Principles of Marketing and Communications in a Digital World

The product in this marketing campaign is the Samsung Galaxy S8 which is an improved version of its predecessor Samsung Galaxy S7. The phone is a relatively new product in the market and still needs to define its position. Samsung Galaxy S8 is a luxurious phone of its kind and is available to those who want a better experience with a smartphone. Many features characterized in this device and should be highlighted in its marketing. The phone is one of the best to ever be made by the Samsung company having the best Central Processing Unit (CPU) in the phone market. The phone can also be plugged into an HDMI monitor, turning it into a mini-computer which is a new feature in the market today. The Samsung Galaxy S8 phone is a digital device but would need a good marketing strategy not only to create awareness but also prove its better capabilities than those of its predecessors and competitors.

Market Analysis

The mobile phone industry has tremendously grown in the digital era; this means that the market has also expanded since the consumers have the technological knowledge to purchase high-quality merchandise. The mobile phone market is expanding daily with consumers demanding high-quality devices that are far from the traditional dial and call phones. They are demanding multipurpose phones; the ones that can take good pictures, hold an ample storage space, high speed, connect to monitors to view files, and other features that are visibly available in the Samsung Galaxy S8 as the object of the marketing campaign.

The potential customer for this product (Samsung Galaxy S8) are targeted to be working adults of between ages 25 years and 55 years; this age group is conscious on the type of phone they use and are well aware of the recent technological advances not forgetting they can afford the phone. The age group targeted is for the consumers who demand good devices and are willing and able to pay the price. These targeted customers are geographically located in the USA specifically in the larger urban areas as compared to the countryside. The phone is targeted to those who are in business, travelers, entertainers as well as those in the education sector because of its storage space; any educator would take advantage of their extensive information storage.

The Samsung Galaxy S7, which is the S8 predecessor was well received across America, and the sales were way beyond the expectations. The sales of the S8 are primarily based on the sales of the S7 with an expected raise since the latter is a far better version of the former. The behaviors of the target customers are that they go for quality and the uniqueness of a product which is what the Samsung Galaxy S8 offers. The target customers have proven before when buying related products that their primary focus is on what the product can offer to them regardless of the price.

The other group of the target market is the enterprise customers; this means that the marketing campaign is not only targeting the consumers but also big companies that employ more than a thousand workers. The reason for targeting this type of market is the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S8 is very efficient in workload and would be of great use in the industrial market. Business owners have proven in the past they need easy and efficient devices to simplify work. Businesses are embracing technology, and the big old computers are increasingly becoming difficult when maneuvering through the workload. The marketing campaign is targeting businesses around the United States of America which are ready to take the next technological step that is sure to change productivity levels. Large companies that would order these phones for their workers to simplify work are the technological conscious ones that embrace change with time.

Technology is the present and the future of the world today. The world has embraced technology accepting to move as fast as it is and the electronics companies are in the first lane to this journey. In the last decade, mobile phone manufacturers have sprouted and changed the industry from what it looked like before to a competitive ground today. The Samsung Galaxy S8 phone even being one of a kind in the market does not lack very competitive partners. The emergence of several mobile phone manufacturers and the need to develop technologically has resulted in a high industry commonality leading to great rivalry. The Samsung Galaxy S8 has found a great competitor in the iPhone 8 which targets the same geographical markets and contains close to similar features. The threat from this competitor is high since it is a direct competitor and it is only by use of competitive differentiation that the two products can be set apart. Differences in design, quality, price, and features are some of the things that will be used in the marketing campaign to convince the target customer of the uniqueness in the Samsung Galaxy S8 and set it apart from the iPhone 8. Major technological innovations are necessary to keep track of what the direct competitors major actions that might pose threats to the sale of the Samsung Galaxy S8 mobile phone.

Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning

The marketing campaign for the Samsung Galaxy S8 would need marketing segmentation to determine the different types of customers targeted. As mentioned above in the target market section, is that the campaign would be targeting both the consumers of the end product and the enterprise customers which is a group of prominent companies who would be interested in the mobile phone for output purposes.

