Marketing exposure

Marketing exposure is the amount of funds invested in a particular type of security and/or market sector or industry and usually expressed as a percentage of total portfolio holdings. It is also simply known as "exposure." ^[1] Exposure is the product of a marketing strategy, and once the strategy is implemented it is only a matter of time before exposure is put into action. Consumers recognize "marketing exposure" when the company creates and promotes a campaign. There are three types of marketing exposure: intensive, selective, and exclusive.^[2]

Overview

Marketing exposure is put into action after a marketing strategy has been implemented. In the marketing world, exposure is a number within a portfolio. In the consumer world, exposure is a company's campaign or brand that is trying to market specific products to help service the consumer. It is also a way to make a business stand out in the marketplace. Without marketing exposure, campaigns would be non-existent and therefore companies would suffer.

Purpose

Marketing exposure is a major part that determines a company's success in their market. Although it is never directly identified or defined, it crucial for helping a company progress, creating competition for other companies, making the company more credible with consumers, and overall benefit both the company while satisfying consumers.^[2] While all of this may seem easy, it takes months of preparation in order to create, launch, and manage a campaign. Campaigns must be exposed thoroughly in the market as much as possible without annoying or bothering consumers to the point of "overexposing" the campaign. There is a fine balance between keeping the consumers interested in a product or brand, and annoying them to the point that they have no interest in supporting a company.^[3] In order to expose a campaign successfully, there are many factors that must be taken into consideration.

Objectives

Exposure objectives are the basic goals that the company is looking to accomplish in their campaign. Among the important goals, first understanding their consumer is key. In order for successful exposure, the company must create a "target market" or identify the specific consumer and what their needs are.^[3] Consumer factors and environmental factors can determine whether or not the company is capable of selling their product or service. Therefore, the company must evaluate what they have to offer and then determine how their product can help the consumer. Once the consumer and their needs have been identified, companies can figure out their goals and strategies as to how they can get the consumer to choose their product or service over the competitor's.

Factors

Within the objectives, factors must be taken into consideration. Factors fall into Environmental, Consumer, Product, and Company categories.^[3] Understanding these factors and how they effect the marketplace can greatly determine whether or not the objectives (or goals) can be attained.

Environmental

Environmental factors include change in every day consumer life. Examples include changes in family lifestyles, advances in technology, and the way consumers use the Internet.^[3] Companies cannot directly control changes in the environment, however they can create objectives or ways to market the product. If the company can expose the product in the right way, companies can convince the consumer that the product will improve their environment and create a service they believe they need.

Consumer

Consumer factors are key to selling a product. A company is capable of taking their product and selling it to potential buyers only if company understands their buyers. That is why companies must ask important questions such as: Who are potential customers? Where do they buy? When do they buy? How do they buy? What do they buy?^[3] Having a deeper understanding of these questions will help companies analyze their consumer and how to best approach consumers with the product.

Product

The company's product is something that the company already has a deep understanding of. What makes the product such an important factor is determining its purpose and value in the marketplace. The purpose of the product depends on the tasks it completes, how small or large it is, and its complexity just to name a few.^[2] Next, the value in the particular marketplace is important because if it is a product such as a scientific computer it will be expensive, which eliminates are large group of consumers because not many may want to pay for a scientific computer.^[3] Whereas pepper, a fairly inexpensive necessity will attract many more consumers since it is used in everyday life and the consumer demographic is much larger.^[3]

Company

The company factors are of highest importance. The company must have a deep understanding of their place in the marketplace, and recognize their financial, human, and technological capabilities.^[3] The financial, human, and technological capabilities of a company determine how efficiently the company can execute their campaign. Once these factors are understood and recognized, the company can then create a successful campaign.

Strategizing

Once objectives are set, the company can begin strategizing how they can successfully approach and execute their campaign. The basic principles of marketing strategy are simply stated: to achieve persistent success in the marketplace over competition.^[2] With these basic principles, the company must recognize their competition, and strategize how they can be unique, while yielding positive results in the marketplace. In order to yield the best results in the market place, there are two essential elements within strategizing: the issue of the position, specifically within the 'strategic triangle' (the customers, competitors, and corporation), and of time (the analysis of history).^[3] Using these principles and essential elements, companies must develop their campaign strategies. The company must develop these strategies and then determine their rate of exposure, who they are exposing it to, and how they plan on presenting the information.^[4] These strategies embody a range of marketing techniques from the campaign slogan to where advertising will take place.

The Portfolio

The general goal of the portfolio is to compile data to show to customers or employers how successful or unsuccessful the campaign and exposure was. Since the global financial crisis, it has been crucial for companies to use portfolios.^[4] The marketing exposure portfolio holds all of the monetary information that assesses how the exposure is interacting with consumers in the marketplace, the amount of money being spent on the campaign, as well as the amount of returns the company is getting for the campaign from the consumers. This portfolio helps to determine the gross potential, and when the company can break even.^[4]

After the campaign has ended, it also allows the company to assess how well their campaign worked and whether or not consumers embraced the company's product.

Examples

Nike: Nike, Inc. is a global brand that uses the Nike "Swoosh" as its logo/symbol. Because their marketing campaigns and exposure in athletic clothing retail has been so successful in their market, they have established themselves as a leading retailer that their "Swoosh" is trademarked. Without strategic planning or successful marketing, exposure would be nearly impossible and the brand would not be a foundation in athletic retail. They provide all ranges of sports and athletic gear from hockey sticks to running shorts. Their competitors include Adidas, Under Armor, and Puma.

Target: Target Corporation is a global brand that uses the red, three ringed "Target" as its logo. They have been very successful in the area of retailing or, more specifically, discount retailing. With their designer clothing campaigns from Isaac Mizrahi, Marc Jacobs, and Diane Von Furstenberg to name a few.^[5] Using such campaigns Target has been able to establish itself as a leading competitor in high retail goods for a discounted price. They are the second highest retailer after Walmart.

References