Product/Service Management
Product Mix
Product Line
Product Width
Product Depth
Product MIX:All the different products that a company makes or sells.
KRAFT Company Example:
….Kraft
….Maxwell House
….Kool-Aid
….Oscar Mayer
….Post Cereal products
Product Line◦ Group of closely related
products manufactured &/or sold by a business
◦ Example:Kellogg’s makes all the cereals listed
All product lines are apart of the product mix
A product line can be determined by the following:◦ They function similarly
All of Chevrolets Cars are a Product Line
◦ They are sold to the same groups of people All of Staples Supplies sold to schools
◦ Are marketed the same way
◦ Are priced similarly
Product Item◦ A specific model,
brand, or size of a product within a product line.
Product Mix Example◦ All classes AK offers
Product Line◦ All marketing courses offered
Product Item◦ Marketing◦ Sports Marketing◦ International Marketing
Product Mix: ◦ The width and depth of a company’s product
offerings.
Width: number of different product lines a business manufactures or sells Small businesses have fewer product lines; less width
Depth: number of product items within a product line Company sells three different sizes & three different flavors
they would have a product depth of 9. Example: Chocolate = small, medium, large
Working in groups of 1-3; you will be assigned a Company
◦ Define Product Mix At least 10 brands they sell
◦ 3 Examples of Product Lines
◦ 5 Product Items Specific items sold by company
◦ General Motors◦ Mars◦ Nestle◦ Sony◦ Proctor & Gamble◦ Kraft◦ General Mills◦ Johnson & Johnson◦ Unilever◦ Kellogg’s◦ Coca-Cola◦ Pepsico◦ Dr. Pepper/Snapple
Nike owns◦ Nike Golf◦ Nike Pro◦ Nike+◦ Nike Skateboarding◦ Air Jordan◦ Converse◦ Hurley International
◦ NikeTown Retail Stores
4 Product Lines Examples◦ Converse◦ Basketball◦ Soccer◦ Clothing
Could’ve broken it down by:◦ Others Sports◦ Hurley, Golf, Jordan
Converse All Star Ox◦ $49.99
Nike Club Swoosh Full Zip Hoodie◦ $39.99
Nike Air Max 2013◦ $179.99
Types of Goods Sold1.Staple2.Convenience3.Shopping4.Specialty5.Fashion6.Seasonal7.Unsought8.Industrial
Product Life Cycle◦ Introduction◦ Growth◦ Maturity◦ Decline
Product Mix Product Depth Product Width Product Line Product Item
Trading Up Trading Down Alteration Expansion Contraction
Create 10 Flash cards based on the following concepts
1. Product Width: Contraction2. Product Width: Expansion3. Why would a company want to narrow its products?4. Product Depth: Shallow5. Product Depth: Expansion6. Product Item7. Trading Up8. Trading Down9. Alteration10.Product Positioning
Product Width is either narrow or broad
◦ Narrow Product mix occurs when a company offers a limited number of product lines Also known as Contracting
◦ Why would a company want to narrow its product mix? Easier on management Cost effective Simplicity Consistency
In 2009; General Motors (GM) filed for bankruptcy protection
They were told they needed to cut back◦ GMC◦ Cadillac ◦ Buick◦ Chevy ◦ Pontiac◦ Saturn◦ Saab◦ Hummer
Companies seek to expanding their product width by making it broader
Expanding allows you ◦ Reach more markets◦ Gain a competitive edge
Example of product width is Red Lobster◦ Specialize in seafood◦ Sell pasta, chicken, & steak to broaden product
mix
Product Depth expands when more product items are added to a product line
Why would you expand on a product line?◦ Wider Variety◦ Greater Quantity
◦ Dillards choosing to sell more colors, sizes, styles of Levi Jeans
A shallow product depth occurs when there are less products offered in a product line
Why would you contract your product depth?◦ Cost Effective
Example would be Red Lobster selling chicken on its menu
Usually only 2-4 menu options Not cost effective to offer a wider variety
Companies devise strategies for their products so that they are profitable
Existing product strategies◦ Alteration◦ Trading Up◦ Trading Down
Alteration occurs when an existing product is altered
Improve an established product with new design, new package, &/ or new uses
◦ Example: Jeep Company
Trading Up◦ Occurs when a company adds a higher-priced
product to a line
◦ Trying to attract a higher-income market
◦ Want to improve the sales of existing lower-priced products. Prestige of high-priced item makes brand look
better
Trading DownAdding a lower-priced item to a line of prestige products to encourage purchases from people who cannot afford the higher-priced product, but want the status.
Positioning: actions marketers take to create a certain image of a product in the minds of the customers
• In Relation to a Competitor• A common strategy when a firm is trying to solidify an advantage over
another firm. • Example: Southwest Airlines promotes itself as the low-cost alternative
• In Relation to a Product Class or Attribute (Features & Benefits)• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUNjCx7w11k
• In Relation to a Target Market• Focusing on the unique characteristics of specific users can also be effective. • The …For Dummies series of instruction books are attractive to people who
want to learn about a topic from a source that doesn’t assume any prior knowledge on the reader’s part.
• By Price and Quality Offer economy, mid-priced, & luxury lines High Price = Quality Ford Mustang Low Price = Greater Value Ford Focus
• Difficult to change
Absolut Vodka◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL4EsZv_ltU ◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt7eOs7iG2Y
Flash Cards - After 10 minutes into a lecture or concept presentation, have students create a flash card that contains the key concept or idea. Toward the end of the class, have students work in pairs to exchange ideas and review the material.
Product Life Cycle of Mobile Phone◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-y0Q9uE0MM◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ZOOhsfZ-I