Land Rover: History, Marketing Mix, Target Market, And Brand Positioning

A Brief History

Discuss about the Considered as One of the Leading Companies.

Land Rover is considered as one of the leading companies in the world that provide its customers unique and valuable automobile services all over the globe. Land Rover is a British car that first launched in 1950 in the city of Sri Lanka. In addition, this model car is mostly used by the British Painters for satisfying their off-roading stature. Recently the company has presented several car models, especially ‘the Range Rover’. The Range Rover comes under the list of luxury car models that is renowned in the market due to its strong status and agility (Mark, 2016).

In this testimony, the detailed overview of the company profile, history, value and accommodation, brand value, brand positioning, marketing mix and target market are discussed.

In 1948, the first model of Land Rover was materialized by the Rover Company in Sri-Lanka. The company named this model as Series I that is creatively engineered and designed for tremendous capacity and power. The Land Rover does not present its own creature until the late 1970s. Nowadays, the company carries Land Rover model with the collaboration of Jaguar that performs its activities under the title of TM (Tata Motors).

Brand Value

The primary objective of the company is to become the leading companies in the world by providing a creating, inspiring, adventure delivery services to the customers. This objective is shared by the Sri-Lankan agents, ‘Frontier Automotive’. On the other hand, in order to create the value in its products, the company associate its brand with those renowned brands that has the following specialities such as supremacy which is in satisfying the needs of customers, worldly adventurous as of its off-roading and handling services, and authenticity of providing the quality vehicles (Punjaisri&Balmer, 2016).

Customer Profile

The discovery of a new model of Land Rover is considered a logical evolution of Land Rover, which is designed by the company for families. The company set the prices of these products by considering the affordability level of the consumers of United States. LR is a first-tier merchant that catering the higher income consumers. Thus, if we look at the nature of the target market then it is evaluated that the company target the narrow market segment. Moreover, they signify its target market as ‘an active male’ that are belong to the high income classes. On the other hand, they target the age group of 34 to 54. They highlight these demographics in their all commercial videos (Tovey, 2016).

Target Market

Target Market

SUV target market. The target market of the LR is divided in to two buyer’s categories. The first buyers are those that considered such motor vehicles that have some functional attributes and smart features. These are such potential buyers that are staring for traditional and smart luxury cars as well as safety attributes. Moreover, other buyers are those families that give value to the features and attributes of security. The category of second buyers involves affluent and young adults that seek those products that show the accomplishments and images of the owners (Wedel & Kamakura, 2012).

Demographic Segmentation: The Company target the age group of 34 to 54 which include affluent and young adults that seek those products that signifies the accomplishments and images of the owners.

Psucho-Graphic Segmentation: The company target the high income class that yearly earned approximately $100000 plus.

Behavioral Segmentation: The Company offer their products to a brand loyal customer that wants to associate themselves with the brand name. The company offers transitional luxury cars.

Marketing communication mix is a mix of strategies that the company uses for personal selling’s, direct marketing, public relation and advertising. The implementation of the communication mix is difficult task for the companies however; it would be maintained by designing messages, by collecting feedbacks, identifying target market, method of delivery and communication objective. Moreover, the companies communicate the information through promotional activities as well as by promoting campaigns (Ahmed et al., 2014).

In media, there is a bombard of extraordinary deals and offer for automobile. There are many dealers in the market that advertise their products through various means of communications such as television, radio and newspapers. Moreover, several dealers communicate their products from emails and direct mails.  The Land Rover, advertise their products through events and shows that are running in many countries of the world. Moreover, the company follows the two different patterns of communication that is paid communication and unpaid communication. Under indirect communication, the companies promote their products through Motor magazines and television shows such as ‘Top gear’ that promotes new product. As far as paid communication is concerned, the company promote their products through direct mails and emails.

According to the (Kitchen & Burgmann, 2010) integrating market communication is a process that the companies used with the aim of expand the notion of brand communication. Some of the other authors define integrating marketing communication as a simple concept that make sure that all the texts and communication are interlinked together with great care. Moreover, the purpose of the IMC is to integrate the tools of promotion that ensures that all the work is performed with harmony.  On the other hand, the public relation are plays an important role in the IMC as it help the company in attaining its open-ended goals and plans that they set in order to meets the milestone of the projects. (Andy, 2002)

Marketing Segmentation

The brand positioning is considered as a place that the consumers set in its mind in order to brand its product. Moreover, the consumers perform brand positioning strategies to set a strong equity of brand in the mind of customers. The company strong positioning strategies highlight its credibility, strong unique attributes and sustainability in the mind of customers. (Freling& Forbes, 2005)

According to (MaaritJalkala&Keränen, 2014), there are four possible strategies that the company would use for offering client solutions. These strategies include: long term customer services, sub system providers, international solution integrator and customer value diagnose. The Land Rover also used these strategies in its business as its help them in building its brand equity and brand personality among the customers mind.

The primary objective of the Land Rover is to promote awareness of its new positioning strategy that is ‘GO BEYOND’. However, the main challenge for the company is to reduce the increasing rate of advertising from different dealers that promote their cars through diverse orthodox advertising and television commercials. By overcoming these advertising the company would easily capture the attention of many diverse customers toward the Land Rovers promotion. If the company want to implement position strategies in the organization then it is necessary for the company to following the following positioning decisions.

