audio recordings of
previous adverts. Secondary sources that will be used include analyzing articles and reports

Surname 2
written regarding the business and marketing strategies employed by successful firm in both
industries. It is important to note that the focus of this comparison will be narrowed to two
successful firms in each industry. In this case, for the technology industry, focus will be
narrowed to Samsung and Apple, firms that are considered as very successful in that industry. In
the non-alcoholic beverage industry, focus will be on Coco Cola and Pepsi.
III.
Challenges
One of the challenges that might be encounter is in relation to interviewing employees of
these firms and getting meaningful, unbiased information in a timely manner. In fact, just
accessing them might prove to be a problem. In order to address this challenge, it would be
prudent to identify and work will gatekeepers in both industries who can recommend and point
me to the right people so as to gain access. Further, to address the issue of bias, I would ensure
that the interviewees are not aware of then of the purpose and aims of my interviews.
IV.
Annotated Bibliography
Borden, Neil H. The Concept of the Marketing Mix. Journal of Advertising Research II.
Classics (1984): 714. Print.
In this article, the author, Borden, Neil H., a then distinguished professor of
marketing and advertising at Harvard Business School explains how the term marketing
mix came into existence and how the concept has become widely used to date. He
explains that the cost incurred in marketing activities by manufacturing firms varied as a
result of mixing of ingredients in the policies and procedure employed (Borden 8).
He identifies that advertising and marketing is not something whose profit value
can be considered on its own without considering manufacturing methods, pricing, product
form, selling and promotion methods, and distribution methods. Most importantly and most
critical to this present study, however, is the fact that he found out that, a variety of
marketing mixes existed across various industries. Marketing strategies employed by
various firms in various industries were unique and differed depending on what
ingredients were mixed (10) by different firms.
IBS Case Study Development Centre. List of Case Studies on Marketing (Brands and
Branding, Marketing Strategy and Positioning, Repositioning, Reverse Positioning
Strategies). New York: N.p., 2013. Print.
This paper is a list of case studies all on marketing. The case studies presented in
this report by the Ideal Business Schools Case Development Center span various
industries. It focuses on various notable global brands, branding, marketing strategies
employed by various firms in various industries, and how these firms have attempted to
position and reposition themselves or their products in the market. The focus is on specific
marketing activities and the objectives of those activities taken by various firms. For
instance, it attempts to analyze how Samsung in 2008 undertook brand building via
customer service in a hyper competitive market in which brands are of great importance
(IBS Case Study Development Centre 2). This source offers a glimpse in how firms in the
two industries being compared here undertake their marketing, what is important for them,
and how they achieve success through various marketing initiatives.
Kaul, Vivek. The Secret of Marketing Success - from Zara to Coke, Gillette, Samsung and
Apple. FirstPost Business 12 Mar. 2014. Web.

Surname 3
This articles looks at what companies should focus on in terms of their marketing
strategies; what is of more value to a company, its understanding of the customer needs or
its focus on product development? The author, Kaul, Vivek, poses these questions to a
renowned professor of business and a marketing strategy expert Niraj Dawar. Dawar has
worked and works with global industry leaders and has been part of major marketing
assignments for global corporations such as HSBC, Cadbury, BMW, Microsoft, McCain,
and LOreal. The punch of this article is that for companies to be successful in their
marketing, they must shift their marketing strategies from products to customers because it
is where huge payouts are (Kaul).
The Chartered Institute of Marketing. In Search of a Strategic Role for Marketing Leading,
Influencing or Supporting? London: N.p., 2009. Print.
This is a global benchmarking study that explores what the strategic role in
marketing is; should it be leading, supporting, or influencing. It is a study commissioned by
The Chartered Institute of Marketing in conjunction with Accenture and is based on broad
conversations with various senior marketing executives from 50 global corporations
commanding more than $1.8 billion spend in marketing. The article offers insightful and
useful knowledge in marketing that can be applied practically. It identifies that strategic role
of marketing today equates to a much shorter period of time than before because niche
markets, and custom segments that present certain unique opportunities are arising and
disappearing equally fast. Thus organizations must be agile in their approach to marketing
(The Chartered Institute of Marketing 64).

Surname 4
Works Cited
Borden, Neil H. The Concept of the Marketing Mix. Journal of Advertising Research
II.Classics (1984): 714. Print.
IBS Case Study Development Centre. List of Case Studies on Marketing (Brands and Branding,
Marketing Strategy and Positioning, Repositioning, Reverse Positioning Strategies). New
York: N.p., 2013. Web.
Kaul, Vivek. The Secret of Marketing Success - from Zara to Coke, Gillette, Samsung and
Apple. FirstPost Business 12 Mar. 2014. Web.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing. In Search of a Strategic Role for Marketing Leading,
Influencing or Supporting? London: N.p., 2009. Web.