Introduction to Marketing Essay: Mental vs Physical Availability

This essay provides an overview of the key differences between mental and physical availability in marketing. Mental availability, as defined by the essay, refers to the likelihood of a consumer recognizing and thinking about a brand during a purchasing situation, influenced by brand associations and advertising quality. Physical availability, on the other hand, concerns the brand's distribution in terms of space and time, ensuring consumer access. The essay emphasizes that mental availability is more crucial than physical availability because it directly affects brand awareness and recognition, influencing consumer choices. It argues that brands can build mental availability through distinctive communication and consistent promotion, ultimately leading to a stronger position in the market. The essay uses references from Goodman and Remaud (2015), Bellezza et al. (2017), Colicev et al. (2018), and Godey et al. (2016) to support its arguments.

Running Head: INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING
INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING
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INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING
Introduction
The key to the success of a brand is both dependents on mental physical availability.
In other words, it is customer thinking of brand that they are able to access the things when
they are thinking of it. Brands nowadays compete not on the basis of differentiation or
product offering, but on the basis of mental and physical availability.
Discussion
According to Goodman and Remaud (2015), mental availability signifies the
probability of a consumer recognizing and thinking about the brand in a purchasing situation.
Brands have the capability to build mental availability of the customers by establishing a
number of a different relationship in the consumer's mind. However, Bellezza et al. (2017)
state that managing consumer share of mind depends on continuous and in providing quality
standards of advertising.
Moreover, mental availability expands beyond just awareness about the brand it
depends on the building of up to date quality and quantity if the customer’s psychological
pattern. On the contrary, Colicev et al. (2018) asserts that brands physical availability refers
to the breadth and depth of the distribution of space and time. However, it also refers to
ensure that the consumer makes a bigger purchasing decision by offering a trigger to a
decision.
Considering the preference of the consumers in marketing, it has been seen that is a
consumer decides to optimize their preferences, they tend to search through an entire set of
options unless they are completely certain about their particular preferences (Godey et al.
2016). On the contrary, Bellezza et al. (2017), stated that satisfying consumers may start
searching through a set of options and will stop once they reach the appropriate preference.

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INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING
In this context, before measuring the effectiveness of both the availabilities it can be said that
brands are needed to be physically available, to progress with the part of the initial mix of
consumer requirement. According to Goodman and Remaud (2015), at the same time, it is
necessary for the brands to create associations with the customer to encourage mental
salience and build new excitements for the consumers stop at it.
However, it can be said that mental availability of physical assets are more important
for the brands to achieve more preferences that its competitors as it is easier to accessed
consumer memory in different situation of purchasing. Therefore, brands have the capability
to create and develop more mental availability in the buyer's mind through distinctive and
clear communication. Colicev et al. (2018) stated that maintaining customers share of
thoughts depends on the consistent quality of promotion and deployment of the similar
distinctive assets that will help the brands to win over the market most of the time.
Conclusion
Therefore, mental availability is more important than physical availability as the
factor is associated with the awareness and recognition, whereas the brand availability may
vary across different situation. Higher mental availability would refer to the situation for the
brand being noticed and thought in several buying situations. To be specific, this factor of
mental availability is to consciously remind the customers that brands exist through social
media and different platform.

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INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING
Reference list
Bellezza, S., Ackerman, J.M. and Gino, F., 2017. “Be Careless with That!” Availability of
Product Upgrades Increases Cavalier Behavior Toward Possessions. Journal of Marketing
Research, 54(5), pp.768-784.
Colicev, A., Malshe, A., Pauwels, K. and O’Connor, P., 2018. Improving Consumer Mindset
Metrics and Shareholder Value Through Social Media: The Different Roles of Owned and
Earned Media. Journal of Marketing, 82(1), pp.37-56.
Godey, B., Manthiou, A., Pederzoli, D., Rokka, J., Aiello, G., Donvito, R. and Singh, R.,
2016. Social media marketing efforts of luxury brands: Influence on brand equity and
consumer behavior. Journal of business research, 69(12), pp.5833-5841.
Goodman, S. and Remaud, H., 2015. Store choice: How understanding consumer choice of
‘where’to shop may assist the small retailer. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 23,
pp.118-124.