Marketing is normally directed to consumers who are willing to buy and who are also willing to consume the products being marketed. However, some products and/or services need to be pushed during marketing in order to achieve positive results. Examples of such products include products and services associated with funerals, diabetic equipment etc (Ibsen, 2008, p. 1). This paper discusses the issues that companies selling such products face and suggests some solutions to the issues.
Marketing products like coffins and diabetic equipment, and services like funeral services may prove to be a very challenging task. While the companies that provide such services need to keep their sales high, it is, kind of, unethical to go their way marketing their products and therefore such marketing campaigns may bear no fruits.
It is thus of essence that such companies adopt strategic marketing approaches suited for their industry (Johnson, 2009, p. 1). One approach that can be used to increase casket sales is the displaying of ready-made caskets so that people can know where to find them when need arises.
Companies can also design various tastes for such kinds of products to ensure that a needy customer will get the kind of good he/she wants. This is because a large number of people leave descriptions of the kind of coffins they should be buried in. Another approach that can be used is the introduction of a marketing strategy based on genuine care by the company about the misfortunes of the customers (Nam, 2004, p. 1).
For instance, an advertisement for diabetes equipment may be designed to give the patient instructions on how to keep their blood sugar levels down. This kind of concern may make customers to be interested in the products that the companies have to offer. On the other hand, coffins may be manufactured in such a way that they put in to consideration the prevailing social parameters. An example of such parameters is fashion which may extend even to the casket industry. Another social factor is culture.
Some communities bury their beloved ones in caskets that display a certain message about the lives that the diseased lived (Nam, 2004, p. 1). These coffins are thus symbolic and therefore a consideration of the cultural factor in making coffins for such communities will definitely make the marketing of coffins less challenging. An inclusion of certain specialized messages may also help to attract customers to certain goods.
For instance, a coffin with the words, “RIP my love”, (Johnson, 2009, p. 1) will most likely attract a man looking for a coffin for his wife. Such products need after-sales services because the customers who demand them are normally in problems. The companies selling such products should ensure that they do their best to be helpful to the customers and they will develop important networks this way.
There are a myriad of reasons why some products may not be an “easy sell”. However, a consideration of the reasons why such products are unpopular and the incorporation of solutions for these reasons in the manufacture and marketing of these products may make the companies that deal with such products successful in their industry. It is of essence for the companies to have a thorough understanding of the feelings the customer is going through before they come up with their marketing strategies.
Reference List
Ibsen, D. (2008). How to market an unpopular product. Web.
Johnson, S. (2009). Wal-Mart begins stocking coffins and funeral urns. Web.
Nam, Y. (2004). Costco begins test marketing caskets. Web.