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Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2375433
Think Small to Grow Your Business:
Creating Micro-niches Using Resonance Marketing
Hershey H. Friedman, Ph.D.
Professor of Business
Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
E-mail: x.friedman@att.net
Linda Weiser Friedman, Ph.D.
Professor of Computer Information Systems and Statistics
Baruch College of the City University of New York
E-mail: Linda_Friedman@baruch.cuny.edu
ABSTRACT
The Internet has made it relatively easy to start a new business. It is now possible to go after
target markets that are extremely small. Resonance marketing can enable a small business to find
new market niches and charge premium prices. The advantages of using resonance marketing to
target micro-niches are discussed. The organizations that will thrive in the extremely competitive
Global Internet Age are the ones that know how to be resilient and can adapt. This often requires
using resonance marketing and going after several micro-niches rather than staking everything on
one large market segment.
Keywords: micro-niche, resonance marketing, target markets, mashups, multicultural marketing,
small business.
Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2375433
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Introduction
The Internet has dramatically changed the way business is conducted. Companies today compete
with firms throughout the world. With hundreds of firms offering the same product, it can be
very difficult to differentiate one’s brand. There is so much online advertising today that it is
becoming quite costly to attract attention for any one product. And, where there are many brands
competing for market share, it is inevitable that the product category will eventually be seen as a
commodity; when that happens, consumers will simply purchase the brand that is least
expensive. A firm that develops a micro-niche thus can have access to the principal source for a
relatively small base of highly-satisfied customers as opposed to competing on the basis of price
with companies all over the Internet. Needless to say, it is quite difficult to compete on the basis
of price with companies based in countries where salaries are a fraction of what they are in the
Western world.
Michael Porter’s “Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy” model is arguably the best-
known framework for developing a strategy (Porter, 2008). The five forces that drive
competition are:
Rivalry among existing competitors
Threat of new entrants
Bargaining power of buyers
Bargaining power of suppliers
Threat of substitute products or services
For example, in the film industry, one significant force is the huge number of substitute products,
i.e., the various forms of entertainment available today. Another concern is the bargaining power
Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2375433
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of the distributors who control the supply of popular films. Under the classical paradigm,
companies should identify the need they are trying to satisfy, which will allow them to identify
their competitors, and then develop a strategy which will allow them to compete successfully.
Kim and Mauborgne (2005) describe a business strategy they refer to as “Blue Ocean Strategy.”
According to this theory, organizations should focus on creating new demand in “blue oceans” -
uncontested, open market categories where they have no competition. Firms should do their best
to avoid contested, crowded markets, where they might be bloodied in the so-called “red oceans.”
The “red ocean” is a market where the competition has already established boundaries and the
rules of the game are established. The way to succeed might involve finding a niche in the
market, but firms battle strongly for market share making it increasingly difficult to make a
profit. Kim and Mauborgne affirm that much of the research done in the area of strategy focuses
on how to compete in the red ocean, i.e., coming up with clever ways of stealing market share
from the competition.
Recent years, however, have seen a surprising convergence in technologies which will force
organizations to examine the feasibility of the classical marketing approaches. The
unpredictability and convergence of technology in the Internet age means that, in some sense,
there is no such thing as a truly blue ocean. What is happening today is that organizations must
be aware that threats to their viability can now come from anywhere and what seemed like a blue
ocean is now quite red. Who ever dreamed that phones would be used as computers? Did you
ever think that students would be using their phones for education as well as downloading
movies? Who dreamed that Netflix, a distributor, would be making original television shows
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and original movies? Companies that want to survive must focus on adaptability and resilience
in order to compete, if possible, in different industries. Selingo (2013) notes that Blockbuster at
its peak in 2004 had 9,000 video rental stores; today, they have 300. Video on demand (VOD)
has changed the way people see films and the idea of going to a store to rent a film is virtually
outdated. We are going to see much more of this now that we have globalization and the Internet.
Business models will have to be changed quite often if an organization wants to survive. Firms
must always be searching for new, bluer waters into which they can expand– unexpected areas
where their abilities may find use.
In the global Internet age, management has to be adaptable and resilient and not tied to the old
ways of conducting business. The Management Innovation Exchange (2012) sponsored a
“hackathon” in which hundreds of management innovators attempted to find major management
problems that prevented companies from thriving in today’s chaotic environment. They found
that some of the major problems included
an unwillingness to adapt to the rapidly changing world, preference for doing
things the old way, and a lack of experimentation;
insufficient resources devoted to develop a culture of creativity
too much bureaucracy, and ineffective leadership which has a lack of vision and
does not encourage creativity.
A good example of an organization that has been forced to reexamine its strategy is the military.
Currently, the United States spends more on the military ($668.8 billion) than the next ten
countries; we spend four times more than China ($157.6 billion), the next biggest spender
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(http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/06/29/countries-spending-military/). The way wars are
being fought today is forcing the military to reexamine its entire strategy. Tank warfare, aircraft
carriers, and huge armies are probably obsolete. Wars today are being fought with drones piloted
by soldiers on another continent. In a few years, wars will be fought with robots. A country can
be destroyed today by cyber-attacking its power grid, water and oil pipelines, air traffic control
systems, and financial institutions; indeed, there have been 198 cyber-attacks against vital
infrastructure in the United States (Perlroth, Sanger, and Schmidt, 2013). Imagine an army
consisting of 100 “soldiers” whose only skill is the ability to hack into any computer in the
world. The damage they can cause to developed nations cannot be imagined. Business warfare
is also changing. The General Motors/Coca Cola approach to marketing, i.e., going after the big
market segments, may no longer work. The army has it right when it says that the leader of today
has to have the following characteristics: agility, adaptability, alertness, innovativeness, ability to
anticipate and react to changing situations, resilience, and flexibility of mind (Field Manual,
2006).
