Question 1

Recently, Anheuser Busch introduced a new beer called Celebrate meant to be drunk in a snifter rather than a beer mug and it is priced around $10 a bottle.

Accepted Answer

The question states that Anheuser Busch introduced a new beer called Celebrate meant to be drunk in a snifter rather than a beer mug.

Question 2

Managers seek to understand if the sales decline in the decline stage of the PLC is a short-term problem or resulting from outside forces or a fundamental shift in the market with long-term implications.

Accepted Answer

Managers do seek to understand the cause of sales decline in the decline stage of the product life cycle to determine if it's a short-term problem or a long-term shift in the market.

Question 3

Chick-fil-A uses a set of testers who try the item 10 or more times before they decide to add it to the menu.

Accepted Answer

False

Question 4

The maturity stage of the PLC is characterized as having a few large players dominate the market followed by a number of smaller companies with specific products meeting specialized market needs.

Accepted Answer

This statement accurately describes the characteristics of the maturity stage of the PLC.

Question 5

The introduction of New Coke was a debacle that led Coke to reinvigorate its old traditional brand.The failure is an example of the leading selling brand in the market not being able to get the market to do what the company wanted.

Accepted Answer

The statement is correct, New Coke was a failure that led Coca-Cola to bring back its original brand and reinvigorate it. This shows that even the leading brand in the market is not always able to control consumer behavior and preferences.

Question 6

Parents buying their daughter a pair of jeans would probably consider Aeropostale jeans to be just another pair of jeans; however, to the teenager, the same purchase makes an important statement about herself and her choice of clothes.

Accepted Answer

Teenagers often attach greater significance to their clothing choices as a way to express themselves and fit in with their peers. Therefore, even though the parents may view the Aeropostale jeans as just another pair of jeans, the teenager may see it as a reflection of her personal style and identity.

Question 7

A stock keeping unit (SKU)is a unique identification number used to track a product in the consumer's home.

Accepted Answer

A SKU is a unique identification number used to track a product in a retailer's inventory, not in the consumer's home.

Question 8

An example of a lack of conformance would be someone traveling to Europe and buying a Coca-Cola and finding that did not "fizz".

Accepted Answer

The lack of fizz in the Coca-Cola purchased in Europe is a deviation from the expected conformance, as Coca-Cola is a carbonated beverage and is expected to have fizz.

Question 9

Sometimes a company can make a product that is too reliable.An example of this would be a computer that cost a large premium over competition but would last for years.The problem is that technology changes too rapidly so better, cheaper, and faster models will come out and make the expensive long lasting model obsolete.

Accepted Answer

Technology is constantly evolving and improving, which can make even the most reliable products eventually become outdated and irrelevant. This can be especially challenging for companies that invest heavily in creating long-lasting products, as they may struggle to keep up with the competition and meet the changing needs and preferences of consumers.

Question 10

Style is very difficult to assess.Firms do not use style often in as much as it is easy to copy.

Accepted Answer

One of the most difficult discriminators to accurately assess and build into a product is the look and feel of the product, or style. It is easy for someone to say a particular product has style, but designing it into a product can be a challenge. More than any other discriminator, style offers the advantage of being difficult to copy.

Question 11

Timex should not try to build watches that cost in the $10,000's because the market does not expect nor accept a watch with that production quality from Timex.

Accepted Answer

Timex is a brand known for producing affordable and durable watches. Therefore, consumers would not expect or accept a high-end luxury watch from such a brand. Timex's target market is not in the market for watches that cost thousands of dollars.

Question 12

time it takes to decide on whether to purchase them or not.

Accepted Answer

The statement is incomplete and lacks context, making it impossible to determine its truth value.

Question 13

One of the disadvantages of using style as a discriminator is that consumer tastes change over time and what is considered stylish can quickly lose its appeal.

Accepted Answer

Consumer tastes and preferences are constantly changing, making it difficult for style to be a reliable discriminator in the long-term. What may be considered stylish today may not be considered so tomorrow.

Question 14

Many air carriers, such as United, U.S.Airways, and Delta experienced serious financial problems, even bankruptcy, in part because they have not adequately delivered a positive core product experience to the customer.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Many air carriers have struggled financially due to a variety of issues, including poor customer experiences.

Question 15

Despite dominating the film business for 100 years, Eastman Kodak announced it would leave the film business due to a lack of demand for picture taking.

Accepted Answer

Kodak announced it would stop producing traditional film due to the rise of digital photography, not a lack of demand for picture taking.

Question 16

China now produces 16% of the world's fresh fruit.One question you face when you buy organic produce from China is whether the fruits and vegetables are really organic since China does not enforce quality control standards like the U.S.does.

Accepted Answer

China does not have the same quality control standards for organic produce as the U.S., so it is a valid concern when purchasing fruits and vegetables labeled as "organic" from China.

Question 17

Competitors still enter the maturity stage of the product life cycle because there is still an opportunity for success of a niche product.An example of this was when Audi entered the SUV market during its maturity stage.

Accepted Answer

Competitors can still enter the maturity stage of the product life cycle by offering niche products, as in the example of Audi entering the SUV market during its maturity stage.

Question 18

If the essential benefit of a product is not met, the other items the marketer creates have little or no meaning to the customer.

Accepted Answer

It is important for the essential benefit of the product to be met because this is what the customer is ultimately buying. If this benefit is not met, the customer will not be satisfied with the product, regardless of any additional features or benefits that the marketer creates. Therefore, the essential benefit is crucial for customer satisfaction and should be the main focus of the marketer.

Question 19

Cell phone manufacturers have put reliability features into phones that allow a technician access to its functionality and actually do minor software upgrades or repairs during a phone call.

Accepted Answer

Cell phone manufacturers typically do not allow technicians to perform software upgrades or repairs during a phone call due to security and technical limitations.

Question 20

Sometimes a product moves through its product life cycle in a matter of months and is replaced with the next product design.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true for products that fall under the category of fads or trends, which have a very short life cycle. However, most products go through the stages of introduction, growth, maturity, and decline over a period of several years before being replaced by a new product design.

Quiz 10: The Product Experience: Product Strategy