Sports Marketing and Merchandising - Essay Example

25 March 2007 Wexham Park Golf In its quest of providing an extraordinary experience to its customers, Wexham Park Golf Course (WPCG) commits and stands by its vision to "offer the complete golf experience." Recognizing the diversity of its market, WPCG currently offers three different courses for different customers: the BLUE 18 hole course; the challenging RED 9 hole course; and the green 9 hole course which is designed for inexperienced and novice golfers. Complementing these basic service offering are amenities which includes covered driving range, short game practice area, kitchen for catering needs, and ample free parking.

WPCG also boasts of its Europro teaching centre where professionals are all trained by Denis Pugh. With its acknowledgment of the differences between male and female market, WPCG also designs special services and sources for female. Amidst its popularity and prominence in the UK market, WPCG has its own set of marketing challenges and weaknesses. It is however, expected that the use of STP (segmentation, targeting, and positioning) technique will enable it to understand its customers, create a more efficient marketing strategy, and further boost its performance in the industry.

STP is considered as the essence of strategic marketing. This tool enables a business organization to identify the value that it wants to provide, deliver the value, and communicate the value. Segmentation refers to the process of dividing the market based on certain variables like geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral factors. The rationale of market segmentation is the identification of a specific market which a business organization can best serve. This way, it is better positioned to create a product or service which more suitable and appropriate for a specific market as well as complement it with other components of marketing mix such as price, promotion activities, and distribution channels.

Positioning is the "act of designing the company's offering and image to occupy the mind a distinctive place in the mind of the target market (Kotler 2002, pp.308)." Positioning is the product of the different techniques employed by marketers which gives it a unique image. The end product of positioning is the unique value proposition which is delivered by the company. The employment of STP will be very beneficial for WPCG. Drawing from the cases and bulk of literature highlighting the different success stories of organizations who have succeeded in their markets through an comprehensive segmentation, targeting, and positioning, this report will look at how STP can be specifically applied to WPCG.

In the end, STP is expected to identify the markets most appropriate for the company in order for it to develop the appropriate marketing strategy. Overall, the employment of STP will enable WPCG to reach its goals like profitability and leadership. ReferenceKotler, P 2002, Marketing Management, Upper Saddle River: New Jersey