John H. Roberts

El marketing normalmente se ve como una herramienta de crecimiento. Una empresa puede utilizarla para lanzar un producto con éxito, hacer incursiones en un nuevo mercado o ganar cuota de mercado con los productos existentes en su mercado actual. Pero para casi todos los lanzamientos de nuevos productos, participantes en el mercado o empresas advenedizas de la industria que se hacen con cuota de mercado, hay un titular que debe defender su posición. Si el defensor no puede conservar lo que tiene, pierde la base sobre la que construir su propio crecimiento.

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Reprint: R0511J
There has been a lot of research on marketing as an offensive tactic&#8212;how it can help companies successfully launch new products, enter new markets, or gain share with existing products in their current markets. But for nearly every new product launch, market entrant, or industry upstart grabbing market share, there is an incumbent that must defend its position. And there has been little research on how these defenders can use marketing to preemptively respond to new or anticipated threats.
John H. Roberts outlines four basic types of defensive marketing strategies: positive, inertial, parity, and retarding. With the first two, you establish and communicate your points of superiority relative to the new entrant; with the second two, you establish and communicate strategic points of comparability with your rival. Before choosing a strategy, you need to assess the weapons you have available to protect your market position&#8212;your brand identity, the products and services that support that identity, and your means of communicating it. Then assess your customers&#8217; value to you and their vulnerability to being poached by rivals.
The author explains how Australian telecommunications company Telstra, facing deregulation, used a combination of the four strategies (plus the author&#8217;s customer response model) to fend off market newcomer Optus. Telstra was prepared, for instance, to reach deep into its pockets and engage in a price war. But the customer response model indicated that a parity strategy&#8212;in which Telstra would offer lower rates on some routes and at certain times of day, even though its prices, on average, were higher than its rival&#8217;s&#8212;was more likely to prevent consumers from switching. Ultimately, Telstra was able to retain several points of market share it otherwise would have lost.
The strategies described here, though specific to Telstra&#8217;s situation, offer lessons for any company facing new and potentially damaging competition.

Defensive Marketing: How a Strong Incumbent Can Protect Its Position

Reimpresión: R0511J Se ha investigado mucho sobre el marketing como táctica ofensiva: cómo puede ayudar a las empresas a lanzar nuevos productos, entrar en nuevos mercados o ganar participación con los productos existentes en sus mercados actuales. Pero para casi todos los lanzamientos de nuevos productos, participantes en el mercado o empresas advenedizas de la industria que se hacen con cuota de mercado, hay un titular que debe defender su posición. Y se han realizado pocas investigaciones sobre cómo estos defensores pueden utilizar el marketing para responder de forma preventiva a las amenazas nuevas o anticipadas. John H. Roberts describe cuatro tipos básicos de estrategias de marketing defensivo: positivo, inercial, paridad, y retrasando. Con las dos primeras, establece y comunica sus puntos de superioridad en relación con el nuevo participante; con las dos segundas, establece y comunica los puntos estratégicos de comparabilidad con su rival. Antes de elegir una estrategia, tiene que evaluar las armas de las que dispone para proteger su posición en el mercado: la identidad de su marca, los productos y servicios que respaldan esa identidad y sus medios de comunicarla. A continuación, evalúe a sus clientes valor para usted y sus vulnerabilidad a ser cazado furtivamente por sus rivales. El autor explica cómo la empresa australiana de telecomunicaciones Telstra, ante la desregulación, utilizó una combinación de las cuatro estrategias (además del modelo de respuesta al cliente del autor) para defenderse del recién llegado al mercado Optus. Telstra estaba dispuesta, por ejemplo, a meter la mano en sus bolsillos y entablar una guerra de precios. Sin embargo, el modelo de respuesta de los clientes indicaba que una estrategia de paridad (en la que Telstra ofreciera tarifas más bajas en algunas rutas y en determinados momentos del día, a pesar de que sus precios, de media, fueran más altos que los de su rival) tenía más probabilidades de impedir que los consumidores se cambiaran. En última instancia, Telstra pudo conservar varios puntos de cuota de mercado que, de otro modo, habría perdido. Las estrategias descritas aquí, aunque específicas para la situación de Telstra, ofrecen lecciones para cualquier empresa que se enfrente a una competencia nueva y potencialmente perjudicial.

Marketing defensivo: c&oacute;mo un titular fuerte puede proteger su posici&oacute;n

Reprint: R0511J There has been a lot of research on marketing as an offensive tactic—how it can help companies successfully launch new products, enter new markets, or gain share with existing products in their current markets. But for nearly every new product launch, market entrant, or industry upstart grabbing market share, there is an incumbent that must defend its position. And there has been little research on how these defenders can use marketing to preemptively respond to new or anticipated threats. John H. Roberts outlines four basic types of defensive marketing strategies: positive, inertial, parity, and retarding . With the first two, you establish and communicate your points of superiority relative to the new entrant; with the second two, you establish and communicate strategic points of comparability with your rival. Before choosing a strategy, you need to assess the weapons you have available to protect your market position—your brand identity, the products and services that support that identity, and your means of communicating it. Then assess your customers’ value to you and their vulnerability to being poached by rivals. The author explains how Australian telecommunications company Telstra, facing deregulation, used a combination of the four strategies (plus the author’s customer response model) to fend off market newcomer Optus. Telstra was prepared, for instance, to reach deep into its pockets and engage in a price war. But the customer response model indicated that a parity strategy—in which Telstra would offer lower rates on some routes and at certain times of day, even though its prices, on average, were higher than its rival’s—was more likely to prevent consumers from switching. Ultimately, Telstra was able to retain several points of market share it otherwise would have lost. The strategies described here, though specific to Telstra’s situation, offer lessons for any company facing new and potentially damaging competition.

Marketing defensivo: cómo un titular fuerte puede proteger su posición

Resumen.

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