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3.A …….. is a group of closely related products, which usually have the same function and are sold to the same customer groups through the same outlets.

4.A ……. is the set of all the product lines and items offered by a company.

5.……….. are cheap and simple “low involvement” products which people use regularly and buy frequently with little effort, without comparing alternatives.

6.……….. are durable goods with unique characteristics that informed consumers have to go to a particular store to buy.

7.………… are “high involvement” products for which consumers generally search for information, evaluate different models, and compare prices, and take time to make a selection.

8.………. is the process of withdrawing products from the market when they are no longer profitable.

9.……….. means adding further items in that part of a product range which

a line already covers, in order to compete in competitors’ niches, to utilize excess production capacity, and so on.

10.……… means lengthening a company’s product line, either moving up market or down market in order to reach new customers, to enter growing or more profitable market segment, to react to competitors’ initiatives, and so on.

Branding

“The most distinctive skill of professional marketers is their ability to create, maintain, protect and enhance brands”

P. Kotler, American marketing guru

Read the text and select the appropriate expression to complete the text

In a market containing several similar competing products, producers can augment (increase, add) their basic product with additional services and benefits such as customer advice, delivery, credit facilities, a warranty or guarantee, maintenance, after-sales service, and so on, (1)……….. distinguish it from competitors’ offers.

Most producers also differentiate their products by branding them. Some manufacturers, such as Yamaha, Microsoft, and Colgate, use their name (the

“family name”) for all their products. Others market various products under individual brand names, (2)……… many customers are unaware of the name of the manufacturing company. (3)……… , Unilever and Proctor & Gamble, the major producers of soap powders, famously have a multi-brand strategy which allows them to compete in various market segments, and to fill their space in

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shops, (4)……… leaving less room for competitors. (5)………. also gives them a greater chance of getting some of the custom of brand-switchers.

(6)……….. famous manufacturers’ brands, there are also wholesalers and retailers’ brands. (7)………… , most large supermarket chains now offer their “own-label” brands, many of which are made by one of the better-known manufacturers.

Brand names should (8)………. be easy to recognize and remember. They should also be easy to pronounce and, especially for international brands, should not mean something embarrassing in a foreign language!

(9)………… a name and a logo, many brands also have easily recognizable packaging. Of course packaging should also be functional: (10)…….. , the container or wrapper should protect the product inside, be informative, convenient to open, inexpensive to produce, and ecological (preferably biodegradable).