Resonance marketing is a strategy for firms that have interest in competing in today’s highly
competitive marketplace by going after micro-niches. Resonance marketing, a term coined by
Clemons and Spitler (2004), is about making products that are absolutely perfect for a small
number of consumers. The goal is not to create products that many consumers like but, rather, to
use hyper-differentiation to make products that a smaller number of consumers love (Clemons,
Gao, and Hitt, 2006; Friedman, Lopez-Pumarejo, and Friedman, 2006; Clemons and Spitler,
2004; Clemons et al., 2003). Resonance marketing is about giving customers exactly what they
want rather than making products that are merely good or satisfactory. Consumers are willing to
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pay a premium for products that are exactly what they want rather than settle for a product that is
adequate. When a consumer buys a product that is just right, it will resonate. Consumers will
rate it as superior or outstanding, not just good. To create such products, you need to hyper-
differentiate. This requires the targeting of hyper-differentiated products to very small niches in
the marketplace, i.e, micro-niches. A key advantage of resonance marketing is that it provides a
firm with the agility and adaptability needed today.
Hyper-differentiated products are precisely on target as opposed to being merely satisfactory or
acceptable. Creating such products requires targeting micro-niches. In the past, it was difficult
or impossible to get distribution for products targeted to micro-niches. Brick-and-mortar retailers
have only a limited amount of shelf space. Products with market shares of say 0.1% are probably
not going to get any shelf space at all. The goal, therefore, has been to create products that
appeal to a mass market and thereby ensure an adequate amount of shelf space. A large market
share was also necessary to generate enough revenues to pay for the advertising, since products
appealing to a large target market require a great deal of advertising. These advertisements use
expensive media such as network television and major national magazines. A product that is
targeted to a very wide audience will be a product that is liked by many and loved by none. In
other words, it does not resonate, to use Clemons and Spitler’s (2004) term.
The Internet has changed the rules of the game. Today, it is quite possible to make a profitable
product with a 0.1% market share. This is possible today because consumers can use the Internet
to acquire a great deal of information about available brands in any particular product category.
Word of mouth on the Internet (sometimes referred to as word of mouse) can generate a great
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deal of enthusiasm. There will be enough websites touting the product if it is loved by enough
people. Moreover, shelf space is not a problem if distribution is via electronic commerce. All
that is needed is a good website to sell the product. Additionally, if production is outsourced, the
entire business could, in theory, be run from a small office. The key to success in a wired world
is not shelf space but buzz marketing. The goal is to create a huge amount of word of mouse for
the product. Allow the product to sell itself. Hyper-differentiated products are so unique and
special that they have virtually no competition. Indeed, a large number of people may even hate
the product. This should not bother the manufacturer. The price one pays for having a hyper-
differentiated on target product that appeals to a micro-niche is that many consumers will hate it.
This is why resonance marketing requires a different kind of marketing research.
Marketers are already familiar with niche marketing, a market segmentation strategy that focuses
on satisfying a narrowly defined group of consumers. Most often, marketers do this by dividing
one market segment into several. This is different from resonance marketing. Resonance
marketing implies niche marketing; but, niche marketing does not imply resonance marketing.
Niche marketing is usually defined as a marketing strategy whereby a firm devotes all of its
efforts towards a small market segment (i.e., niche), rather than a large one. In some cases the
small segment has been completely ignored by the large firms interested in only very profitable
target markets. Resonance marketing is a tool that can be used by all firms, large and small.
Indeed, large and small firms in many industries may need a tool such as resonance marketing in
order to thrive in the global economy.
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The purpose of this paper is to show how resonance marketing can be used by small businesses
(and large) to go after and create micro-niches for hyper-differentiated products.
Industries in Turmoil
Entire industries have already been shaken up in a major way by the Internet. Examples range
from education to retailing. Hyper-differentiation is creating new web-based market segments.
In addition, digital media, such as books, movies, music, and video, are currently undergoing a
sea change. We live in an “age of chaos” and organizations have to be extremely flexible if they
want to survive.
Education: There is a great deal of turmoil in education. Moody’s 2014 outlook on higher
education — especially public institutions — has been quite negative. The problem is that there
has been a “permanent change in the landscape about how higher education will be financed
from all its stakeholders.” Net tuition revenues (the amount of money colleges have left after
deducting what is given away for financial aid) are declining at many institutions as costs have
been rising. Sadly, most universities have not made the necessary adjustments (Carlson, 2013).
Problems that have been pointed out include the fact that the business model of most institutions
of higher learning is obsolete. The “buffet model” which allows students to choose from among
many majors is simply too expensive (Carlson, 2013). Colleges are acting like Blockbuster did
and refusing to make the necessary adjustments (Selingo, 2013). Many educators also cling
desperately to the idea that the way students learn is through traditional classroom lectures. This,
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despite the fact that the Internet which provides free education through MOOCs has changed the
rules of the game. Selingo states:
That means moving away from a one-size-fits-all system, in which
students largely follow the same calendar and curriculum on their
way to collecting 120 credits for a bachelor’s degree. The colleges
that succeed in proving their value will be those that understand the
diversity of their students’ needs, just like most companies segment
this customer base, and offer a variety of paths to a degree, whether
it’s a three-year plan, a low-residency option, a combination of
hybrid and online courses, or more co-operative education
programs, in which students are placed temporarily with companies
in their fields.
The problems in education are not only in higher education. There are all kinds of problems with
K-12 education. Many of the innovative solutions involve flipped classrooms, using online
courses, and changing the calendar (Friedman, Sosa, and Friedman, 2013). Parents realize that
their children might learn more via home schooling using Internet resources than by attending
public schools (Friedman, Hampton-Sosa, and Friedman, 2013). Employers are also fed up with
the current system of higher education that focuses on majors rather than skills. Employers want
to hire people with certain skills; a college degree does not necessarily guarantee that a person
possesses these skills. Friedman, Friedman, and Hampton-Sosa (2013) describe the skills that
employers want. It is not about how the knowledge is delivered (in traditional classroom
lectures, online, hybrid classes, flipped classes, etc.) but the skills students have learned.
Micro-niche Publishing: Borders was the second largest bookstore when it went bankrupt.
Borders did not know how to adapt to the sea changes engulfing the bookstore industry. Amazon
introduced its Kindle in 2007 and Barnes and Noble followed shortly thereafter with its Nook;
Borders, on the other hand, did not believe that e-books would take off. They made a losing bet
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on selling CDs and DVDs in their stores not realizing that iTunes would change the rules of how
music would be sold. Borders was late in using the Internet to sell books and late with e-books;
they did not understand that the old business model for bookstores was obsolete (Sanburn, 2011).
The rules in the publishing industry changed (Friedman, Lopez-Pumarejo, and Friedman, 2006).
In the past, books were sold mainly in bookstores. Shelf space was a big consideration and the
books that got published were mainly by established authors such as Dean Koontz, Lee Child, J.
K. Rowling, Stephen King, or Robert Ludlum. Of course, publishers would sometimes take
chances on new names, but the bulk of the business, however, came from books that were
targeted to a very large audience. Today, publishers such as iUniverse use print-on-demand
technology so that there are no inventories; books are published when the orders arrive. Books
do not have to go out-of-print. Families can even write books about themselves. Vanity presses
are all but obsolete (Friedman, Lopez-Pumarejo, and Friedman, 2006). Smashwords
(https://www.smashwords.com/) is one example of an e-book distributor that enables anyone to
publish and distribute an e-book for free. Smashwords has more than 250,000 titles from more
than 70,000 authors. Many of the books on their website are free. People who do not want to
purchase books can find plenty of free material to choose from this website.
A key advantage of indie publishing, according to Richard Sarnoff of Random House Ventures,
is the ability to market books to “micro-niches that are so small that publishers would not be
interested in publishing them in the traditional way” (Glazer, 2005). Friedman, Lopez-Pumarejo,
and Friedman (2006) note that Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding: Achieving Permanent
Weight Loss with Minimally Invasive Surgery by Jessie Ahroni has been on the iUniverse best
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selling list for some time. This book is definitely targeted to a micro-niche, individuals
interested in losing weight with an adjustable gastric band. Some self-published books, e.g., The
Rhythm of Life: Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose by Matthew Kelly, did so well –
100,000 copies sold – that they were reissued by traditional publishers. The future of self-
publishing may very well be one in which almost every family will want a coffee table book that
includes their favorite poems, photos, recipes and the family philosophy of life. The Internet has
changed the book industry in other ways. One can now purchase an e-book in digital form. The
book can be downloaded and read on a computer, smart phone, tablet, or e-book reader.
Distribution of Digital Media: Think of the largest bookstore in the world. How many books
does it have in stock? Very large bookstores may have as many as 200,000 titles. Online
bookstores, such as Amazon, provide access to millions of books including used books and e-
books; music download stores provide access to more than 1.5 million songs. Consumers today
want access to an unlimited selection so they can precisely choose the product they want, not
simply one that is adequate or good enough (Friedman, Lopez-Pumarejo, and Friedman, 2006).
Film Industry: The film industry is also being dramatically changed by the Internet. Today,
many people use streaming technology to see films. Films can be downloaded to computers or
iPhones. On the production side, it is now as easy to make a film as it is to publish a book. All
one needs is a digital video camera, a computer, and some good editing software. What does the
movie projection room of today look like? It no longer consists of a room filled with “film
canisters and stray bits of celluloid and a dissolute, chain-smoking movie buff monitoring a
clacking projector” (Leopold, 2013). Those days ended long ago: “88% of ‘films’ are 200-
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gigabyte hard drives, and ‘projectors’ are those big electronic machines in the corridor, capable
of working at multiple frame rates, transmitting closed-captioned subtitles and being monitored
remotely” (Leopold, 2013). One important advantage of digital is that you no longer have
damaged film. The prints do not get scratched which used to cause the quality of the film to
deteriorate significantly after a few months. Movie theaters still keep the 35-millimeter film
projector in reserve in case they want to air a classic or indie film but those kind of projectors are
rarely used today. The theater that wants to survive has to convert its equipment to handle a
digital format.
