Marketing to South Asians in Great Britain Assignment

Marketing to South Asians in Great Britain - Assignment Example It is "fundamental to successful marketing strategies. Until competitors copy or segment your segmentation, you have a competitive edge"(McBurnie and Clutterbuck, 1988). Why is this study important However, there are some segments of the British consumer public that are not being reached as effectively as others. One of these segments is the South Asian community - those from the Indian peninsula and the surrounding countries - and research shows that this represents half of the British immigrant population (Burton, 2002). Worldwide, immigrants from this region are underrepresented in marketing surveys and journal research (Stern, 1999; Williams, 1995). While 20,000 Indians and Eastern Europeans were recently allowed to immigrate into Germany because of shortages in the computer industry, there is no evidence that German marketers are taking advantage of this new segment (The Economist, 2000). This is a trend that is even more marked in Britain. There are several reasons for this: parts of the South Asian immigrant community are viewed as a sort of underclass (Lash and Urry, 1994); many perceive this group as lacking the purchasing power to join the consumer society (Sivanandan, 1989); there are very few South Asian marketing managers in British firms (Burton, 2002); and there is a confusion in some marketing firms as to how to reach the South Asian community (Gooding, 1998). While there is a growing awareness of this group as a "formidable [segment] as consumers, workers, and investors"(Palumbo and Teich, 2004), there are some areas of debate in just how this group should be reached. These include the rapidity with which immigrants from South Asia will gain consumer values similar to those of British society (Bhugra, Kamaldeep, Mallett, and Manisha, 1999); which consumer values will change at all, or remain the same (Ryder and Paulhus, 2000); whether or not British firms should use South Asian languages and cultural symbols in their marketing campaigns, trying to find a balance between a sense of welcome and a sense of ostracization (Palumbo and Teich, 2004; Koslow, Shamdasani, and Touchstone, 1994; Holland and Gentry, 1999); and at what point segmentation becomes isolation (Briley and Wyer, 2002). What will others learn from this study "There is no such thing as a simple demographic fact in international research" (Bartos, 1989). While research has shown a tremendous growth in technological capabilities of segmenting (Mitchell and McGoldrick, 1994), there is still a significant need for what has been termed a "bespoke" system (Openshaw, 1989) - one that can find target households and target customers efficiently. Some areas of concern that still exist in this area include more precise age targeting, outmoded data, and a way to predict what consumers will buy in the future - not just a list of what they have purchased in the past (Mitchell and McGoldrick, 1994; Openshaw, 1989). Why is this study necessary There is a good amount of research into qualitative characteristics of a successful segmentation strategy. Such concepts as well-designed planning, commitment and participation by senior management, effective selection of segment bases, flexibility with market trends, and marketing