Compare and contrast the product and production concepts

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The production concept holds that consumers will favor products that are available and highly affordable. Therefore, it dictates that management should focus on improving production and distribution efficiency. This concept is one of the oldest orientations that guides sellers. The production concept is still a useful philosophy in some situations. For example, both personal computer maker Lenovo and home appliance maker Haier dominate the highly competitive, price-sensitive Chinese market through low labor costs, high production efficiency, and mass distribution. However, although useful in some situations, the production concept can lead to marketing myopia. Companies adopting this orientation run a major risk of focusing too narrowly on their own operations and losing sight of the real objective — satisfying customer needs and building customer relationships. The product concept holds that consumers will favor products that offer the most in quality, performance, and innovative features. Under this concept, marketing strategy focuses on making continuous product improvements. Product quality and improvement are important parts of most marketing strategies. However, focusing only on products can also lead to marketing myopia. For example, manufacturers of mousetraps might believe that if they can build a better mousetrap, their profits will soar but they are often rudely shocked. Buyers may be looking for a better solution to a mouse problem but not necessarily for a better mousetrap. The better solution might be a chemical spray, an exterminating service, a house cat, or something else that suits their needs even better than a mousetrap. Furthermore, a better mousetrap will not sell unless the manufacturer designs, packages, and prices it attractively, places it in convenient distribution channels, brings it to the attention of people who need it, and convinces buyers that it is a better product.