The problem is not in making the film, it is in getting distribution. Films released by the major
studios account for about 90% of the box office receipts (Leipzig, 2013). Currently, even if an
independent film maker gets distribution, it is doubtful that she will make any money since very
few independently-distributed films make a profit. The traditional model of film distribution —
which used to take about 6 months but has been shrinking — begins with theaters, moves on to
pay-per-view, then to home video, then to pay cable networks, and finally to free network
television. This traditional model is being challenged by film makers who are simultaneously
releasing films to theaters and video on demand (VOD). A major advantage of a simultaneous
release is that a great deal of money is saved on advertising. Moreover, the amount of money
made from home video is considerably more than that made in theaters. Ours is an aging
population and a large portion prefers seeing films at home (Senior Journal, 2006). Young
people also prefer streaming films to their computers or iPhones. Films made by independent
film producers are finding it difficult to compete with the big-budget films. They are therefore
turning to video on demand, which is growing exponentially. An indie film, Bachelorette,
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starring Kirsten Dunst, made $418,000 in theaters but $5.5 million in VOD rentals. Kaufman and
Fritz (2012) state:
But in a market with theatrical advertising costs rising, DVD sales
plummeting and the local multiplex dominated by films about
superheroes and cartoon animals, independent movie producers are
desperate for alternatives. With VOD, the returns may be smaller
than for a box office smash, but the odds of turning a profit are
higher.
The future of films is probably the same as for books: more films made inexpensively, targeted
to micro-niches, and sold over the Internet. The smaller, innovative films have difficulty getting
distribution in theaters. With VOD, however, even very esoteric films can find their audience.
All they need is some Internet buzz and anyone in the world can view the film.
Shanahan (2013) says:
Now, I'll make the bold prediction. At some point, the right film is
going to come around on VOD that blows up with popularity,
becoming the must-see cult hit on the scale of something
like Silver Linings Playbook. The right movie from VOD will
become an Oscar contender and the VOD route will be the head-
turner for other movies and studios to expand on that distribution
route. They won't make the same $60 mistake that Tower Heist did
two years ago. Some studio is going to get tired of losing their cut
of profits to movie theater chains, offer their own VOD service,
and get brave enough to put a big movie on VOD for under $20 at
the same time that the rest of us are heading to the multiplexes. It's
going to happen and then VOD won't just be for little movies.
Movies now are already being streamed digitally to movie theaters
for the big screen. Film canisters, physical prints, and projectors
have been going digital for years. Why not just send it to someone's
small screen at home too? Someday, for a price, you might just be
able to see The Avengers 3 or something at home via VOD on the
same day and date as the theatrical premiere down the street.
Again, it's going to happen.
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The above examples from education, book publishing, and the film industry demonstrate why
complacency is deadly for any organization in the age of chaos. Organizations have to be on the
alert for any environmental threat to their way of doing business. As noted above, the threat can
come from unexpected sources. Companies should not be afraid to enter into new niches in the
marketplace if their current competitive advantages allow them to satisfy such markets. The best
way for a firm to succeed is to be nimble, adaptable, creative, and be willing to experiment.
Targeting several micro-niches encourages a firm to be creative and adaptable.
Mashups may be seen as an exemplar of creativity in the Internet age. Some consumers are
mixing together several different songs or a song from one album with the instrumental music of
another (Friedman, Lopez-Pumarejo, and Friedman, 2006). These blends are known as mash-
ups. Hopewell (2013) provides some interesting mashups that feature every pop music hit from
2013. If you want to keep up-to-date with mashups, you can go to the programmableweb.com
website and see what is going on in this fascinating area (http://www.programmableweb.com/).
Many of these mashups can be targeted to micro-niches.
Marketing Methods for Micro-niche Products
Marketing Research for Micro-niche Products
Traditional marketing research for most products attempts to create a product that appeals to a
large number of consumers. Indeed, many firms believe that if you are not among the top three
in market share, then you have a dog and should leave the industry. Some companies are not
interested in competing unless its brand is either number one or number two. This strategy made
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sense when everything revolved around shelf space. Brands could be measured in terms of the
proportion of consumers that were aware of the brand (awareness set), the proportion that would
actually consider buying the brand (evoked set), the proportion that would never buy that brand
(inept set), and the proportion that had no opinion or were neutral (inert set). The goal, then, was
to increase the size of the evoked set. A company wanted its brand to possess “top of mind”
awareness, i.e., the one mentioned first when consumers were asked to list brands within a
product category. With resonance marketing, one’s brand may have such an insignificant market
share that most consumers have never even heard of it. In fact, if the buzz marketing is very
successful, it may be in many consumers inept set. Appealing to a micro-niche, may result in a
large number of consumers who would never consider the product (Friedman, Lopez-Pumarejo,
and Friedman, 2006).
Market research must be used to determine how to create a product that is loved, not merely
liked. Focus groups can help with this. A company interested in developing a new brand of cola
might ask consumers loyal to a particular brand, say, Coca Cola, the following: You like Coke,
what would make you love it? Or, the question might ask: You like Coke, why don’t you love
it? Is there something that might make you love it? The company might end up selling a brand
of cola that (1) contains scotch or (2) is uncarbonated or (3) contains vitamins or (4) an organic
cola. Of course, these products will never compete with Coca Cola. They will be targeted to
micro-niches. Sound impossible? Take a look at what is going on with the beer industry.
