Marketing Reading: Product Policy

By: Robert J. Dolan

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Synopsis: This Reading focuses on the three issues a company must address in developing its product policy: 1. Product mix breadth refers to the variety and number of product lines offered. 2. Product line depth is the number of items in a given product line. 3. Product item design refers to each individual product's specifications. This Reading contains two Interactive Illustrations: the first, "Altius Golf Ball Positioning," allows students to explore the effect of product positioning on market share in markets with different degrees of cannibalization from the perspective of a golf ball manufacturer that plans to extend its product line. The second, "Product Bundling," allows students to explore how pricing "bundles" of products and services is influenced by their perceived value, using the example of hotel accommodation prices in different locations and for different segments of hotel guests (business travelers, vacationing families, and budget-minded students). The Reading also contains two videos, one on strategies for creating new product categories and one on using a customer feedback loop to manage the uncertainty of product innovation.