8. Office Distributing Co. sells frequently purchased office supplies to businesses in a metropolitan area. It is a well established company with a large share of the market. Its promotion should probably focus on
a)
informing.
This is more appropriate when customers don't know about the product, i.e.
for new products or when targeting a new market segment. This isn't the
case here.
b)
innovators.
Maybe, but the information given does not lead us to believe that it should
focus on innovators. Focussing on innovators would be appropriate in the
case of a new product. So it is not the correct answer.
c)
making the demand curve less elastic.
Could
be, but since the company already has a large market share, one can assume
that the demand curve is already fairly inelastic for this product, so
there is no real need to focus on that.
d)
reminding.
From
a strategic point of view, a company in such a situation should make sure
that its customer base will not be eroded due to competitive actions. Therefore,
it must essentially focus on a defensive strategy, and make sure that the
"top-of-mind" awareness of the product remains high.
e)
stimulating primary demand.
This
is only appropriate when a new product is introduced, which is not the
case here.