Microbreweries are targeting hyper-differentiated beers to very small segments. Websites such
as Corey and Nate's Beerlabels.com (http://www.beerlabels.com/labels/) and ratebeer.com
(http://www.ratebeer.com/RateBeerBest/bestbeers_012013x.asp) rate the microbrews. Beer
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experts have come up with a list of the 20 best beers in the world; number 1 is Westvleteren's 12
(Willett, 2013). This beer, brewed by Trappist monks in Belgium, has been rated number one for
two years in a row and has dethroned a previous favorite, the Swedish beer Närke Kaggen
Stormaktsporter (Tagliabue, 2013).
It is interesting to note that soda consumption is declining; the two major brands, Pepsi and Coke
Classic have lost market share. Soda was the number one beverage in the United States for about
20 years; it peaked at 54 gallons per capita in 1998. Consumption started declining when people
became concerned about obesity which is partially attributed to the huge amounts of sugar in
carbonated drinks. Today, Americans drink 44 gallons a year per capita and 58 gallons a year of
water with bottled water at 21 gallons per capita (Choi, 2013). The problem with water is that
profits tend to be low compared to soda. Companies cannot price water too high since
consumers are sensitive to price and look for the cheapest bottled water. Flavored waters and
waters with vitamins can be priced significantly higher than plain water and produce higher
profits. A problem that can cause serious problems for the water industry is concern about the
waste from plastic bottles. Some cities such as New York are promoting their tap water and
there may be attempts in certain places to ban the selling of bottled water (Choi, 2013). Water
enhancers such as Mio, Dasani drops, Crystal light, offer consumers a way to flavor water from
the tap. Note the opportunities for companies interested in micro-niches. A company could
target micro-niches with water enhancers that have all kinds of exotic flavors (rum, scotch,
tequila) or that purport to have health benefits (testosterone enhancer, blood pressure reducer,
memory booster).
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Targeting the Micro-niche
Selecting a target market using hyper-differentiation requires research, as noted above. There are
many ways to hyper-differentiate a product and we will describe two approaches: cause
marketing and multicultural marketing.
Using Cause Marketing: What is cause-related marketing or simply cause marketing? Fritz
(2013) defines it as follows:
an agreement between a business and a nonprofit to raise money
for a particular cause. The business expects to profit by this
arrangement by selling more products and by enjoying the "halo"
effect of being associated with a respected nonprofit or cause. A
cause-related marketing program is not an anonymous or low-key
donation to a nonprofit but one that lets the public know that this
corporation is socially responsible and interested in the same
causes that its consumers are. The nonprofit benefits both
financially and through a higher public profile as a result of its
partner's marketing efforts.
As noted in the above definition, this association of a not-for-profit organization with a for-profit
company benefits both parties. Some popular approaches to cause marketing include:
Product sales (or percentage of sales)—a percentage of the sales is donated to a cause. For
example, the company donates one cent from every cup of yogurt sold to a specific charity.
Purchase plus—the retailer asks for a donation — usually it is for a small amount, say one
dollar— at the checkout line. The money raised is given directly to the charity.
Licensing— The not-for-profit organization allows the for-profit company to use its certification
on a company’s products indicating that they meet its approval. The American Heart Association
does this for various products such as Cheerios. The logo of the not-for-profit organization
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might be licensed for use on promotional items such as mugs, T-shirts, and/or credit cards (Fritz,
2013).
“Doing good and giving back” are ways to make a company stand out. Houghton (2012) cites
research that states: “86% of Americans expect a company to use resources such as employee
volunteerism to support a nonprofit or social cause”; and “83% of Americans wish more of the
products, services and retailers they use would support causes.”
Young consumers in particular are very likely to buy products from companies that support
causes they feel to be important (Bax, 2013; Business Week, 2004). Note how young people are
willing to wear colored bracelets to support various causes. It started back in 2004 with yellow
bracelets to show support for an organization (Lance Armstrong Foundation) that helped people
with cancer. Nike helped its image considerably and raised millions. Today, awareness bracelets
/ charity wristbands are sold in many different colors. Pink, for example, is associated with breast
cancer awareness (http://www.essortment.com/guide-bracelets-special-causes-awareness-
44231.html; http://teenadvice.about.com/od/factsheetsforteens/tp/tpcharitybands.htm).
According to the IEG Sponsorship Report, the amount spent on cause marketing in 2013 is
expected to be approximately $1.78 billion; it was $1.70 billion in 2012.
(http://www.causemarketingforum.com/site/c.bkLUKcOTLkK4E/b.6412299/apps/s/content.asp?
ct=8965443).
It seems quite clear that cause marketing can help a firm enhance its image (Berglind and Nakata,
2005; Kotler and Lee, 2005). However, there is evidence that cause marketing works best when
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there is a good fit between the firm’s expertise and the cause being promoted (Becker-Olsen,
Cudmore, and Hill, 2006). If there is a poor fit and / or if the public feels that the firm is
involved in cause marketing solely in order to make a profit and not to benefit society, then it can
hurt the firm’s image. Thus, to use cause marketing effectively, a firm has to conduct research to
find a charity that is of interest to its target market and that fits its image. What you are looking
for is a charity/cause that resonates with the target market.
Closely related to cause marketing is green marketing. Ottman (2011) notes that everyone is
going green and concerned about the degradation of the environment. Consumers are willing to
pay premiums for products that are good for the environment. Of course, the product should also
be of high quality, since it is doubtful if consumers will pay a premium for a bad products solely
because it is green. Cause marketing and green marketing can be tied together. One way this can
be done is as follows: create a product that is green, uses environmentally-friendly packaging,
and 10 cents of every sale is used to preserve the rainforests.
