marketing

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Marketing
Positioning Question
It is true that positioning is the key step in marketing a product. This is because effective positioning makes the prospective consumers perceive a given product as a better choice as it appears as if it is more superior to the competing products on determinant attributes (Pechmann and Ratneshwar 145). Influencing the customer’s perception means that a company will have successfully managed to beat the competition and this means increased customer loyalty and this translates to higher profitability. Xbox is an example of a product that has successfully positioned itself. It is positioned as a high-quality product that meets different needs of the customers. Apart from allowing hardcore gaming, the product allows the customer to compete with other players online, stream movies and chat at the same time via Xbox Live. The competing products do not offer all these services. Therefore, Microsoft successfully influences the perception of a gamer regarding the kind of value he or she gets from purchasing Xbox as opposed to buying the competing products that do not offer all-around entertainment.
Innovation Question
Innovation is exploiting new ideas leading to the creation of better products, thus helping an organization to enjoy long-term success (Hult and Ketchen 902). It is important in marketing because it offers a competitive advantage to the innovative firm. Innovation is important to a marketer because it makes the marketer’s work easier when it comes to convincing a customer.

Since the customer can see that the product is a high-quality product that offers more value than other products from the past, he or she will be convinced to buy the product easily. Innovation is important to a consumer because it helps him or her to get more value. For example, innovation in the mobile phone industry over the years has led to high-quality mobile phones. They allow the user to listen to the radio, save his or her favorite music and have it when needed, access internet, and take clear pictures using the phone’s camera and other benefits in addition to the primary communication service. As a shopper, with enough money, I will go for the product that offers a lot of value like iPhone.

Works Cited
Hult, G. Tomas M., and David J. Ketchen. “Does market orientation matter?: A test of the relationship between positional advantage and performance.” Strategic management journal 22.9 (2001): 899-906.
Pechmann, Cornelia, and Srinivasan Ratneshwar. “The use of comparative advertising for brand positioning: Association versus differentiation.” Journal of Consumer Research 18.2 (1991): 145-160.