Market Segmentation How to do it How to Profit from it

1 The state of marketing 1
Summary 3
Achievements 3
Practitioners 3
Consultants 7
Academics 8
Recapturing the high ground 9
Review 9
References 10
2 The central role of market segmentation in profitable growth 11
Summary 13
From tactics to strategy 13
Define markets and segments, and understand value 15
Determine the value proposition 16
Integrated marketing communications 18
Delivering the value proposition 19
Monitor value 25
Marketing’s role in value creation 27
Review 29
References 30
3 Preparing for segmentation – avoiding the big mistakes 31
Summary 33
Definition of market segmentation 33
International market segmentation 37
Objective of this book 39
Segmentation archetypes in companies 41
Company archetypes 41
Case study conclusion 44

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vi Contents

Classifying market segmentation in organizations 46
Classification conclusion 48
Effective market segmentation 48
The ‘postmodern’ customer 51
Segmentation team 52
Data for segmentation 53
Rules for segmentation 54
The advantages of segmentation 55
Segmentation process summary 56
Developing segments 56
Prioritizing and selecting segments 58
Marketing objectives and strategy 58
Segmentation case histories 59
Case history conclusion 62
Review 62
References 64
4 Determining the scope of a segmentation project 65
Summary 67
Fast track 67
Geographic scope 68
Defining markets 70
Developing the market definition 71
Whose needs are being defined? 78
Ensuring the definition is meaningful to your company 81
Markets and SBUs 84
Sizing the defined market 85
Process check 87
Case study – Agrofertilizer Supplies 88
Further examples 90
Reference 91
Exercises 91
5 Portraying how a market works and identifying
decision-makers 95
Summary 97
Fast track 98
Constructing your market map 100
Getting started 101
Initial quantification of the market map 109
Adding junction types 111
Market maps in the tabular form 113
Market leverage points 114
‘Shared’ decision-making 116
‘Cumulative’ decision-making 117
Selecting the junction to be segmented 118
To include or exclude non-leverage groups 120
Testing current views about segments: preliminary segments 122
Sizing preliminary segments 124
Process check 124

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Contents vii

Case study 125
Further examples 128
Exercises 131
6 Developing a representative sample of different
decision-makers 135
Summary 137
Fast track 139
The components of a ‘micro-segment’ 143
Key Discriminating Features (KDFs) 144
KDF guidelines 146
What, where, when and how 152
Price 155
Profiling and ensuring it is practical 156
Profiling – standard categories 158
Profiling – additional categories 160
Profiling – keeping it practical 161
Developing micro-segments 162
Getting micro-segments up and running 163
Managing micro-segments – keeping control 174
Process check 176
Case study 178
Further examples 183
A selection of standard approaches to profiling businesses 185
A selection of standard approaches to profiling individuals 189
Exercises 194
7 Accounting for the behaviour of decision-makers 197
Summary 199
Fast track 200
Explaining customer behaviour 202
From ‘features’ to ‘benefits’ 204
Standard, company and differential benefits 206
Looking beyond the status quo 207
Price 209
Micro-segments and their Decisive Buying Criteria (DBCs) 212
Defining micro-segments by their needs 213
Expressing the relative importance of DBCs numerically 217
Techniques for uncovering unsatisfied needs 220
Addendum for those intending to test the validity of
a current SBU structure 226
Process check 226
Case study 227
Further examples 229
Reference 232
Exercises 232
8 Forming market segments out of like-minded decision-makers 237
Summary 239
Fast track 240

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The components of a market segment 242
Size of market segments 243
Number of market segments 245
Building micro-segments into market segments – clustering 246
Visual clustering (pattern analysis) 248
Mathematical clustering 251
Isolating the most important DBCs 256
Acceptable differences 257
What if ... 258
Computer-assisted clustering 260
Segment checklist 262
Profiling revisited 263
Checklist questions 266
Process check 268
Case study 269
Case study conclusion 272
Further examples 273
References 275
Exercises 276
9 Determining the attractiveness of market segments 283
Summary 285
Fast track 286
Portfolio analysis 288
The Boston Matrix 288
General Electric/McKinsey Matrix 289
Segment attractiveness 292
Time horizon 293
Segmentation team 293
Defining segment attractiveness factors 294
Weighting segment attractiveness factors 296
Defining the parameters for each segment attractiveness factor 297
Scoring the segments 297
Plotting the position of segments on the portfolio matrix 299
When the final result is not what you expected 302
Process check 302
Examples 303
References 304
Exercises 304
10 Assessing company competitiveness and the portfolio matrix 309
Summary 311
Fast track 312
Company competitiveness 314
Time horizon 315
Competitiveness factors 316
Weighting the factors 317
Defining the parameters for competitiveness 318
Scoring your company and your competitors 318
Producing the portfolio matrix 320

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Contents ix

The DPM 322
Process check 323
Examples 324
Exercises 326
11 Realizing the full potential of market mapping 331
Summary 333
Enhancing the information on your market map 333
Market mapping reviewed 334
Looking to the future 334
Further quantification of the market map 334
Extending the detail to junction types 337
Adding market leverage to junction types 340
Detailed market maps in the tabular form 343
Review 345
Examples 347
12 Predicting market transformation 353
Summary 355
Multi-channel strategy formulation 355
Future market mapping: analysing industry structure 357
New channels 358
Reconfiguring the market map 360
Towards a future market map in financial services 362
Multi-channel integration: channel chains 365
Channel choice: the channel value curve 367
The prioritization matrix: defining channel strategy 370
Determining channel tactics 372
Review 374
References 374
Exercises 374
13 Setting marketing objectives and strategies for identified
segments 383
Summary 385
Marketing objectives: what they are and how they relate
to corporate objectives 385
So what is a corporate objective and what is a marketing
objective? 387
How to set marketing objectives 389
Competitive strategies 396
Where to start – gap analysis 402
New product development 408
Marketing strategies 408
Marketing objectives, strategies and profitability – valuing
key market segments 410
Background/facts 411
Suggested approach 411
Review 412
References 413
Exercises 414

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14 Organizational issues in market segmentation 421
Summary 423
Segmentation as a company exercise 423
Support from the chief executive and top management 424
Size and diversity 425
Planning for the segmentation process 430
Line management support 430
Integrating the segmentation process into a marketing
planning system and into a total corporate planning system 432
Cross-functional involvement 433
Successful implementation of segmented marketing 433
Strategic integration through the mission statement 434
Managerial integration 436
Tactical integration 436
The human face in segmentation 436
Review 437
Reference 439
15 Using segmentation to improve performance – a case study 441
Summary 443
GlobalTech 443
Background 443
The segmentation project 445
Strategy development and implementation