Using Multicultural Marketing: Another way of finding a micro-niche is to use multicultural
marketing. There are a large number of groups that are being ignored by marketers; resonance
marketing should work for them. There is no standard definition of multicultural marketing
(Burton, 2005). We will define multicultural marketing so that it is about targeting,
communicating, and using differentiated marketing strategies to diverse cultures including ethnic
groups, religious groups, nationalities, people living in a particular geographic region, or groups
that share common beliefs, values, attitudes or a way of life.
19
The disabilities market is consists of approximately 1.1 billion worldwide and is as big as the
entire China market (Donovan, 2012). If we include friends and family members that have strong
emotional ties to people with disabilities, another 1.9 billion people can be added to the market
(Donovan, 2012).
The best rule for creating products for individuals with disabilities is to ask the disabled directly
what they need. This may be the easiest way to create products that resonate with consumers.
Harry Herman, a nuclear engineer, broke his ankle and discovered that crutches are very
uncomfortable and can cause numerous health problems for users. He developed the “Sure Foot”
cane and the “Strutter.” These products are promoted on the following website:
<http://www.icanwalk.com/>. Tracy Saks is a divorced mother with multiple sclerosis. She
found it difficult to socialize so she created her own website for disabled singles,
www.specialsinglesonline.com (Rowland, 2005). There are companies that market all-terrain
wheelchairs that can be used on the beach. There are even wheelchairs for people who want to go
swimming (http://www.recreonics.com/accessibility_wheelchairs.htm) .
A large number of consumers have difficulty gripping products. Jars that have to be twisted off
are a big problem for the elderly and those with arthritis in their fingers and hands. Jars that are
easy to grip and are arthritic-hands friendly could be a big hit with millions of people. Canes are
used by millions of people. One problem that comes up very often is that they tend to fall down
and it is not easy for the user to bend down and pick it up. How about canes that do not fall
down? Perhaps an electronic device can be attached to the cane so that when the cane is not in
20
use a button can be pressed and it will automatically be able to stand. How about a multi-
purpose cane (a “Swiss Army” cane?) that includes a built-in light and a button to press to get
help? How about a cane that can be used to reach for objects that are down on the floor or on
high shelves? Are these products needed? The way to find out is to do research and speak to the
disabled (Friedman, Lopez-Pumarejo, Friedman, 2006).
A marketer should make a list of every possible disability and then use the list and ask whether
something can be done to her product to make it more useful to those with, say, hearing
difficulties, walking difficulties, seeing difficulties, gripping difficulties, etc. How about very
obese people? Can they use the product easily? How about the mentally handicapped? A list of
disabilities may be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disabilities.
The same approach could also be used with various illnesses. A firm or entrepreneurial
individual could make a list of dozens of ailments and see whether products could be tailor-made
for them. For example, take insomnia, it is not a disability but 70,000,000 people suffer from it
(http://statisticbrain.com/sleeping-disorder-statistics/). There are a large number of products that
would resonate with these potential consumers. Since a large number of people with insomnia
share a bedroom with someone else, there may be a need for a small, personal computer with
wireless earphones that enable the individual with insomnia to work or listen to music in bed
without disturbing his/her partner. As we know, people who are sleep deprived tend to fall
asleep while driving. In fact, one sixth of all crashes involving fatalities are caused by a sleep-
deprived driver (Fox, 2013). Another study shows that 1 in 24 drivers admitted to falling asleep
while driving (Stokes, 2013). This may be an understatement since many people may not be
21
aware that they nodded off for a few seconds while driving. Products that can prevent this from
happening would be of great value and save a huge number of lives. Left-handedness is also not
a disability. However, left-handed people have difficulty using all kinds of products ranging from
scissors to pruners. There is a website for left-handed people: http://www.thelefthand.com/.
There are companies that target people who have problems with gluten. They offer all kinds of
breads, cereals, and pastries that are gluten-free. For those looking for low carb products, there
are companies that manufacture low carb bread and pastries. The American diabetic market is so
large that there are many sugar-free products targeted to it. In fact, almost every bakery sells
sugar-free items. Alcohol is a big problem for diabetics and beer is to be avoided. A company
that makes a beer that is good for diabetics should be quite successful.
There are a large number of ethnic groups in the United States. Marketers have been targeting
the Latino market and the African-American market, two very large groups. There are, however,
a number of smaller ethnic groups that may be yearning for products that they cannot find in the
United States. There are a number of retailers who cater to ethnic groups living in a
neighborhood. Thus, there are stores in Polish neighborhoods that sell a large number of
products from Poland. There will always be groups that are too scattered and/or too small to be
able to support an entire store. These groups are perfect micro-niches and can be reached via the
Internet. Some examples of relatively small groups that reside in the United States include the
following: Brazilian, Egyptian, Israeli, Turkish, Nigerian, Thai, Serbian, Syrian, Iranian,
Romanian, Armenian, and Laotian. A complete list of ethnic groups numbering 100,000 or more
may be found at: http://names.mongabay.com/ancestry/ancestry-population.html. There may be
22
opportunities marketing products to relatively large groups such as Russians (2.6 million),
Chinese (2.3 million), Hungarian (1.4 million), Filipino (2.1 million), Japanese (1.1 million), and
Vietnamese (1 million). The key is to find products that these groups love. Research should be
done to determine whether the products out there resonate with them.
