ABSTRACT
Product management consists of numerous tasks: overseeing market segmentation; making decisions on brands and package designs, product positioning, product form, and product differentiation; studying the product life cycle; and developing new products. The principal tool of the product manager is the marketing plan, which transcends product considerations because it extends beyond the product, into the entire set of strategic marketing variables. A society may be identified by the type of social character (purchasers) with which it enforces conformity to social norms. Three principal types have been identified: A tradition-directed society ensures conformity by instilling a strong tendency to following tradition; An inner-directed society ensures conformity by following an internalized set of goals; and an other-directed society ensures conformity through sensitivity to the expectations and preferences of others. The annals of social marketing are replete with sagas about programs that succeeded and some that failed. Two examples that are particularly interesting represent the best and the worst cases in social marketing.
