Introduction
The efficiency of a marketing campaign depends on how well a company understands the values, priorities, and interests of its target audience. The present research proposal describes methods of analysis of consumer behaviors of Generations X and Y in the US and China. The paper also includes the schedule of the project, the secondary sources analysis, and a detailed description of the research methods. The author also devotes attention to the critical issue of marketing peculiarities of various ethnicities and provides several recommendations that could be used by the marketing department of ABC Motor Company.
Consumer Behavior Project Definition
The current project studies how to attract Generations X and Y in the US and China to the new luxury hybrid car produced by ABC Motor Company. The project analyzes how to persuade the target audience, win its trust and brand loyalty, and promote the car among it. The project also detects the most efficient means of distributing information about the luxury car and provides recommendations on how to use social media to increase the marketing campaign’s efficiency.
Objective and Scope of Research
The major objective of the current research is to identify the most effective marketing strategies that would help to attract the potential consumers of the ABC Motor Companys luxury hybrid car. The research is limited to the analysis of consumer behavior of Generations X and Y and does not focus on other generations. Besides, the project examines the preferences of the target audience only in two countries: the US and China.
Schedule
The project will take less than 2.5 months to complete. The stages of the project are the following:
- July 1 – July 7 – preparation of the research proposal and secondary source analysis.
- July 8 – July 22 – preparation of the questionnaire and search for respondents.
- July 23 – August 23 – conduction of focus groups and surveys.
- August 23 – September 15 – analysis of the gathered data and development of practical recommendations.
Sampling Procedure
Since the study focuses on the analysis of Generations X and Y, the sample population consists of people who were born between 1965 – 1994. Besides, these people should have an above-average income (more than $70,000 per year).
Methodology
The author utilizes both quantitative and qualitative research methods because the final recommendations are based on the results retrieved from surveys in the form of multiple-choice and open-ended questions (quantitative data) and focus groups (qualitative data).
Secondary Research
More than 80 percent of both representatives of Generations X and Y actively use social media and the Internet (Mothersbaugh et al., 2020). Generations X and Y are equally effectively persuaded by both individualistic and collectivistic advertising appeals (Zhang, 2010). However, the traditional mass-market approaches that could be used to promote goods to the preceding generations are inefficient for generation Y (Mothersbaugh et al., 2020). Besides, in contrast to other generations, Generation Y is the most environmentally conscious one (Gurau, 2012).
Primary Research
It is necessary to complete at least 25 interviews with each cohort of the target audience to provide sufficient data to explain consumer behaviors. Overall, the author should complete 100 interviews (25 with Generation X in the US, Generation X in China, Generation Y in the US, Generation Y in China). The recommended number of total groups equals two because the author plans to combine Generations Y and X in one focus group. The survey is presented in the form of only a questionnaire with multiple choice and open-ended questions sent by e-mails because it is a convenient way to gather as many responses as possible within a short time.
Comparative Criteria
Comparative criteria are the following:
- Willingness to purchase luxurious goods.
- The maximum amount of money they are ready to spend on a car.
- Attitudes to luxurious cars.
- Values.
- Importance of the environmental agenda in the advertising campaign.
Market Segmentation and Targeted Market
Each subculture entails specific marketing aspects that should be considered during the development of the advertising campaign. For example, Hispanics prefer national brands of high quality and tend to be rather loyal to them (Mothersbaugh et al., 2020; Leslie and Korzenny, 2015). The best way to reach African Americans, especially Generation Y, is to hold advertising campaigns online (Meyers and Morgan, 2013). For Asian-Americans, native Asian culture is important, and they deeply respect national traditions and events (Mothersbaugh et al., 2020).
Market Entrance Strategy
Based on the analysis of the target audience in the US and China, the author recommends ABC Motor Company to actively use social media and targeted advertising on the Internet. Besides, it is necessary to emphasize not the fact that the car is luxurious but its innovativeness and the possibilities that it gives. For example, it is more convenient for family trips and does not pollute the environment as heavily as other cars. Finally, whereas the population in China is relatively homogenous, it is immensely diverse in the US. Therefore, the marketing managers of ABC Motor Company should not forget to pay significant attention to the issue of diversity of the American population because each ethnic group has its peculiarities that affect the effectiveness of marketing strategies.
Ethical Issues Concerning Consumer Protection
The major ethical issue concerning consumer protection is the privacy of their personal information. The second issue deals with the accuracy of the advertisement because it should not deceive the audience. The third issue is that the company should be responsible for the message they promote in their marketing campaign and should be accountable for the consequences.
Professional Fees
The marketing specialist takes $110 per hour. Since the project takes 54 working days to be completed (432 hours), the overall cost of the service provided by the marketing professional is $47,520.
Expected Outcomes
As the result of the project, it is expected to find that different marketing approaches should be used by ABC Motor Company to promote the new luxury hybrid car among the potential consumers that belong to Generations X and Y. The author supposes that Xers will be attracted by such aspects as comfort and cost-effectiveness, whereas for the Millennials, it is more important than the car presents a technological breakthrough and is ecology-friendly. The author also hypothesizes that advertisements on Facebook are more effective in targeting Generation X because Generation Y prefers Instagram and YouTube.
Conclusion
The present research paper aims at the analysis of consumer behaviors of Generations X and Y. To discover the most effective practices that would help ABC Motor Company promote their new luxury hybrid car among the target audience; the author will conduct a range of surveys, interviews, focus groups, and the analysis of secondary sources.
References
Gurau, C. (2012). A life‐stage analysis of consumer loyalty profile: comparing Generation X and Millennial consumers. Journal of consumer Marketing, 29 (2), 103-113. DOI: 10.1108/07363761211206357
Leslie, N.S., & Korzenny, F. (2015). The effect of cultural dimensions on brand loyalty of consumers in the USA. Journal of Cultural Marketing Strategy, 1(1), 64-79.
Meyers, Y. J., & Morgan, A. J. (2013). Targeted marketing and African American millennial consumers. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 7(1), 6-17. DOI: 10.1108/17505931311316716
Mothersbaugh, D. L., Hawkins, D. I., Kleiser, S. B., Mothersbaugh, L. L., & Watson, C. F. (2020). Consumer behavior: Building marketing strategy. McGraw-Hill Education.
Zhang, J. (2010). The persuasiveness of individualistic and collectivistic advertising appeals among Chinese generation-X consumers. Journal of Advertising, 39(3), 69-80.