How about the market for religious people? For those who think this market should be ignored:
consider that The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren has been on the NY Times best seller list
for years. The publisher is Zondervan, a publisher of books by Christian authors and dealing
with subjects of interest to Christians. Several films with Christian themes such as The
Chronicles of Narnia have done quite well; it is number 52 on the “All-Time Worldwide Box
Office Grosses.” (http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/). A number of films are being made
in North Texas and targeted to devout Christians. One film, based on the best-seller Heaven is for
Real which sold 7.5 million copies, is the story of a 4-year old boy who after waking from
surgery provided his family with a detailed description of heaven. The film will be produced by
T. D. Jakes Enterprises a company that specializes in entertainment with Christian themes (Kelly,
2013).
We are reasonably certain that there are many smaller religious sects that would be interested in
films sold via the Internet. How about books and films for those believing in Sikhism (23
million), Juche (19 million), Baha’i (7 million), Shinto (4 million), Cao Dai ( 4 million), and/or
Zoroastrianism (2.6 million)? There are even smaller religions that could be a micro-niche:
Unitarian-Universalism (800,000) and Rastafarianism (600,000).
23
Even within religions, there may exist micro-niches. In Judaism there are those that are
Orthodox, i.e., Jews who are strict about observing halacha (Jewish law), laws that include the
Sabbath and keeping kosher. It is difficult to measure the size of this group; estimates range
from 600,000 to 1,000,000 in the United States. They have special needs. For instance, wedding
gowns that are sold to the general public would not be appropriate. Jewish law requires a more
modest gown, one that is not see-through, has high necklines, and covers the arms to the elbow.
There are many websites for brides that are interested in modest wedding gowns. There are
websites for those interested in Jewish music. There are appliance manufacturers that market gas
ranges with a Sabbath mode. This is primarily for Orthodox Jews who have strict rules about
cooking on the Sabbath. Touro College targets ultra Orthodox Jews with one of their off-campus
programs known as Machon L’Parnasa (http://legacy.touro.edu/machon/). The micro-niche can
even be smaller. Among Orthodox Jews, there is a group consisting of, at most, 100,000
Lubavitch (Chabad) Chassidim. They have their own customs. One day there will be a website
that sells Lubavitch films, fiction with Lubavitch characters, Lubavitch music, etc. One very
specialized film made by a secular director and ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel was Ushpizin. The
film cost about $1 million to make and has earned several million dollars.
Pricing the Micro-niche Product
One advantage of resonance marketing is that since the product is hyper-differentiated so that it
is very different from other brands and is loved by customers, a higher price can be charged for it.
In the case of perfect competition, where all brands are seen as identical (homogeneous product),
no firm can charge more for its product. The classic case is a commodity such as wheat. If a
24
farmer charges one cent more per bushel than other farmers, s/he will lose every single customer.
However, once consumers believe that products are heterogeneous, the firm moves from perfect
competition to monopolistic competition and the firm can charge more for the product. We see
this with a simple commodity such as an egg. When consumers purchased eggs and saw them as
all being identical, it became impossible for one farmer to charge more for his/her eggs than the
competition. Today, there are eggs that cost twice as much as regular eggs. These are enriched
eggs that contain omega-3 fatty acids that are supposed to reduce the risk of heart disease and
cancer (and also help brain function). These eggs look exactly like other eggs; the difference is
in what the hens are fed. The real difference from a marketer’s perspective is in what people
believe. If people believe that the eggs are different and better, a premium can be charged for
them.
Promoting a Micro-niche Product
Hyper-differentiated products cannot usually rely on traditional mass advertising techniques such
as television. The new kind of promotion that must be used is buzz marketing. Buzz marketing
or viral marketing as it is sometimes called, relies on getting consumers to “talk” about a product.
Some products that have become huge successes because of word-of-mouth include the film The
Blair Witch Project, Razor scooters, and a number of best-selling books. There is no question
that word-of-mouth is a very powerful tool for all kinds of products and services.
Rosen (2005) makes it clear that buzz marketing requires the use of both face-to-face
communication and the Internet. He notes that 80% of consumers claim that, in the last 12
25
months, they recommended a product to another person in a face-to face situation vs. 37% that
did this via e-mail. A recent Cone Communications Study came to the following conclusion:
At a time when 89 percent of consumers say they find online
channels trustworthy sources for product and service reviews, new
Cone research reveals four-out-of-five consumers have changed
their minds about a recommended purchase based solely on
negative information they found online. This is up from just 67
percent of consumers who said the same in 2010, according to the
2011 Cone Online Influence Trend Tracker. Positive information
has a similar effect on decision making, with 87 percent of
consumers agreeing a favorable review has confirmed their
decision to purchase. But, negative information is gaining traction
and is now just as powerful in tipping the scales against a
recommended purchase
(http://www.conecomm.com/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/4008)
Thus, good buzz marketing requires different kinds of people pushing a product and different
approaches. One cannot rely solely on blogs, social networks, online communities and trend-
setters in communities throughout the world have to be found. Their job is to spread the word
about the brand to friends, neighbors, and anyone willing to listen. Spreading the word may not
be difficult today since trend-setters are often part of online communities. There are companies
such as BzzAgent (http://www.bzzagent.com/) that encourage consumers to become BzzAgents
whose job is to spread word of mouth to friends about all kinds of products. BzzAgent has
thousands of people in its network and they do this for prizes and it also makes them feel
important. These agents feel that they are providing an “honest” opinion since they are not paid
for this and are not obligated to promote products they do not like (Walker, 2004). Companies
involved in creating a buzz about products and services try to find agents who have lots of
friends and love to talk.
