Mass Marketing: Present and Future

Mass market is approach to advertising that attempts to reach every consumer, rather than targeting a particular market segment. A mass-market strategy is effective for products that appeal to a broad cross-section of consumers, like aspirin or orange juice. It is not appropriate for products with limited appeal, such as a gold club or sewing pattern. Mass marketing is a marketing approach in which the marketer addresses all segments of the market as though they are the same. The approach results in a single marketing plan with the same mix of product, price, promotion, and place strategies for the entire market. The appeal of mass marketing is in the potential for higher total profits.
In spite of the shift to market segmentation, mass marketing continues to be used in many situations and has potential for others. Products with broad appeal and few distinguishing characteristics—such as household cleaners, potato chips, and pain relievers—lend themselves to mass marketing just as they always have. At the same time, businesses that use mass marketing for their goods and services continue to look for ways to enlarge their markets by designing different appeals for non customers. Chewing gum, for example, is presented as an alternative to smoking. Utilities and credit cards offer special rates to entice potential high-volume customers. And discount retailers, such as Wal-Mart, match their mix of mass-marketed products to local customer bases. Some form of the approach will likely market any current or future product that has mass-marketable attributes. In addition, the Internet provides a new medium for mass-marketing initiatives, and newly opened international markets offer a possible arena for mass-marketing opportunities.