Mass versus Micro Marketing

Paper Summary:

This paper examines new approaches to marketing that are more specialized than those in the past. The paper defines mass marketing and micro marketing and gives examples of when they are most effective. Additionally, the paper reviews an article by Anthony Bianco, Tom Lowry, Robert Berner, Michael Arndt entitled "The Vanishing Mass Market," which analyzes the shift from mass marketing and mass production to micro marketing and mass product customization. The paper also discusses the implications for the economy of the shift from mass marketing to micro marketing.

From the Paper:

"The revolution consumers want starts with advertising tailored specifically to their tastes, followed by products that can be customized to their needs. The article by Bianco, Lowry, Berner, Arndt (2004) analyzes the shift from mass marketing and mass production to micro marketing, and with that shift, mass product customization. The differences the authors provide between mass marketing and micro marketing is best crystallized in the shift consumers are continually forcing towards more individualized, relevant, and tailored messages. This move to more specific advertising and promotion to consumers is making mass marketing, through the mediums of TV, print, and radio, less effective for marketers to use. In their place, the development and refining of messaging for Web sites, cell phones, PDAs, and highly specific media buying on cable networks that have themselves tailored their content to the needs of a specific audience...."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Schadler (2003) - IBM's ON-Demand Strategy Is Bigger Than IT. Forrester Research. November 14, 2003. Ted Schadler, Principal Analyst.
• Sidel (2005) - Credit Card Firms Go for Small: Issuers Pursue Huge Revenues Lurking in Tiny Transactions That Amount to Less than $5. Wall Street Journal. (Eastern Edition) November 1, 2005. p.C.1.
• Shankland (2003) - IBM: On-Demand Computing Has Arrived. CNET News.com. November 12, 2003. Stephen Shankland, CNET Writer.
• Bianco, Lowry, Berner, Arndt (2004) - THE VANISHING MASS MARKET; Anthony Bianco With Tom Lowry in New York, Robert Berner and Michael Arndt in Chicago, Ronald. Business Week. New York: Jul 12, 2004. p. 60
• AMR Research (2003) - Configuration is the Heart of Customer Fulfillment for Complex Product Manufacturers. AMR Research Report. Monday March 31, 2003. Retreived from the Internet on July 30th, 2006 from: http://lwcresearch.com/filesfordownloads/ConfigurationIstheHeartofCustomerFulfillmentforComplexProductManufacturers.pdf

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