26
The Internet has become a very significant advertising medium. A typical consumer now spends
27% of every hour (about 16 minutes) online on social networks and forums (Finn, 2013). The
Internet allows a firm to measure response, i.e., how many viewers clicked on their website.
Television ratings, on the other hand, do not measure how many viewers actually saw the
commercial; what is measured is how many people watched the program. The Internet is used by
a large number of consumers to search for information before purchasing a product. This is why
Google has become an important advertising vehicle. When a person does a search, say, for
“arthritis,” she will see many advertisements on the right-side of the page (“sponsored links”) for
all kinds of products. These advertisements are meant to be clicked on, thus providing a
measurable response. Google uses a sophisticated mathematical model (factors considered
include gender, location, time of day, etc.) to match the advertisement to the consumer in order to
encourage clicking on the advertisement. The goal is to connect the consumer with the
advertisement that is most relevant to her.
To summarize, the techniques to promote hyper-differentiated products that appeal to micro-
niches will not be the same as that of traditional products. The Internet will have to be used and
the goal will be to create a buzz about the product, one so strong that it will reduce the necessary
expenditures on traditional advertising. This does not mean that it will totally eliminate the need
for advertising. In fact, it may be necessary to use many kinds of promotions to get the word out
about the product.
27
Conclusion
The Internet has changed the rules of marketing. Firms that want to be successful in today’s
highly networked world should use resonance marketing, in conjunction with cause marketing
and/or multicultural marketing, to create new market niches. Marketers will have to learn to
think small rather than big. Smaller market shares, small advertising budgets, but premium
prices.
A firm may find that the only way it can succeed in a competitive market is to go after micro-
niches and develop hyper-differentiated products for them. Research has to answer the following
question: Should we sell a product that is acceptable (they like it but do not love it) to 5,000,000
consumers, has 10 competitors, and will require a huge advertising budget? Or, will we be better
off selling a product that is loved, resonates with 100,000 consumers, has 0 competitors, and
generates enough word of mouse so that little advertising is required? With the first strategy,
line and brand extensions are used to increase profits. However, with enough line and brand
extensions, the product may indeed seem more and more like a commodity. With a resonance
marketing approach, totally new brands are created targeted to different micro-niches. One
website can sell several brands, each targeted to a different niche. Or, if the brands are not
compatible, a new website can be created. It is a lot easier to create five websites than get
distribution in supermarkets for five new brands of anything. The cost of a new website is
considerably less than the cost of slotting fees; these are fees charged to retailers to provide shelf
space for new products. This lesson has been learned by many not-for-profit organizations. The
old model for a synagogue (as well as other religious institutions) was one big temple with one
prayer service to meet the needs of everyone in the community. However, it became quite clear
28
that a one size fits all did not resonate with everyone. Today, there are synagogues that offer a
choice of different prayer services on the Sabbath, all under one roof. For the early birds, there
may be a prayer service that starts at 7 am; for those who prefer late prayers, there may be one
that starts at 10 am; there may be a special beginners’ service for people who do not speak
Hebrew and need assistance with the prayers; there may be a special prayer service for Sephardic
Jews who have their own traditions; there may be a prayer service for women; another service for
children; one for singles; and so on. The primary service is conducted in the main sanctuary and
usually begins at 9 am and is quite formal. There are synagogues all over the country that offer
five or more different prayer services under one roof on a Sabbath. Rather than 300 people
praying together with many of them not quite happy with the service, offering five smaller prayer
services results in five very happy groups. This is what resonance marketing is all about.
Those interested in entrepreneurship have to understand the principles of resonance marketing.
Creating products for micro-niches is the easiest way for a startup to go into business. What is
needed is a target market, a supplier, a website, and a product that is loved. Even established
companies cannot afford to be complacent. There is a great deal of competition from all over the
world and no organization can assume that its customers will remain loyal if a competitor lowers
prices or offers a better product. Blackberry did quite well for many years but was too
complacent and arrogant. They did not see the threat posed by the Apple iPhone and Google
Android platforms and wanted to develop their own expensive operating system, BlackBerry 10.
Co-CEO Jim Balsillie’s statement is an example of incredible naiveté: “Because once you decide
to become a BlackBerry user, you kind of stay there for life, and let’s not be too penny-wise,
pound-foolish when we do get very good absolute margin” (Poletti, 2013). This is reminiscent of
29
the arrogance of many college presidents who rather than working with faculty to innovate in the
age of MOOCs and free courses on the Internet continue to hire more and more administrators.
Between 1993 and 2007, the ratio of number of administrators per 100 students grew by 39%;
amount spent on administration per student (inflation adjusted) grew by 61% (Green, Kisida, and
Mills, 2010).
No organization can afford to think like General Motors did in the past; back in the 1960s,
executives felt the company was invincible and had nothing to fear. They were taken by surprise
when Japanese automobile companies came out of nowhere using technological breakthroughs
and improved quality to topple the mighty General Motors (Friedman, 2013). The organizations
that thrive in the Global Internet Age are the ones that know how to be resilient and can adapt.
This requires a new kind of manager that encourages creativity and tries to eliminate layers of
unnecessary bureaucracy. This also may mean using resonance marketing and going after several
micro-niches rather than staking everything on one large market segment. The old rules no
longer apply.
30
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