Business to Business Markets for DSO
The DSO Company (Detroit Symphony Orchestra) is a company located in Detroit in the United States. It conducts most of its activities in the Orchestra hall in Detroit. The organization includes a large group of musicians who play together on various instruments. These people conduct their concerts in the surroundings of Detroit, who are both paid and free. DSO performed their first concert in December in the year 1887. Between 2010 and 2011, the company suffered labor crisis, which led to its musicians striking. After striking for about six months, the management and the musicians were able to agree on April 2011 and resumed duty with free concerts during the weekend of 9th April(Detroit Symphony Orchestra, 1975). Having lost a number of its skilled and quality service offers, musicians and subscribers, the organization decided to reorganize itself as OneDSO. Later, the company was able to attract more subscribers and customers, especially through the use of the Neighborhood Series program. As a result of good management, the management was able to sign an extension of contract with all the musicians as well as the board in 2014. Today, the DSO has managed to open more webcast series and mobile applications which have helped it in reaching more clients.
- Buyer decision making processes and models
Whenever an individual or a group is thinking of a business idea and how to implement it, the biggest question that always arises is to who the products will be sold. This represents the market being targeted by the organization. To arrive to the answer of this question, there two routes that can be followed: business to consumer or business to business. In the first case, an organization decides to sell its products and services to individual consumers while in the second case the organization sells the products to other businesses who use them to produce other products or distribute these products to the consumers. As per the nature of the products and services that are offered by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the institution is capable of applying both business to business as well as the business to consumer targets(Urbaniak, 2015). This is because, the organization performs concepts for educative or entertainment purposes which is either done directly to consumers or via other businesses.
- Perception and the attention gate
The business to business target market is greatly applied by Detroit Symphony Orchestra. As indicated in their website, the institution has so many business partners which it co-operates with to ensure that their services reach the public. Quite a large group of the public might not necessarily have many resources to go for the live concerts performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in the Orchestra Hall and other halls. To ensure that such individuals also stay in touch with what the organization is doing, the institution ensures that it have some partners who work closely with them towards realizing this goal(Harris and Ganson, n.d.). Such partners are those that sell the digital video discs and compact discs containing the performances to the public at a lower price than paying or buying tickets for live concerts. Other partners are the media houses and online platforms that air the concerts as they are being performed from whatever place(Wen & Wang, 2014).
Partnerships with Business for DSO
Ultimately, the people in the public are therefore able to get the performances without spending much on tickets. In return, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is able to reach more people through this method thus making more profits. It is important also to remember the role played by the writers and editors of different magazines and newspapers in the region. These remain key partners to the institution since they ensure that people get information of past as well as upcoming concerts and performances. Radios and designing companies play significant roles in ensuring that the public receive the news on when and where the DSO musicians will be performing next. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra also uses most of these partners to perform. For instance, the DSO uses some of the media houses to educate and entertain the public through their performances. They also use the radio channels as well as the internet in performing whereby they can act while recording in a private place and later release the concert to the public via the internet.
Apart from having partners who directly work in the favor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the institution also have some other partners who actually work with them to help them realize their goals and objectives. These organizations use the Detroit Symphony Orchestra group to perform in different occasions organized by those particular organizations. By so doing, the organizations are able to market their products and services to more people in the public thus working as a method of advertisement. For such a campaign the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is paid after performing its concerts(Wieteska, 2016). However, Detroit Symphony Orchestra is also involved in other campaigns which may or may not be paid. Most of such campaigns are the ones that are used for educative purposes or creating awareness for a particular disaster, disease or mission for instance environmental conservation. The group of companies that work in partnership with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under this category range from very wealthy one to others of little wealth. Examples of these companies include but are not limited to; Honda, Target, Ford Motor Company, Volunteer Council of Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund and the Matching Gift Program.
Considering the organizations that Detroit Symphony Orchestra is partnering with, it can be concluded that the institution always asks itself the above questions before they settle on who to or not work with. The organization is working with many other organizations whose wealth value is high which makes it easy for it to get more clients and in return obtain more profits. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra therefore ensures that any organization that it chooses to work with has support from other organizations as well as potential customers(Wieteska, 2016). In addition, the institution prefers working with organizations that can be able to host them in their halls and offer other services thus reducing their expenses.
Business to Consumer Markets for DSO
Business to business market target seems to have worked well for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. This is evident as the institution has won a number of rewards and also achieved most of its goals and objectives(Wieteska, 2016). As a result of using this market target method, the institution has been able to establish a long sales cycle whereby the customers are motivated by utility as a result of the goods and services provided.
Figure . Miller and Washington, 2016
By the use of the above diagram, it can be seen how the Detroit Symphony Orchestra has been able to identify the roles of business to business marketing target which has therefore led to the good results. For instance the organization has been able to identify and focus on many small markets thus reaching many people. It has also helped the organization in creating and satisfying demand as well as creating some sense of rationality. Another important aspect of this type of market target is that it has led to long term relationships between Detroit Symphony Orchestra and its partners and also with its clients.