• As the company have three different vehicles available in their portfolios that are placed in different SUVs segments. Thus, these all three product need a strategy that names as “ product centric position strategy”
• The traditional car of Range Rover 4.0 SE provides great features with inexpensive cars that ranged from $ 30000 to $ 52500. It would be good if the company target the high income group of people- preferably individual that earned income that is more than $100000. As these group of people would easily buy the luxury cars. Moreover, the current analysis of the company sales shows that people that belongs to the higher income group would easily purchases the Toyota Land Cruiser that cost them approximately ($36708).
• The market analysis shows that female group having more inclination for safety and excellence performance aspect of SUVs. The result of the comparison of competitors and discovery shows that discovery having high rating score for these parameters as compared to competitors. So it would be goods for the company if they targeting woman consumers as it would provide the company more rewards as compared to single male segments.
• The company performed the Umbrella branding in order to building the new strategies of brand that accommodates all the models which include current and future model as well. Moreover, this brand captured the essence and spirit of values like freedom, adventure, individualism, authenticity and supremacy (LLC, 2016).

• The marketing budget should be increase to $20 million to $ 30 million.
• The company should set the budget of advertisement to more than 50%
• They should use television advertisement for growing its business productivity rather than other means of communication.
• The company continued its sponsorship of events such as La Ruta Maya Expedition and Camel Trophy.
• The company should restrict it direct mailing and email promotional activities to just 4 SE customers.(Huang &Sarigöllü, 2014)

USP, STP and Competition

Land Rover
Parent Company	Jaguar Land Rover and TM ( Tata Motor)
Type of products	Luxury cars and SUVs
Industry	Automobiles
Slogan of company	over and within
USP	Authentic, Rugged, adventurous and freedom loving
STP
Market Segment	Segment of SUVs
Target Audience	The target audience are upper middle class and high income groups
Positioning	Positioned as a premium brand that offer its customers a handling and off-roading services
Competition
Competitors	Porsche Ford Audi Mercedes Benz Cherokee BMW

• It is recommended to the company to implement family based advertisement that would help them in achieving a larger market share of the automobile industry. Moreover, the company should also focus on the concept of transactional utility that help them in ensuring either the customers is satisfied with the decision of the purchases of Land Rover or not, The company would use this technique in its retailing strategy (Goldsmith, 2016).
• It is also recommended to the company to expand the budget of its business activities which would help them in increasing its business image in the highly competitive marketplace.
• The company should also use marketing penetration and product development strategies in its business activities that would help them in expanding its market share and growth in the market.
• It is recommended to the company to focuses on the two growth techniques which include GLD production and Wow Event Hire. These techniques would help the company in increasing the demand for supply as well as help them in maintaining its business USP in the target market. (White, 2014)
• The firm used the marketing mix techniques at the stage of the BOP (bottom of pyramid). By considering these strategies into the BOP; the company ensures the engagement of customers in the bottom of pyramid market as it would help them in enhancing the engagement of the clients into the BOP. (Chikweche& Fletcher, 2012)

References

Ahmed, Raheem, R., Vishnu, P., Nawaz, A., Ali, U., &Khoso, I. (2014). The communication mix in pharmaceutical marketing

Chikweche, T., & Fletcher, R. (2012). Revisiting the marketing mix at the bottom of pyramid (BOP): From theoretical considerations to practical realities. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29(7), 507–520.

Freling, T. H., & Forbes, L. P. (2005). An empirical analysis of the brand personality effect. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 14(7), 404–413.

Goldsmith, E. B. (2016). Consumer economics: Issues and behaviours.

Huang, R., &Sarigöllü, E. (2014). How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix. International Series on Consumer Science.

Land Rover 4×4 vehicles and luxury SUV. (2016, July 14). Retrieved July 22, 2016, from https://www.landrover.com/index.html

LLC, P. (2016). Key strategies and issues of positioning: A review of past studies.

MaaritJalkala, A., &Keränen, J. (2014). Brand positioning strategies for industrial firms providing customer solutions. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 29(3), 253–264.

Mark, W. (2016). Aluminium used in Jaguar land Rover vehicles helps meet sustainability targets.

Punjaisri, K., &Balmer, J. (2016). Brand value co-creation with employees through the leader-member exchange theory: The case of a corporate brand

Tovey, M. (2016). Design for transport: A User-Centred approach to vehicle design and travel.

Wedel, M., & Kamakura, W. A. (2012). Market segmentation: Conceptual and methodological foundations.

White, C. (2014). An Investigation To Identify The Marketing Techniques Available To Promote An Events Company Successfully: A Critical Analysis Of Gld Productions Limited And Wow Event Hire.

Kitchen, P. J., & Burgmann, I. (2010). Integrated marketing communication. Wiley International Encyclopaedia of Marketing.

Andy (2002). Over 50, 000 university Coursework’s, Dissertations, research papers, essays, assignments, academic reports and analysis.

Johnson, P. S. (2003). Industries in Europe: Competition, trends and policy issues.

Indian Drives (2016, March 29).  Jaguar land Rover looks to enter SUV-Coupé market Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcjjvJoLdiQ