The Greatest Challenger Marketer’s Face
There is no doubt that the marketing industry has undergone tremendous transformations over the past few years. Advancements in technology, increased internet usage, many informed customers, poor marketing management, and heightened potential competitions are some of the principle factors that marketers must consider when implementing marketing and communication strategies (Rudolf and Pervez, 2009). Simply put, the greatest challenge facing marketers is the availability of many an option in every marketing opportunity. For this reason, it becomes difficult to single out a significant factor as being the greatest challenge because the challenge is the plethora of the mixture arising from the above challenges (Rudolf and Pervez, 2009). When faced with such a situation, marketers often find themselves in a dilemma of selecting the best approach to use in realizing the goals and objectives of their marketing programs.
Opportunities for addressing this challenge do exist in the market because setting strategic marketing goals will not only enable firms to satisfy the needs and aspirations of customers but also enable their organizations to penetrate segmented customer markets (Rudolf and Pervez, 2009). Here, the need for and the role of effective leadership appears. Strategic leadership in marketing entails designing strategies that will convince customers to consume the company’s products. As such, firms needs to understand the best approach to reach customers while at the same time bearing in mind the marketing budget and objectives. Potential opportunities for overcoming marketing challenges lie in the utilization of technology as the best tool for marketing. It will help in singling out the many options that marketers face in addition to providing the fastest way to reach clients. Technology provides the solution for solving this challenger. Many opportunities for passing audio, visual, and pictorial information to customers can be executed on technological platform. For instance, all sorts of links can be attached to a company’s website to facilitate access to specific information and products.
Changing the guard: McDonald
The video on “changing guard at McDonald provides an insightful look into the changes that are currently being undertaken in the franchising industry. While at first it might seem as a succession strategy to the franchising industry, the entire story revolves around the changes being brought about by the young franchisers. There is no doubt that young franchisers are bringing changes to old McDonald’s culture. For instance, changes in modes of payment such as the acceptance of Credit Cards in place of cash money (Jargon, 2012, March 8). Many a client prefers to pay using Credit Cards as opposed to cash money because of the conveniences. Speaking of internet connectivity, many customers prefer to get in touch with their work environment and as well, communicate with their friends while dining (Jargon, 2012, March 8). Other than acting as a communication link, Wi-Fi connectivity provides entertainment to customers as they dine. Providing such amenities is a key factor for attracting and retaining customers. On the management aspect, providing internship opportunities to young franchisees gives them an opportunity to learn management styles in addition to enabling them to get an overview of aspects that they might change in order to bring transformations in the industry.
Consumers are keen on their health and by proposing healthier foods such as gluten-free hamburger buns and organic produce (Jargon, 2012, March 8) and hence; young franchisers will not only attract new clients but also attract new ones. Another important aspect being proposed by the young generation is aspects of corporate social responsibility, which are vital in returning to the community. Engaging on CSR issues like providing community services needy kids and recycling is a better way to increase value to the community.
Jargon, J. (2012, march 8). Super size me generation takes over at
McDonalds.
The Wall Street Journal. P. A1. Retrieved from
http://online.wsj.com/video/next-
generation-takes-over-at-mcdonald/F2D4506F-
F796-4108-8F86-
99CF18B549FB.html