Despite having many advantages, Detroit Symphony Orchestra have experienced a number of challenges while using the business to business market target. First, the business to business market have many and complex decision making units which has made it difficult for the institution to make quick decisions on how to get more clients and profits. Second, the business to business market provides low rate of innovation and expansion. This has in a way slowed the speed of development of the organization. Another challenge is that since this type of market requires consumers to buy a product or services many times, then if one does not have resources or if they have other burning issues, they may decide to forego performance or concerts of Detroit Symphony Orchestra and rather go for their necessities first.
Understanding the consumer behavior is a great concept and strategy towards having more sales and increasing profits. The behavior of the consumer is usually determined by his or her personality, self-concept and emotion. It is important for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to understand how their consumers feel as human beings, what or who they would like to be, their hidden personality and how they would like to be seen while exposed to the whole world. It has been observed that Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians have acted on improving people’s personalities such as determination, courage, loyalty, adventurous, impartial, helpful and optimistic(Urbaniak, 2015). People within the region and all over the world would like to associate themselves with the company so that they can be able to improve their personalities and develop them towards creating a bright future. Other individuals would like to associate themselves with the company so that they can be able to shed off extra burdens of emotions such as stress, sadness and anger as they will get entertained.
Consumer Behaviour towards DSO
Groups and the society in general have brought major impacts on Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The improvement in technology for instance has been one of the great factors that have come up from different groups and the society. It has been noticed that the DSO Company has been able to implement different software, programs, applications and websites which are all a fruit of the technology. The society and groups of people also have full control of the money and other resources which they hold and therefore can decide whether to go for DSO’s concerts or not(Wieteska, 2016). Changes in generations may affect the consumption of a service or product too. For instance today’s people may not like some of the songs or ways of education that Detroit Symphony Orchestra used in the past and thus forcing them to change and adapt to the means used today.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra has applied the use of marketing mix in ensuring that it reaches more customers. It has been noticed that the organization has been offering or rather performing at extremely no cost which has worked as a great way of promoting their skills and services(THE MARKETING MIX: A REVIEW, 2014). The organization has also been able to narrow down to end up with specific products and services which has made it easy in marketing.
Despite having considered and applied the marketing mix, the organization has not fully applied the place aspect. It would be important for the organization to come up with better strategies so that it can be able to go out of the hall and reach more people from their areas of residence. The organization should also consider having a small allocation of tickets of low cost at their concerts so that people from low backgrounds can attend comfortably. Lastly, the institution should ensure that the physical environments on which they conduct their concerts are appealing and attractive.
- Perception and the attention gat
Business to consumer is the other commonly used method of market in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. This type of market is applicable whereby the organization is directly involved in offering its services to its consumers through live performance. This is a very effective method of reaching or communication to the consumers. The musicians and actors are able to directly entertain or educate their clients. Detroit Symphony Orchestra have greatly used this method in both marketing its skills as well as gain profits. As indicated in their website, the organization performs directly to the public in the Orchestra Hall as well as in other halls within the town. Apart from, the organization has also set a number of measures to ensure that it is able to reach its clients directly. Such methods include the use of its websites and blogs to communicate, entertain, and teach the public directly. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra ensures that individuals can easily learn on the calendar of events of the organization and also learn on where to different products. In addition, the organization is able to reach its clients through the distribution of its products such as compact disks as well as digital video disks. To enhance this, the institution owns a number of stores and shops in different regions which offer the products and other services. If a client has any problems or question they are free to enquire from these stores and shops. In most cases, the success of the business consumer marketing is usually determined by the emotions or status of the consumers. Its success is also mostly as a result of its short term sales services or cycles. Considering the improvement in technology, once the organization has shared their information and news on different things via its social media pages and website, individuals from the public can easily forward and share such information with others thus acting as a way of marketing.
- Customer attitude
Impact of Groups and Society on DSO
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra have greatly benefited from the business to consumer marketing especially because it offers more of services than products. These benefits are usually as a result of the advantages of the business to consumer marketing. First is that this type of marketing helps individual consumers and buyers to purchase different products and services within a very short time. Secondly, the business consumer marketing assists an organization to trim its focus towards small target segments of individual consumers(Miller and Washington 2016). The other advantage is that the organization has been able to reduce financial risks while using the business to consumer marketing as compared to the business to business marketing. This type of marketing has also greatly helped the organization to reach many or a large market without much strain since it is possible to directly interact with the consumers.
