Change of Season, Change of Strategy

  As the season changes from summer to fall, there is a noticeable difference in the products being marketed and to whom they are being marketed. Watching television now, you do not see stores trying to market their products in beach settings, rather you see people wearing warmer clothing outside in the autumn leaves. Car companies have also changed their methods, showing their products driving down a street with lots of foliage, taking the family to go pumpkin picking; whereas just a month ago the car would be packed up and ready for the family to make a trip to the beach.

  The need to stay fresh in the marketing world has become overly transparent because products that are not marketed in a way that is relevant to the person will not demonstrate any value. For instance, advertisements for seasonal products need to be aware of the upcoming season because if they run an advertisement for the winter too long, their target market will deem the ad irrelevant and most likely not buy their products. Looking around many retail stores such as Christmas Tree Shop and Wal-Mart, you will see mostly fall and Halloween themed items placed close to the entrances of the store. The summer items have either been taken off the shelves or hidden in the back of the store because it is not very likely a customer will come into the store looking for a pool toy anymore. Relevancy is key in marketing and the most relevant strategy for marketing firms is to know who you are trying to sell your product to, and what they are looking for in a product. What the customer is looking for usually revolves around the seasons, because the change in weather dictates what kinds of activities people are doing.

                                               A Mitsubishi ad demonstrating the foliage technique

Watch a 30-minute block of television and you will not see the same advertisements you were used to seeing during the summer. Everything will feature more foliage, flannels, and football. If there is one thing you can count on in fall advertisements, it is that people will probably be tossing a football around with their kids or family while the company tries to market their product. The try to give their commercials a family type atmosphere because Thanksgiving is right around the corner and everyone loves Thanksgiving, right? Everyone also loves foliage, which is one reason why a plethora of car commercials will have a breathtaking, bird's eye view of the car driving down the road through a forest of beautiful yellow, orange, and red leaves. Companies strive to stay relevant while demonstrating their value to the customer, often leaning on portraying their company as having a wholesome outlook that will benefit the whole family.


9/24/14  8:42pm