MRKT20052: Reflective Analysis of Marketing Management Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of two articles related to marketing management and digital communication. The first article, from Harvard Business Review, explores the concept of authenticity in branding, examining how businesses can leverage it to increase customer willingness to pay more. It discusses the importance of authenticity in the context of two pizzerias and its impact on customer perception, highlighting the significance of regional segmentation and customer values. The second article focuses on sustainability in product marketing, also from HBR, challenging the notion that consumers do not buy sustainable products. It presents data demonstrating the growth of sustainability-marketed products and discusses the challenges and opportunities for companies in this area. The report also highlights the impact of sustainability claims on legacy companies and the importance of investment in sustainable product development. The assignment covers key issues like customer value, marketing strategies and plans.

Running Head: MARKETING MANAGEMENT AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
MARKETING MANAGEMENT AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
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Article 1: https://hbr.org/2019/06/the-kind-of-authenticity-customers-will-pay-more-for
In this article we find a detailed layout of the business opportunity based on which, the chosen
organisations, try to frame their marketing venture. The objective is to boost the business
presence based on the authentic brand appeal that the organization is trying to establish.
Although the organizations are trying to capitalize on the authenticity of their brand appeal, they
should be alert about the fundamental differences that exist in context to the products.
All marketing issues and challenges discussed in this article are in context to this business
objective that the tow pizzerias are putting up. In this context, one major social ethical issue that
is hampering the brand presence of the two landmark pizza restaurants of New York are very
suspicious about the product quality as well as service quality of the brands that hit the Hong
tagline of “authenticity” of the two organizations (Connor, Lehman and Carroll, 2019). Although
there is dominant market scope in New York, DiFara’s Pizza in Brooklyn and Blue Hill in
Greenwich Village has not done extensive strategic planning in order to counter the perpetrations
to their fame of providing authentic Hudson valley culinary experience to customers in the
territory of New York.
Authenticity provides a unique point of sales to the organisation, which are the two restaurants in
this case. Authenticity has a typical values associated with the customers of these regional, hence
the positioning statement and development of target customer base should be made on the basis
of the regional segmentation of customers (Connor, Lehman & Carroll, 2019). Argument in
favor of the above statement has been provided in the article also where the author critiqued that
that the diners very well waiting the restaurant on the basis of their authenticity where
authenticity was judged as a parameter of how will the specific restaurant fitted into the specific
category, for evidence Italian, Barbecue and so on. In this context, it was also observed by the

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author that customers willing to pay more for a male in the restaurants, only when the restaurant
was able to exhibit the specific values that the customers desired. There were several means of
coming to this conclusion. Firstly, direct reviews from specific customer categories were taken
and secondly the author referred to the star ratings provide value customers. In contrast to the
importance attached with other factors observed by the customer is like the quality of the
restaurant, private experiences, what is number of times have been eating out per month for the
typical price cautious customers The authenticity of cuisine and food culture of the restaurant
had been given the maximum priority (Connor, Lehman & Carroll, 2019).
However, it cannot be argued also that the findings has been restricted 21 regional bases and
their food the same findings cannot be applicable for other customer segmentation. Along with
regional segregation, the same finding has been justified to be applicable for other demographic,
future traffic as well as other unique Geographic customer basis also. This can be claimed,
considering the fact that the same findings replicated with 631 other respondents and this time
other than food, other contacts like authenticity in the contacts to music where considered.
People prefer to listen to the music of those associated bands or musicians who can find
themselves to specific music genres and the musicians to express true believe as well as core
value along with willingness to develop album on a dominant theme of music.
Analysing the kind of authenticity that the customers of various organisations or aspects demand,
it can be suggested that there is distinction between the various meanings associated with
authenticity and the ascribed unique types of value attached with different layers of authenticity
as well.
Evaluating the article, it can be highlighted that the consumers' willingness to pay more is one
primary criteria that has been considered to be very important (Connor, Lehman & Carroll,

