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Marketing Management (MKTG5320.W02)
Written Assignment-2
Total Points: 150.
Due Date: Sunday, November 6 at 11:59 PM. Submission via Blackboard.
This assignment is to be completed individually.
Please carefully review and follow these instructions.
• For in-text citations, please use either APA or MLA or another formal style.
Information about the citation format can be found on the Internet (e.g., Google
Scholar, etc.). Minimum of 10 research references required.
• Page Length: 5 – 8 pages, single-spaced (including any charts; excluding cover
and references page). There must be a minimum of 5 pages.
• A cover page is required.
• Please embed any charts/figures sourced from the Internet in the body of the
paper and not in an appendix.
• Use figure numbers and titles. Please make sure that the chart/figure is legible.
• Use page numbers.
• Students are required to meet the SafeAssign/Turnitin threshold of 20% match or
less (see syllabus for details). SafeAssign/Turnitin is already integrated in
Blackboard and it would show the match percentage after the paper is uploaded.
Sometimes the application may take some time to process the score. If that
happens, you should log out of Blackboard and log back in a short while later.
• Please answer each question separately (see answer format instructions). You can
simply list the question number and then type your answer. You don’t have to
restate the entire question.
• Please use additional research (beyond what is provided with the assignment) to
support your answers.
• Unless otherwise, all assignments will be due on the dates listed in the syllabus.
Make-ups or extensions will only be given for excuses supported by
documentation.
This activity relates to material covered in Modules 3 & 4. Please leverage relevant
information from various modules as well as the textbook in developing your answers.
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This information is proprietary. Scanning, copying, website posting, or reproducing and
sharing in any form is strictly prohibited.
Key Learning Objectives:
1. Demonstrate comprehension of core marketing concepts.
2. Apply knowledge of key marketing theoretical frameworks to actual business
situations.
3. Demonstrate business/market research, analysis, and presentation skills.
This activity focuses on Rivian, an electric vehicle manufacturer.
“Rivian exists to create products and services that help our planet transition to carbon
neutral energy and transportation. Rivian designs, develops, and manufactures categorydefining electric vehicles and accessories and sells them directly to customers in the
consumer and commercial markets. Rivian complements its vehicles with a full suite of
proprietary, value-added services that address the entire lifecycle of the vehicle and
deepen its customer relationships. Learn more about the company, products, and careers
at rivian.com.” (Source: Rivian)
Related URLs:
1. Rivian R1S
2. Rivian Investor Relations Site
3. EV Sales Data
4. Green Car Reports Article
5. Car and Driver Article on Best Selling EVs
In addition to the above URLs, you must conduct additional research to develop a deeper
understanding of the trends in the electric vehicle industry. Use additional research to
support your answers for each of the questions listed below. There are plenty of free
sources on the web and in the university library, therefore, please don’t pay for any
data/information. If a site asks for subscription or pay-per-read, please use an alternative
source.
Q.1. (a) Review Figure 1 and identify which segmentation approach/approaches should
Rivian use to identify the target audience for its R1S vehicle. Use research to support
your answer. (25 points)
________________________________________________________________________
Figure 1: Segmentation Approaches
▪ Geographic segmentation
▪ Psychographic segmentation
▪ Demographic segmentation
▪ Behavioral segmentation
________________________________________________________________________
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sharing in any form is strictly prohibited.
(b) Using segmentation approaches listed in Figure 1, develop a customer profile for
Rivian’s R1S vehicle. (25 points)
Hint: It is not sufficient to simply identify an age group (demographic) or personal/social
interests (psychographic), rather you must fully develop the customer profile. The idea
behind developing a customer profile is to help marketers understand the total
addressable as well as serviceable market. For instance, one potential segment/group
interested in buying a smart/connected HVAC thermostat could be individuals who own a
single family home and have the following additional traits/characteristics:
• housing structure they live in has central heating and air-conditioning
• house they live in has Internet access
• house that is X-many square feet thereby needing lot of energy consumption
• live in areas with higher utility expenditures or extreme temperatures
• makes X-amount of income/year
• interested in eco-friendly products or is environmentally conscious
• has some level of interest in home automation, etc.
Answer format: Use a bullet-point list to build the profile. Please make sure that each
bullet-point contains specific information (see hint above). You do not need to identify
the data points.
Q.2. With regard to the levels of segmentation listed in Figure 2, what
recommendation(s) would you make to Rivian going forward? Explain your answer and
include any related risks/downsides associated with the recommendation(s). (30 points)
________________________________________________________________________
Figure 2: Levels of Segmentation
▪ Full Market Coverage – serving all segments with all the products they
may need
▪ Mass Marketing – selling one product to all segments
▪ Single-Segment Specialization – focus on niche market
▪ Multiple Segment Specialization – akin to differentiated marketing
▪ Individual Marketing – micro or one-to one marketing
________________________________________________________________________
Answer format: Use a heading(s) followed by an explanation. For instance, a heading
would be the Level of Segmentation, followed by a detailed explanation which includes
risks and assumptions.
Q.3. Identify and explain in detail the product life cycle stage for electric vehicles. Use
research/data to support or justify your answer. (50 points)
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sharing in any form is strictly prohibited.
You must analyze what is happening to product, pricing, promotion, and
place/distribution (at the industry level) in the stage you identified. For instance, in the
introduction stage, there are not many variations of the product. Similarly, you must
analyze the state of competition and consumer adoption trends that are likely to be
associated with the PLC stage you identified.
Hint: Review the PLC chart in Chapter 9 to better understand the PLC framework.
Answer Format: Use a heading for the PLC stage followed by a brief explanation. Then
use sub-headings followed by explanation/passage for each of the 4Ps plus competition
and adoption sections.
Q.4. Which factors listed in Figure 3 below are likely to help accelerate, and which are
likely to hinder, adoption of Rivian R1S? Explain your rationale. Use research to support
your answer. (20 points)
________________________________________________________________________
Figure 3: Innovation Characteristics
▪ Relative advantage
▪ Compatibility
▪ Complexity
▪ Divisibility/Trialability
▪ Communicability
________________________________________________________________________
Hint: One way to develop the answer would be to review points of parity and points of
differentiation covered in Chapter 7 as well as the innovation characteristics in Chapter 9.
Answer Format: Use headings and sub-headings followed by an explanation. For
instance, a heading can be Accelerators and sub-headings could be the factor(s) listed in
Figure 3.