Page 110 - Marketing the Basics 2nd

102 Marketing: the Basics
• Link building and search engine optimization will result in a website increasing their page rankings with popular search engines for particular keywords.
CRITICAL qUESTIONS
1 List the core, expected and augmented product levels of a higher education. Do they differ from technical schools? How can a university change its product mix to better offer value to prospective students?
2 What are the benefits of product lining? Are there ever drawbacks? When should a product-line be pruned?
3 Why, in a world of scarce resources, would a firm choose a two-way stretch?
4 What is a value network and how is it different from a supply chain?
5 Discuss the importance of intermediaries in the value network. Are there some industries where intermediaries are becoming less important?
6 Open the pages of the business section of any major newspaper. Look for stories about horizontal or vertical conflict. How would you solve the contentious issue?
7 Why is search engine marketing is such a popular tool for marketing a brand online? Why are contextual advertisements more successful at generating clicks than regular banner advertisements? What other tactics can be used to generate awareness?
8 Why are brand evangelists an important player in an online marketing strategy?
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING
Joseph Boyett and Jimmie Boyett, The Guru Guide to Marketing, London, John Wiley & Sons, 2002. A book which presents some of the best thinking of leading market gurus. A good quick way of seeing what some marketing leaders are thinking.
Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Return on Customer, New York, DoubleDay, 2005. A book which focuses on creating maximum value from