Marketing That Moves People

A brand is more than a logo, name, or slogan. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Emily Carter, and Tom Kessler explore branding, brand equity, brand loyalty, brand promises, and brand strategy. Through examples from convenience stores, retail brands, customer experience, and local business competition, listeners learn how brands reduce uncertainty, build trust, influence customer choice, and create long-...

Products do not stay the same forever. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Emily Carter, and Tom Kessler explore the product life cycle and product portfolio management. Through examples from convenience stores, smartphones, retail product assortments, and customer experience design, listeners learn how products move through introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. The hosts also discuss how organizat...

A product is more than something sitting on a shelf. In this episode, Dr. Derek introduces Unit 5 on Product and Brand Strategy with new guest voices Emily Carter, a customer experience analyst, and Tom Kessler, owner of three independent rural Wisconsin gas stations. Together, they explore goods, services, experiences, product layers, customer value, and the role of service quality in product str...

Marketing does not end when a customer makes a purchase. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore customer relationship management, customer retention, personalization, customer journey mapping, and customer lifetime value. Through examples from ShadeTree Coffee and B2B manufacturing, listeners learn how organizations use CRM tools and customer data to build stronger...

Once marketers choose a target market, they must decide how they want customers to perceive their product, service, or brand compared to competitors. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore positioning strategies, competitive positioning, positioning statements, and positioning maps. Using examples from retail, manufacturing, and ShadeTree Coffee, the hosts explain w...

After marketers divide a market into segments, they must decide which customer groups to focus on. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore target market selection and customer personas. Using ShadeTree Coffee and manufacturing examples, the hosts discuss how organizations evaluate potential segments based on size, growth, profitability, competition, accessibility, an...

Trying to market to everyone often means connecting deeply with no one. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez introduce market segmentation and explain why marketers divide broad markets into smaller groups of customers with shared characteristics, needs, or behaviors. Through examples from ShadeTree Coffee, manufacturing, and everyday business decisions, listeners learn a...

Businesses are customers too, but they often make purchasing decisions very differently than individual consumers. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore organizational buying behavior, buying centers, supplier evaluation, B2B relationships, and customer experience. Through examples from manufacturing and ShadeTree Coffee, listeners learn why organizational purchase...

Customers do not always clearly explain what they need, want, or value. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore how marketers collect useful information through primary research, secondary research, surveys, interviews, focus groups, observation, customer data, and AI-assisted tools. Using ShadeTree Coffee as an example, the hosts discuss how businesses turn customer...

Good marketing decisions are not built on guesses. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez introduce the marketing research process and explain how organizations gather information to make better decisions. Using ShadeTree Coffee as an example, the hosts explore how marketers define research problems, develop research plans, collect and analyze data, and use findings to guid...

Why do two customers with the same need often make completely different purchasing decisions? In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore the factors that influence consumer behavior, including psychological, social, cultural, and personal influences. Through real-world examples and business insights, listeners learn how marketers study customer decision-making and why u...

Why do people buy what they buy? In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore the differences between customer needs and wants, the principles of the marketing concept, and how organizations create customer value. Through examples from technology, retail, and small business, listeners learn why successful marketers focus on understanding customers first and how changing p...

How do organizations determine whether their marketing efforts are successful? In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore marketing objectives, performance metrics, and the role of data in decision-making. Using the example of ShadeTree Coffee's second location, the hosts discuss SMART objectives, meaningful metrics, customer retention, sales performance, and the danger...

Successful organizations don't just focus on what's happening inside their business—they pay attention to what's happening around them. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore environmental scanning and the external forces that influence marketing decisions. Through discussions of economic conditions, technology, artificial intelligence, demographic changes, social t...

How do successful organizations evaluate their position in the marketplace? In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez use a real-world business scenario to explore SWOT Analysis. As ShadeTree Coffee considers opening a second location, the hosts identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that influence strategic decision-making. Listeners learn how SWOT helps o...

Successful marketing campaigns rarely happen by luck. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore the role of planning in marketing success. Listeners learn the differences between strategic, tactical, and operational planning, examine the steps in the marketing planning process, and discover how organizations turn ideas into action. Through examples from both Fortune 10...

Marketing has the power to inform, inspire, and create positive change—but it can also mislead consumers and damage trust when used irresponsibly. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore real-world examples of ethical and unethical marketing, including Patagonia's sustainability-focused campaigns, Dove's Real Beauty initiative, the Fyre Festival disaster, and Volkswa...

Every product launch requires a series of important decisions. In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore the Four Ps of Marketing—Product, Price, Place, and Promotion—through the launch of a fictional Nitro Cold Brew coffee product. Listeners will learn how marketers use the marketing mix to create value for customers, build competitive advantages, and bring products s...

Why do customers choose one business over another? In this episode, Dr. Derek, Sarah Mitchell, and Miguel Ramirez explore the concepts of customer value, customer satisfaction, and competitive advantage. Through examples from manufacturing, small business, and everyday purchasing decisions, they discuss how organizations create value beyond price, why customer expectations continue to evolve, and...

Welcome to the first episode of Marketing That Moves People. In this introductory episode, Dr. Derek introduces the course, explains the purpose of the podcast series, and shares why marketing is much more than advertising, social media, or selling. Joining the conversation are Sarah Mitchell, Director of Marketing for a Fortune 1000 manufacturing company, and Miguel Ramirez, founder of a growing...