1. China and India are significant emerging markets. They will some day exceed the United States as being the largest economies in the world. Together they make up about 40% of the world's population. Carefully examine the demographic and economic trends in these countries and discuss the significance to and impact on marketers in the United States. You may find some useful information on the following web sites:
U.S. State Department
Country Commercial Guides
The CIA World Fact Book
Be sure support your discussion of these trends with statistics and other facts that have led you to your conclusions.
2. Products move through the product life-cycle in varying degrees. Some products, like fads, are in and out while others have been known to last over 100 years before the manufacturer decided to make product changes. Arm and Hammer's baking soda is a perfect example of this. It was manufactured in the United States in 1846 and it wasn't until the 1970's that the product was modified to be used as a deodorizing ingredient, toothpaste, laundry detergent, underarm deodorant, and even included in cat litter. It's logo looks like this:
Given this information, your mission is to identify a product and track it's changes over the years. Determine which stage of the product life-cycle it is in and why you believe it is in this stage. Be sure to support your findings with facts.
3. Identify two similar products produced by different firms. Identify the type of market environment in which these firms operate. Examine their pricing strategies. Who is the target market? What evidence do you have to support your choice of target market? Which pricing strategy do these firms use? Are they effective and will they reach the target market? What internal and external factors may have influenced their choices. Be specific. Provide tangible evidence to support your thoughts.
4. Identify one of the firms you selected in question 3. Select one of its latest ad campaigns. Does it reach its target market? Is it effective? Why or why not? Be specific. How would you change it? Why? Support your ideas with tangible evidence.
5. In 2010, the United States exported almost $2trillion worth of goods and services. Nonetheless, its trade deficit was more than $500 million. This means that it imported more than it exported. What could be a logical reason for this deficit? Are the markets to which we export as large as the U.S. market? Could this have an impact or effect on the trade deficit? Finally, discuss the pros and cons of the United States having trade deficits and how does that affect marketing strategies, or does it? Explain and support your response