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|98 PART 2 Understanding the Marketplace and Customer Value

along with anti-bullying education sessions for parents, teachers, and administrators
conducted by nationally known experts.4
• General public. A company needs to be concerned about the general public’s attitude
toward its products and activities. The public’s image of the company affects its buying
behavior.
• Internal publics. This group includes workers, managers, volunteers, and the board of
directors. Large companies use newsletters and other means to inform and motivate
their internal publics. When employees feel good about the companies they work for,
this positive attitude spills over to the external publics.

A company can prepare marketing plans for these major publics as well as for its cus-
tomer markets. Suppose the company wants a specific response from a particular public,
such as goodwill, favorable word of mouth and social sharing, or donations of time or
money. The company would have to design an offer to this public that is attractive enough
to produce the desired response.

Customers

Customers are the most important actors in the company’s microenvironment. The aim of
the entire value delivery network is to engage target customers and create strong relation-
ships with them. The company might target any or all of five types of customer markets.
Consumer markets consist of individuals and households that buy goods and services for
personal consumption. Business markets buy goods and services for further processing or
use in their production processes, whereas reseller markets buy goods and services to resell
at a profit. Government markets consist of government agencies that buy goods and services
to produce public services or transfer the goods and services to others who need them. Fi-
nally, international markets consist of these buyers in other countries, including consumers,
producers, resellers, and governments. Each market type has special characteristics that call
for careful study by the seller.

Author The macroenvironment The Macroenvironment
Comment consists of broader forces that
affect the actors in the microenvironment. The company and all of the other actors operate in a larger macroenvironment of forces
that shape opportunities and pose threats to the company. Figure 3.2 shows the six
major forces in the company’s macroenvironment. Even the most dominant companies
can be vulnerable to the often turbulent and changing forces in the marketing environ-
ment. Some of these forces are unforeseeable and uncontrollable. Others can be predicted
and handled through skillful management. Companies that understand and adapt well to
their environments can thrive. Those that don’t can face difficult times. One-time dominant
market leaders such as Xerox, Sears, and Sony have learned this lesson the hard way. In
the remaining sections of this chapter, we examine these forces and show how they affect
marketing plans.

FIGURE | 3.2
Major Forces in the Company’s Macroenvironment

Concern for the natural environment Natural Technological Marketers also want to be
has spawned a so-called green socially responsible citizens
movement. For example, Timberland Demographic omic Poli Cultural in their markets and
is on a mission to develop products Econ tical communities. For example,
that do less harm to the environment. online eyeware seller Warby
Changing demographics mean changes in Parker was founded on a
markets and marketing strategies. For cause: For every pair of
example, Netflix created a “Just for Kids” glasses Warby Parker sells,
portal and app targeting today’s fast-growing it distributes a free pair to
young, tech-savvy "Gen Z" segment. someone in need.

Company