After seeing these fruit designed ads WMF used in advertising their kitchenware products, I am interested in understanding the marketing aspect of this company. WMF is known for functional quality goods, such as the knives shown above, which look sharp, shiny, and powerful. The company has been in business over 150 years since 1853, and is a “supplier of branded products for meeting the highest demands manufactured based on design, quality, and utility” worldwide. From this statement, the company’s goal is clear toward a profit maximization orientation. WMF is looking to earn money from a smaller volume of customers, such as affordable high incomer, or value oriented customers who selectively purchase durable quality products for long term use. The profit objective defined for WMF is to increases price as much as they can to maximizes profit or return until marginal revenue reaches marginal cost. The higher the price, the better the quality, and since WMF is a world brand known for their quality, they must be delivering prestige product. If customers are looking for luxury goods, then they would consider consuming WMF products even during recession, thus these consumers are less price sensitive and less elastic to find substitutes.
From our daily experience, consumers don’t buy kitchenware products everyday, because it’s not a tangible commodity like grocery where we must consume for a living. However, the fruit pictures depicted above, are systematic in a way that we don’t have to eat pineapple, carrot, or melon for survial, but they are necessary for our health. In similar manner, the ads are conveying a message that you don’t have to buy quality kitchenware, but with WMF’s products, it’s the only approach for cooking tasty food. In this case, WMF is using the product growth strategy of market development, becacuse they wish to introduce their exisitng kitcenware products to a new market segment. The pictures are portrayed with some sexual content and added family warmth. WMF is positioning the values of having fun, enjoyment, and coziness, so customers trust them for delivering quality products.