Why it is necessary to undertake detailed market segmentation before developing an advertising campaign.

You have just been appointed the Marketing Manager of YummyFoods (NZ) Limited, a company specializing in healthy snacks for the New Zealand market. On your first day at work, your boss – Mr. Umami, welcomes you to the company, and tells you “there is no time to waste!” The company has just developed a new product, Manuka smoked almonds, and are keen to get them into consumers’ hands as soon as possible. Mr. Umami tells you that YummyFoods already has a strong presence in the market with a range of other products for toddlers (i.e. children 18 months to 3 years old). He wants you to capitalize on this brand awareness in that market segment by developing an advertising campaign to market the Manuka smoked almonds as a healthy snack for toddlers. He suggests you target your campaign at new mothers and day-care centers.

Though the smoked almonds are delicious, you have a number of concerns about Mr. Umami’s plan. You think the nuts could be a potential choking hazard for young children, could trigger allergies if they contain traces of peanuts from the production of YummyFoods’ other products, and at the very least, are unlikely to appeal to very young children’s tastes. You are worried that your first advertising campaign will be an expensive failure unless you segment the broader New Zealand market and figure out which consumers you should be targeting for this product before getting started on your campaign. Mr. Umami is confused about why you do not want to market the product to YummyFoods’ established customers, but he agrees to let you explain your stance to him.

Thoroughly explain market segmentation to Mr. Umami using examples to illustrate the concept, AND make a convincing argument as to why it is necessary to undertake detailed market segmentation before developing an advertising campaign specifically for YummyFoods’ new Manuka smoked almonds. Your answer MUST be in essay format, but you are NOT required to provide in-text citations or a reference list.