In the market segmentation section, the marketing campaign will look at what different customers demand in a device like the Samsung Galaxy S8. The different customers are catered for by this phone; this is proven by an observation made on the auto customers and what they demand in their gadgets. Speed and performance are a major factor when customers are considering to purchase a phone which is what this phone is presenting to this group of the market. People who are working have no time to waste on a slow phone, and considering that this phone is targeting a market of busy people, it had to cater in all aspects performance and speed. There are others who care about the safety of their device and storage space. Samsung Galaxy S8 is designed in a manner that ensures security to the owner once they purchase the phone and for those seeking storage space for either work or personal purposes it is guaranteed. That group represents the customer behavior which is how they use the product and the benefits they expect from it. The marketing of the phone will take place in the urban setting in the United States of America as the geographic segment since the phone appeals more to those living in the busy environment. Demographically, the campaign would target people of both genders, aged between 25-55 years since it is the age that can be considered both financially and technologically up-to-date and, the middle to the upper-class individuals. The reason why the marketing campaign is narrowed down to these two groups is the fact that a good marketing campaign does not intend to please everyone; this might lead to its failure. Instead, it is narrowed down to the most suitable target market.

Positioning involves implementing the target which includes maintaining the current image that the brand Samsung Galaxy S phones have held in the market. The marketing campaign will revolve around the uniqueness that the Samsung Galaxy S8 has over its competitors and how each segment perceives it in the market. The needs and wants of the target market should be put forward and the show the change the mobile phone is going to bring them as compared to what they were using before. The many features of the mobile phone device are what the marketing campaign is going to present to the segmented target market. Samsung Galaxy S8, unlike its predecessor, has brought a new feature called unbox your phone where the phones layout confines have been broken making it the only smartphone in the market with the largest screen and can be held in one hand. It also holds a clear and perfect camera targeting those who are interested in taking good pictures without having to carry around both the camera and the phone but instead having the two in one experience. These are some of the major uniqueness of the phone that would be used in its positioning within the target market. The customers do not want to know how good the product is but rather how it is going to solve their problem as compared to the competition. They want to know how their needs are going to be satisfied and their wants fulfilled. Through positioning, this marketing campaign will focus on the greater good of the product and why the consumer should consider it and not what is offered elsewhere.

Marketing Mix

Product branding is the set of activities designed to create a brand and position it in the minds of the customers. For the Samsung Galaxy S8 mobile phone to sell, branding is crucial, to create a consumer recognition. The Samsung Galaxy S8 has had other phones before it with the same name only differing with the 8 which gives it a positioning in the market. Branding the same phone with a different name would mean losing its position; this also includes the quality and the price range that the consumers are familiar with. Familiar brand marks and names are very significant for the consumer since it helps them make purchasing decisions and would hence be very significant in this marketing campaign. The packaging of the Samsung Galaxy S8, on the other hand, would be used to promote the product as well as garner the customers attention. Packaging the phone with an instructions manual straight from the manufacturer is not a unique way or a selling point of the product but would be included to enhance that the customer is well cared for in that area.

A pricing strategy is a way in which the Samsung Galaxy S8 would have competitive prices as part of the marketing campaign. The company should maximize profits through its sales of the mobile phone and at the same time offer a sustainable price to the customers. Price of a product is an indicator of quality; this means that with a phone of this high quality, then the consumer would have to go deeper into the pocket to gain this value. In this marketing campaign, the use of psychological pricing strategy would be useful to both the customer and the manufacturer. In this method of pricing, odd prices would be set and the consumers would think they are paying lesser than what they are which would also be a better way for the manufacturer to maximize profits.

Promotion strategies are the methods in which the company is going to get the message of the product to the target customers which can be done through the mainstream media as well as the digital marketing. The mainstream media that would be used to market the Samsung Galaxy S8 include the TV, radio, newspapers, outdoor advertising, magazines and infomercials which would feature visual, audio, and print ads to reach the target customers. Digital marketing has grown tremendously over the years, and it is one of the most effective ways of reaching customers in this era. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a technological device targeted to the age that is conscious in that sector and would do very well through this method of reaching the customers. Visual or print ads can be created and shared online where the company will track customer behaviors online. The company can track those who show a desire on the mobile phone and ensure they advertise to them as they maneuver the internet. The other method includes the use of the Search Engine Marketing (SEM) where the company advertises by t...