Apparently, using this kind of marketing, it is easy for an organization to use its symbol or slogan to constantly remind the potential consumers of the existence of the organization since they will not get confused seeing you work for other organizations. It is also easy for the organization to create interest and demand in the instant or moment of performance. The organization is also able to get many points through which they can be able to get more consumers while using the business to consumer marketing method. These advantages and benefits of the business to consumer marketing have been replicated to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
- Customer knowledge and learning
Considering the current success that has been experienced by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, it can be traced back that the organization had followed the right procedures towards implementing and applying the business consumer marketing strategy. The following is the criteria that might have used by the organization to accomplish this. First, the organization must have measured the size of the market it was targeting. Measuring the size of the market always helps an organization to plan well especially while preparing its budget. In the case of Detroit Symphony Orchestra, understanding the size of the market would have helped it in organizing on the size of hall to find for its clients(Kearns and Hair 5-27). The second step of the criteria that was used by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra understood the accessibility of the market. By understanding the accessibility of the market, it was easy for the organization to easily get more customers. The organization must also have tried the accessibility channels towards the market they had by then to see if it would have worked well in getting a large market or not. Initially, the organization started by using the Orchestra Hall for its performances but later upgraded to using webcast series and mobile applications which helped it in attracting more clients. As time passed by, and as technology improved, the organization was able to create and use a website as well as use blogs and other sites. The third aspect of the criteria was considering whether the market being targeted was substantial or not. To Detroit Symphony Orchestra, this meant whether the available market would be large and wealthy enough to bring forth the expected profits. This helped the organization to make the right decision in terms of the areas to invest, put up their stores and conduct their concerts.
Marketing Mix Used by DSO
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra was also good at keeping some difference in their services to avoid unnecessary competition. For instance the organization was able to choose an ancient hall which brought a meaning in what it offered. Apart from this, the organization ensured that it heard highly skilled and experienced musicians to compete effectively. Lastly, the organization had to ask itself whether it had the capability or power of running and competing smoothly. This point was important to consider especially in budgeting, machinery and equipment as well as employment.
- Personality, self-concept & emotion
Despite its tremendous benefits to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the business to consumer marketing strategy also has some disadvantages which have slightly been evident in the organization. The first issue that comes out here is security for individual consumers and their resources(Tang and Xu, 2013). Some of the clients have been having problems with paying for tickets online. Most of these people fear that their private information might end up leaking to criminals and therefore prefer paying by cash. To solve such issue, the organization should ensure that it has very secure applications and other channels of payment(Kearns and Hair 5-27). The second common disadvantage is that there is a large population of consumers who choose different products and services. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra had to understand this and then get into the pool of consumers to get the ones who would like its services. This was not an easy task and required energy, commitment as well as some resources. Actually, this might be the reason as to why the organization decided to do free concerts at times. However, this might not still be the problem today for Detroit Symphony Orchestra unless it needs to move to a new environment. Therefore, the organization just needs to continue marketing its services and with time it will be able to get more customers and subscribers who love their music and concerts.
The process of making a decision by a buyer involves a number of considerations. First, the buyer always applies his or her list of preferences. In this case, a buyer should be able to decide which product to take first and which to follow. The model of the opportunity cost for instance allows consumers to understand the importance of different products from their basic needs to other luxuries(Miller and Washington 2016). The personality, emotions and self-concept of consumers also affect the buyer’s decision making process. Understanding these and other factors would help the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in deciding the right strategy of reaching their customer and having them to use their services.
Understanding the social factors and influences is necessary for any organization which wants to provide quality services. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra for instance should ensure that it is able to understand the social factors and influences such as the age of their target customers, gender, illiteracy rate, taboos, general consumer preferences and the level of technology. There are other group and social influences which should be considered by the company. These influences include the customers’ lifestyles, social classes, attitudes towards saving and investment, life expectancy rates, attitudes towards career, work, retirement and leisure, average disposable income level and the population growth rate.
- Customer motivation
In the business consumer market strategy of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, it can be seen that the marketing mix have been successfully implemented. For instance in the case of promotion, the organization has been observed to plan for free concerts in different places. Through different concerts that have been organized by the institution, it has been possible and successful for the organization to market and make its product be identified. The organization has also tried in dealing with the price of its services and products by providing affordable prices(THE MARKETING MIX: A REVIEW, 2014). Lastly, the places in which the organization has been meeting or which they have set for meeting its clients and consumers are good and strategic which have given the organization a great advantage. However, the organization should ensure that the Detroit Symphony Orchestra should ensure that it reconsiders its prices as well as the places in which it organizes for performances. This will ensure that the clients are more comfortable and pleased and hence help the organization to compete effectively. In addition, the organization should ensure that it maintain great, skilled and experienced musicians only to help beat its competitors.
In conclusion, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra has proven to have used both business to business marketing as well as business to consumer marketing strategies successfully. Despite having a number of problems in each of the strategy, the organization has managed to fight the setbacks and stood strong towards realizing its goals and objectives. The organization has also successfully applied the marketing mix in providing its services and products and this helped it in achieving its mission.
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