Midterm Exam

1. Jobe Smith has decided to build his manufacturing business (lawn mowers in the U.S.) around the production concept. If this approach is taken, what will be Mr. Smith’s primary areas of concentration as he builds his business? What issues might Mr. Smith face in deciding to go with this concept as he builds his business?
Mr. Smith has decided to use one of the oldest marketing concepts, production. The Production Era is said to have taken place primarily during 1870 to 1930, therefore this concept seems to be very dated. (Fullerton, 1988) This concept believes that consumers are more interested in obtaining a product that is readily available at a good price rather than a quality product with quality features. Mr. Smith will have to concentrate on mass production of his lawn mowers. As this marketing concept works very well in developing countries, where the demand is high and the competition is lower. He will have to focus on getting the word out to these countries that he will have the lawn mowers available not only to them in mass production but also to developing areas of the United States where luxury or quality is not the focus of the consumer. The issues he will face are, of course, the quality of his product. If he doesn’t sell a quality product, chances are he will not have repeat customers, meaning he will have to keep developing his client base instead of only having to do this one time if his lawn mower was quality. In this concept, Mr. Smith will be focusing on the need to make more lawn mowers as opposed to focusing on the needs of consumers. He feels perhaps he is focusing on the needs of consumers but in reality, the demand to make more and more product will take his focus away from the consumers.

References:
Fullerton, R. (1988). How modern is moder marketing? marketing's evolution and the myth of the production era.