The Importance of Understanding Consumer Behavior:

Verizon uses several aspects of consumer behavior to tweak their product in order to be very marketable to several groups. Verizon uses the need recognition step in the consumer decision making process by understanding two things. One is that people have been made to believe that they need a cellphone. The second is that people also need to have the most updated, technologically advanced phone that can be produced. Verizon takes advantage of these needs by making and selling their Droid models. While using need recognition to make the product, when developing their prices and plans for the Droid phones, Verizon markets to the age and family life-cycle. While it is often the kids in the family that want the newer phone models, it is typical that the parents are the ones paying the bill. Due to this Verizon makes use of its family plan and fairly low cost service. This also helps in the fact that the social classes Verizon targets is the middle and working class and cost effective things are very attractive to the people in these classes.

Developing a Global Vision:

Verizon Wireless and more specifically their droid model is a rapidly selling global product. Verizon first "went global" in 2003 when it started selling its products in many other countries. As of today many Verizon phone plans either come with an international plan or a international plan is offered and a fixed rate. Also a huge part in globalization, Verizon's phones are made in China exclusively because of cheaper cost and increased communication throughout all businesses worldwide. Due to the recent popularity of the Verizon droid model, as well as the global marketing and global business growing constantly, Verizon has released a global business specific droid model called the Droid Pro. This model is available in 220 countries and has great coverage in 212 of those 220 countries. The model is very business friendly with easy to use buttons, long battery life as well as built in applications to help in everything business related. While Verizon is global, they are far behind a few competitors like AT&T.

The Marketing Enviorment

Verizon's Marketing Enviorment has increased rapidly throughout the years. While Generation X would appear to be the target demographic, essentially all four generations are buyers of Verizon products. While the Verizon droid model is more popular amongst tween's and generation X, it has a modest presence within the other generations. The advanced technology of the Verizon droid has made it very popular among all demographics but especially among the Asian population as research shows that the Asian population is technologically advanced. Verizon also maintained its relatively low prices on family plans in its response to the economic times as well as the involvment of all four genrations in its sales, as often displayed in many of their ads. In response to the large percent of the population in Verizon's region being Hispanic (also the largest of the minority population) Verizon has released several ads and commercials that appear to be aimed at this Hispanic demographic not only because of its portion of the population and its predicted larger portion of the future but also because research shows that Hispanics are very brand loyal and are far more likely to stay with the company.

Origin of Clothes:

Shirt: Made in U.S.A
Cardigan: Made in China
Pants: Made in U.S.A
Boxers: Made in Mexico
Shoes: Made in China
Socks: Made in China

Corporate Irresponsibility

While very difficult to find an example of corporate irresponsibility in the Verizon company, a proposal made by the company seems to be very irresponsible. Verizon and Google made a proposed deal that they would use the fact that there service is used so much and by such a large amount of people that they would make a net neutrality policy for all its users. This idea however was quickly shot down by legislators as it is the same as regulating the internet.

Source(s):

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/17/markey_doyle_eshoo_inslee_letter/

Ethics And Social Responsibility

Verizon fulfills its social responsobility in its eyes by running a volunteer program for all natural disaster and to help the homeless population. On top of that Verizon has a donation program for a variety of charities and will match every dollar that is donated. As for its ethics, verizon has a strict code of ethics. They require that every employe go through training so that they can make the right descions based on verizons values. This program is constantly updated and has been updated as recently as 2009 and has new addtions to the training program set to be implemented at the end of 2010. Verizon also offers three seperare hotlines that they constantly urge employees to use if they have any concens or ethical questions and each hotline number is completely anynoumous. To ensure that things within the ethical questioning process is done ethically, verizon established their Corporate Responsibility Executive Council in 2007 to overview all processes involving ethics. Overall verizons activities to satisfy their social reaponsibilities is fairly common and expected, their views on ethics and programs to ensure things are done the right way is very good.

Strategic Planning

Verizon's droid marketing plan includes coming out with an updated Droid model almost monthly and recently has released the Verizon fascinate, a phone Verizon hopes will compete with apples iphone 4 as the iphone is the cream of the crop in the increasingly advanced world of cell phones. In regards to Verizon's strategic decisions, Verizon realized that in this age people want to have service anywhere they can and therefore Verizon made it a point to not only provide and develop the best all around coverage known as their 3G network, but to also expose there competitions lack of coverage compared to theirs as seen in many of their commercials. Verizon also has also developed some strategic alternatives to the droid and cellphone part of their business by selling packages that include land line, internet and cable television service in hopes of increasing sales my introducing a new product to their present market. Verizon's target market for their Droid models are young people between the ages of as young as 14 to someone in their mid to late 20s and even beyond.