For the written assignment, the students need to answer question #6. The objective of this assignment is to thoughtfully connect a real-life issue and marketing theory. Students will write a business memo addressed to Madoka Kitamura in order to help his company TOTO successfully market its sanitary wares in India. Format: a digital copy (professional business memo template).
Times New Roman 12, Double Spaced
Discussion Questions:
1. Based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, where would you place the need for a toilet?
2. Based on the case, compare consumer behavior concerning toilet habits in India and Japan. Identify similarities and differences.
3. How could you use the example of toilet habits to discuss the difference between needs, wants, and demands in the theory of consumer behavior?
4. What is the core target market for TOTO’s sanitary wares? How does the company market its toilets to them?
5. How would you define the core target for TOTO in India, based on the information in this case? Do you think that TOTO’s management can use the same marketing approach in India as it uses in Japan? Why or why not?
6. What plan of action would you recommend that TOTO Ltd pursue to market its toilets in India? Define the company’s marketing objective(s) and suggest at least four tactical steps.
7. What else do you need to know to craft a winning marketing plan for TOTO’s successful strategy in India?
8. Explain to Madoka Kitamura how he could apply the concept of consumer adoption of new products to get his sanitary wares to be adopted by a proposed target market in India.