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2019). Authenticity is uniquely linked with the willingness of customers to pay more on each
instance which transforms the authenticity as typical marketing criteria for organisations. So far
as the case of musicians is concerned, the point of sales like propensity of consumers to purchase
tickets of their concerts it their albums have been deemed important for considering the
willingness of customers to pay more.
Article 2: https://hbr.org/2019/06/research-actually-consumers-do-buy-sustainable-products
Sustainability of products has been considered as a marketing criteria in this article. In this
recently published article, that to eminent authors argue that for several years, the store managers
of various retail outlets of popular brand names have been arguing that all the consumers initially
have the intention of purchase in sustainable products, while shopping for them, they actually do
not purchase them on various grounds. This is a conventional wisdom that is being used by
marketers to justify not making their products more sustainable.
The centre for sustainable business in New York conducted an extensive survey into their
consumers who prefer to purchase package consumer products. This data has been utilised as a
primary context by the researchers of this article in order to substantiate that the previously
highlighted perception of the store managers are false. The authors show that 50% of the growth
in in consumer packaged goods has occured from 2013-2018 and the primary reason because of
which this growth has occurred is the large scale consumption increase of sustainability
marketed products. In order to use any articles for academic or research purpose is the
authenticity of the source of data that has been used for supplementing the argument provided
their needs to be clarified. This aspect has also been considered by the researchers Who Lets
there was no that the data there providing has come from the barcode scanning of the retail
outlets like food, dollar, mass merchandisers, drugs and so on. 36 product categories have been

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considered for research by the researchers in order to frame there idea for 40% of the consumer
packaged goods sales in this year period.
Although the marketers are giving that their claim on sustainability are justified and because of
French they are not in favour of taking off their shelves with more sustainable products, it has
been observed that owing to the specific demand of selected consumer goods pertaining to CPG
accommodation be highlighted that 16.6% of market share has increased with the entrance of
Sustainable products in 2018 which is up by 14.3% in 2013. The delivery of 114 billion US
dollars occurred in 2013, from which 29% came from sustainable products. The proportion has
now gone up to more than 40%. Providing the statistics, the claim of the authors have been
consolidated and conventional counter parts of the marketing aspect that sustainable products are
not profitable, has also been disqualified.
Nevertheless, in more than 90% of the CPG categories, the others argue that emergence of
sustainability marketed products have been faster (Whelan & Sacco, 2019).
Considering the spread of Sustainable products in several categories, it can be highlighted that
the author argues that largest share of sustainability products has increased in the following
categories. This includes toilet tissue, coffee, bottled juices, salty snacks, facial tissues, yoghurt
milk and so on. Nevertheless it has been observed that since 2018 products like chocolate,
candies and other snacks and edibles are also sustainably developed.
However, in terms of capitalizing on the aspect of sustainability, thereby making it a marketing
ideal, there is a specific challenge that has also been highlighted by the researchers in this article.

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The two researchers argue that the product categories which come with a higher degree of
efficacy are generally providing lower share of sustainability marketed products. These product
categories include the likes of laundry care for sanitary napkins.
I would also like to appreciate the impact of this sustainability claim of the customers as it has
been provided here in this article. The impact of this sustainability claim On The Legacy
companies like Pepsico Unilever has been discussed. The article clearly highlights that the
brands which are not trying to make their products sustainable in order to ensure cost-cutting, are
actually back firing their business (Whelan & Sacco, 2019).
In conclusion, the article is clearly stated that corporate leadership will not be able to give their
brand managers A pass when the clean for sustainable products has not been considered and
catered to. In fact in order to ensure the development of Sustainable products, and make it a
viable business opportunity, the others claim that is also necessary for the investors to support
the organisations to make investments for development of Sustainable products. It can be so that
the research and development budget will initially take a big stride and it will change the
companies in your pocket, but in the future this will provide the foundation for stability of the
business market and customer segments.

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Reference List
Connor, Lehman & Carroll, (2019). The Kind of Authenticity that Customers will Pay more for.
Harvard Business Review. Retrieved on 27th August 2019. Retrieved from
https://hbr.org/2019/06/the-kind-of-authenticity-customers-will-pay-more-for
Whelan & Sacco, (2019). Research: actually consumers do buy sustainable products. HBR
Webinar. Retrieved on 27th August 2019. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2019/06/research-
actually-consumers-do-buy-sustainable-products