Successful marketing is the result of many distinct, but interdependent, decisions and actions. Marketers must understand the structure of markets and recognize that most are composed of multiple segments that differ in important ways.
To be successful, marketers must also make the right decisions about where (in what market segments) they will compete and how they will position their company and their offerings (their “brand”) to win in those segments.
If marketing were a house, market segmentation, target market selection, and brand positioning would be the foundation and the “load-bearing” walls. And, just as the foundation and load-bearing walls are essential components of a well-built house, marketing segmentation, target market selection, and brand positioning are essential for successful marketing.
A new book by Allen Weiss and Deborah J. MacInnis addresses these topics: The Brand Benefits Playbook: Why Customers Aren’t Buying What You’re Selling – And What to Do About It (BenBella Books, 2024).
Allen Weiss is the founder and CEO of MarketingProfs, LLC and an Emeritus Professor at the University of Southern California. He has consulted with numerous high-profile enterprises including Intel, Texas Instruments, and AIG.
Deborah MacInnis is the Charles L. and Ramona I. Hilliard Professor of Business Administration and an Emerita Professor of Marketing at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. She has consulted with many well-known enterprises including Proctor & Gamble and Hallmark.
What’s In the Book
The central message of The Brand Benefits Playbook is that marketers should make benefits the paramount concept when developing marketing strategy and planning marketing activities.
Weiss and MacInnis state their view in unambiguous terms when they write: “. . . a focus on the benefits that customers want in the brands they buy can provide an integrated lens on marketing decision-making – from market segmentation, to target market selection, to brand positioning, and more.”
The book contains nine “plays” (chapters), and the authors use the first two chapters to introduce the concept of benefits and explain why focusing on benefits is critical for marketers.
In the first chapter, Weiss and MacInnis define benefits as, “. . . the desirable outcomes that customers expect to receive from your brand.” Then, they discuss the three types of benefits customers might want from brands – functional, experiential, and symbolic – and they argue marketers should consider all three types when deciding how to market their brand.
The authors also use the first chapter to argue that focusing on brands can help marketers:
Avoid “marketing myopia”Identify potential competitorsIdentify paths to growthDevelop new product ideasBetter understand shocks and trends
