• Unit 2: Segmenting, Targeting, and Positioning

    Philip Kotler, the grand dean of marketing textbooks, has suggested that if marketers can nail their target and position, all other aspects of a marketing campaign will fall into place. Target and position define whom we are trying to reach with our marketing campaign and what message (or position) we will use to connect. The concepts of targeting and positioning are so critical to marketing success that we now dedicate an entire unit to them.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 2 hours.

    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • define the STP strategy;
      • identify the place of targeting and positioning in the marketing campaign;
      • Identify the types of segmentation (demographics, geographic, psychographics, and behavioral); and
      • identify competitive forces and define ways to develop a competitive analysis.

    • 2.1: STP Strategy

    • 2.2: Publics

      • The Benefits of Understanding Your Audience Page

        Read this article about audience. Among the most important aspects of a communication campaign is forming a clear picture of the target audience. Before you write a speech you will need to think about the audience's perspective, gather detailed information, and identify how key points in you speech will make an impact. As you read each section, select a product and an audience, then take notes as it applied to the audience and product you select. For example, if you are writing a speech about purchasing Tesla to a group of adults in their 20s you can take notes by answering question such as: Who is the target audience, what is the purpose/goal of my speech?, what probing questions can I ask the audience?, what do we have in common?, and what is the audience analysis/demographics?

    • Unit 2 Discussion

      • Unit 2 Discussion URL

        After reviewing the unit materials, post and explore the discussion forum. Feel free to start your own post and respond to other students' posts as well.

        Marketing expert Philip Kotler says once the target and position are identified, all other aspects of a marketing campaign fall into place. What do you think he means by that? Pick a marketing campaign that has caught your attention. Who are the marketers targeting? What is their position? Think of a product, service, or issue where you might launch a marketing campaign. Who will you target? What will your position be?