The 5 products level

Hello everybody!

Today we are going to have a look on the famous marketing concept “5 products level”. It deals with different stages of consumer satisfaction and benefits about purchasing a product or a service.

Core benefit level:

The main need satisfied when someone watches TF1 or M6 is to watch TV.

Generic product level:

When someone switches on the TV, the fundamental need satisfied is the want of entertainment or of information.

Expected product level:

TF1:  Many expectations can bring someone to switch on his TV and put the first channel.

He can expect to watch national and international information with “Le Journal de 13h” and “Le Journal de 20h” which is one of the most complete TV News.

He also can expect to get access to one of the most famous TV entertainment such as Koh-Lanta for example.

Finally, he can also expect to entertain with one of the most famous police series worldwide “Les experts”.

M6: Expectations of televiewers on M6 are a little bit different from those of TF1 televiewers.

M6 is expected for its televiewers to broadcast some reports targeted at a special subject such as “Enquête Exclusive” or “Zone interdite”.

M6 is also expected to broadcast daily short series such as “Scènes de ménages” for example.

Finally, M6 is expected to broadcast weekly TV reality show such as “Top Chef”.

Augmented product level:

Some additional attributes can be related to TF1 and M6 as following:

TF1: VOD (video on demand), TF1 website, production of movies (Cloclo, La guerre des boutons, etc…), other channels (TMC, NT1, TF6, Eurosport, LCI, etc…).

M6: VOD, M6 website, production of movies (Les infidels, Les petits mouchoirs, ect…), M6 mobile (Cell phone plan), other channels (W9, Paris Première, Téva).

Potential product level:

TF1/M6: Other channels, participation to events, internationalization of the channels, etc…

Brand Elements

Hi !

According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), a brand is a “name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competition.”

So let's have a look on TF1 and M6 elements of identification and differentation:

• Distinct Name : TF1 (Télévision française 1) and M6
• Distinct logos (we have seen their evolution in a previous post)          

               

• Distinct slogans:

              TF1 slogan evolution                              M6 slogan evolution 
    

Moreover, we will see in a next post that the respective positioning strategies of these two brands are also key elements to differentiate these channels....

Main segmentation criteria in this market

We know that segmentation is about aggregating prospective buyers into groups. The aim is to answer effectively to the needs of those groups.

In the TV market there are lots of possible segment. The prospective watchers can be divided into different homogenous groups by age, level of education, sex, and interest.

Age:

Age is an important segmentation criterion because it is the main determinant for the programs schedule. We know for example that the retired people (“old” persons) are more likely to watch the TV during the afternoon and to watch documentary or soaps. The channels can adapt their programs to catch the more of this type of prospective watchers. It is the same for the children that watch only “kids programs” and moreover they cannot watch hard images. Plus they are watching TV in the morning and at snack break in the afternoon. The channels have to adapt their program and be careful of the shocking images that appear in some TV shows.

Sex:

Some programs are definitely for girls as Soap or TV show and some are more for men. Some channels are even specialized in one gender. The idea here is to propose a unisex program or a specialized one to catch the more watchers as possible!

Level of education:

The level of education can be a way to segment in the TV market. Some shows or documentaries are more accessible to a specific group of people. For example historical podcast or cultural one about authors or directors are more likely to interest and catch people with a high education level or cultural level.

Interest:

Depending on people interest they are more likely to watch a channel more than another or a program in particular. That is true for sport: winter sport, rugby, football, swimming competition. This is true also for music and movie but also for nature, hunt, shopping. If you have a specific hobby nowadays you can have a channel for it. For TF1 and M6, as they are general channel they cannot be specified in one topic but they can have different program as cooking show or football games to try to reach the maximum of people. 

Have a nice day and see you soon for some terrific informations about TF1 and M6 !!! 

When brand managers can use emotions

Good morning,

Lets now talk about he use of emotions.. It is a full part of TV Channel strategies. As they fight to win market share they have to propose content attractive to TV viewers and the best way to do it is to use their feelings, their passion and propose content which match with viewer’s emotional expectations. Let’s see which emotions TV channel can use in order to attract us:

Nostalgia: By broadcasting old movies (Bourvil, Gabin, Belmondo, or Louis de Funes movies) or TV show dedicated to past years ( Disco, 60s,…)

Dream/ Travel desire: By broadcasting show about rich people, travel, fantasy movies or Miss France election

Adventre: By broadcasting TV game like the race Pekin Express on M6 or special movies like Indiana Jones

Fear: By broadcasting American series like Esprit Criminel or TV show specialized in police investigations

Love: By broadcasting some romantic series or movies or by some TV show like L’amour est dans le prés on M6

Fun : By broadcasting humorist show or special series/ movies like Après le 20h c’est Canteloup on TF1 or Scène de ménage on M6

As we can see each channel as it own programs in order to answer to all emotional expectations from TV viewers. It is not a good way to differentiate but broadcasting a highly emotional program is an extremely effective way to win market share. When people empathize to TV shows actor or participants the will be loyal to this program each week.

M6 jingles (Mai 2012)

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj12iyPOaRY

M6 Jingles (2003 - 2006)

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu3aNLJ4Nt0

TF1 Jingles (2012)

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMyrz6QF7L8

TF1 corporate ad : "Des rouges et des bleus" (2011)

"Des rouges et des bleus" was a corporate ad broadcasted by TF1 in 2011. A large number of their "top anchormen" played in this creative. 

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNJgJZd8Njs

Mediametrie analysis : weekly audiences (19 Nov - 25 Nov)

 

According to these figures published by Mediamétrie, we can say that TF1 is the market leader with an average market share/audience of 23,7% between November 19th and 26th, 2012. After France 2 (15,0%), M6 is its second most "dangerous" competitor with an average audience share of  10,5%.

Source : http://www.mediametrie.fr/television/communiques/l-audience-de-la-television-du-19-au-25-novembre-2012.php?id=766

Touch points with the customers

Hi !

The main touch points that TV channels have with consumers are quite easy to identify. Indeed, a consumer has a contact with a specific channel each time he is watching it.

In the context of the French market, the market research company Mediamétrie, which is the equivalent of Nielsen in the United States, provides very useful quantitative data. They measure audience, market shares and viewer profiles.

We can also say that, as brands, TV channels have privileged contacts with their customers through their own corporate ads on various types of media and their jingles between programs.

Then, the contact with the channel is reinforced when the customer is watching a program or movie created or financed by the channel. For example, TF1 image is much more associated to a program like “Reportages” than to a foreign movie broadcasted on Sunday evening.

See you soon...

Way of differentiation

Let’s now have a look on the way of differentiation between TF1 and M6.

TF1 and M6 differ at first with regard to their programs of information broadcast. Each day, TF1 proposes at lunchtime and dinnertime half hour TV news. Whereas, M6 proposes a much shorter daily TV news with its “19 45”.

In a general way the 2 channels propose relatively similar programs like: reality TV, series, reports, entertainments… but they differentiate because TF1 proposes more entertainments and M6 proposes more reports.

They also differentiate because we can notice that the programs of M6 are more regular while TF1 change more often of programs to try to surprise his televiewers.

Constraints for the product/service linked with the market

One of the main constraints for the 2 brands here is the competition. This broadcasting market is an open market where it is easy to enter. Nowadays with the TNT a basic TV subscription can offer 18 channels and with paying offers as Canalsat or TPS for example the number of channel can reach 300!

The competition and the innovation of competitors is the main constrains for TF1 and M6. They have to differentiate from others channel keeping their brand image and their editorial line.

For TF1 all is about innovation trying to not do what others are doing and trying to keep the “historical image” of the brand. TF1 is the first channel in France and to be part of the competition they have to follow trends.  But in the same time they have to keep the key part of TF1’s image: information and big entertainment! The main constraint for TF1 today is to follow trends without losing his loyal customers.

For M6 it is different because few years ago M6 was the “new”, young and innovative channel that changed the TV market, with the first reality TV show for example. Nowadays M6 is one of the most important TV channel in France but not the more innovative one anymore. Nowadays everybody is doing reality TV and lots of new TNT channel as D8 are becoming much more innovative than M6. The real constraint today for M6 is to keep its image of dynamic and young channel with innovative programs in front of the new generation of channel!

In addition one of another constraint is how to make money! It is not like the channels can sell products as other traditional firms.  They need to have lots of audience to have announcers who want to advert on the channel. The channels sell the ad space and make money! The constraint here is to have a big audience: that is mean lot of people watching the channel at different hours in the day!

Here the constraint is the same for TF1 or M6 even if we can say that TF1 has a little advantage because historically speaking they have good audience so the advertiser trust the channel!

See you soon for a new article! Have a good day!

Manon 

Market characteristics and brand strategy

Good Morning guys,

Let’s continue our story and focus now on the market characteristics and the impact of these characteristics on our 2 brand strategies.

The French TV market is a highly competitive market because it is easy to switch and to compare the offer. The key factors of success for our 2 brands (TF1 a M6) is the innovation. They both have to follow all new trend and new expectations from their customers. In order to increase market share, channels always refresh their programs at the beginning of the year (A year in television start in September) and each summer we can assist to a real Mercato (like in football), channels are trying to attract/buy the best anchorman.

We can identify two main strategies:

1) Rely on old deep rooted programs/anchorman in order to keep viewers (customers)

2) Innovate by broadcasting new concept of TV show

The first strategy suits more with the one of TF1 even if they need to innovate because they rely on a lot of famous anchorman (Chasal, Foucault, De Chavanne,…)  and well known programs like the News, Le juste Prix, Une famille en Or,…

The second one suits more with the strategy of M6, they was the first in France to broadcast reality TV in 2001 (Loft Story) or cooking contests.

When we talk about evolution, we also talk about new technologies. TV channel have to follow all innovations in order to be present everywhere. In 2005 when the TNT has been launched in France, each channel has to define its strategy and both M6 and TF1 has decided to create new channels W9 for M6 and TMC and NT1 for TF1.

Each channel has also to select precisely each programs in order to reach its target at any moment of the day. Indeed, one specificity of TV market is that the target depend of the hour, in the morning it can be first children before going to school, then mother at home with talk show or product demonstration/sales, then old people with game, then at midday everybody who want to know the news, etc

Sometimes TV channel compete also to buy programs, for example Sports. Each 4 years all TV channel try to buy the right to broadcast the FIFA World Cup (soccer), the one who make the best offer win the rights. TF1 is the historic pubic TV channel for football broadcasting in France but M6 is trying to win market share and reach to diffuse some games during the last World Cup.

Last but not least we should not forget internet, more and more people use this media to watch TV programs. Each channel has to define its strategy on this media, both TF1 and M6 have strong presence online and allow people to watch old programs on their website (Replay) or play online games, but only TF1 allows watching TV in live.