I have a task to write a report and the brief is as follows


Marketing practitioners are frequently not sure whether traditional marketing strategy and positioning based on segmentation and targeting is valid in the current market reality.

A report that:

1.)provides a critical discussion of the validity of traditional marketing Segmentation and Targeting in the modern era.

2.)Proposes marketing tactics the organisation of your choice should use for each of the four personas developed in the infographic assessment by linking your proposed tactics to the Consumer Behaviour theories applied. This provides further underpinning for the infographic.

3.)Provides a brief personal reflection discussion which explains your personal and professional development from the module. Your personal reflections of the module can be written in the first person but must also include academic underpinning to support your discussion.

The report word count total is 2500 (+ or – 10%).

It is advised that the word count is distributed as follows:
Tasks 1 and 2 – Totalling Approximately 2100 words
Task 3 – Approximately 400 words

The report should be submitted as a professional document that has been proofread and uses Harvard style referencing throughout. You will lose marks for failing to reference your sources.

Writing style
This is a professional report and an academic piece of work. It should include:
Executive Summary
Contents page
Introduction
Main section: which 1) presents a critical discussion of the validity of traditional Segmentation and Targeting in the modern era.
2) suggests how the organisation would use marketing tactics towards the four identified customers developed in the infographic assessment and
3) briefly reflects on your personal development from completing the module.
A Summary/ Conclusion
References
Bibliography
Appendices (if necessary)
Any claim you make needs to be justified and supported with rich, recent and relevant academic references.




The organisation of choice is Reckkit, focusing on the product “Durex Condoms”

The 4 personas are:
1. David : INFJ. Values are sustainability and eco-friendliness in products. Personality is Environmentally conscious, responsible, values sustainability. Cautious about environmental impact of the products he uses. The goal is To contribute to environmental conservation. Motivated by environmental sustainability. 40 years old, lives in QueensTown, Single, an Environmental scientist. Sign is Durex condoms, Interpretant is Sustainability, eco-friendliness and responsibility, Object is Environmental conservation. He Perceives Durex as committed to sustainability. Learned about it through environmental forums, eco-friendly blogs, and social media.

2. Laura : ISFJ. Values health and safety in products. Goal is To maintain a healthy lifestyle. Motivated by health and wellness. Personality is Disciplined, health-conscious, values physical well-being. Cautious, prefers safe and tested products. Sign is Durex condoms, Interpretant is Health, wellness, safety and quality, Object is Healthy lifestyle. 35 years old, lives in Vancouver, Single, a Yoga Instructor. She Perceives Durex as prioritizing safety and quality. Learned about it through health and wellness blogs, magazines, health forums.

3. Emily : ENFP. 30 years old, lives in London, Single, a Travel Blogger. Values diversity and choice in products. HEr goal is To lead an exciting and fulfilling life. Motivated by exploration and adventure. Her personalty is Outgoing, adventurous, and values experiences over possessions. Open to taking risks and trying new things. Sign is Durex condoms, INterpretant is Adventure, excitement, variety and choice, Object is Exciting and fulfilling life. She Perceives Durex as offering variety of choices to suit different needs, preferences. Learned about it through her travels, online blogs, and social media.

4. John : ISTJ. 25 years old, lives in Tokyo, Single, a Software Engineer. Values quality and reliability in products. His goal is To maintain a healthy and safe sexual life. Motivated by safety and protection. Personality is Thoughtful, careful, and values health and well-being. Risk-averse and prefers to be prepared. SIgn is Durex Condoms, Interpretant is Safety, protection, reliability and responsibility, Object is Healthy and safe sexual life. He Perceives Durex as reliable, trustworthy. Learned about it through online ads, social media, word-of-mouth.





Now, i want the report to fully exhibit all of the following:
1. Exceptional critical discussion of the traditional approach of Segmentation and Targeting. All areas of discussion are supported with extensive academic underpinning from a wide range of authors. Exceptional clear links to the organisation and an outstanding range of comparisons made to modern personas.
2. Exceptional marketing tactics developed with very detailed discussion to justify the types proposed. Extensive linkages to the four personas lifestyles.
3. Exceptional linkages of the marketing tactics to the models or theories from the module topic areas. Suggested tactics are supported with an extensive range of academic underpinning sources. Outstanding discussion regarding the suitability of the tactics for the organisation.
4. at the end, Exceptional detailed reflective discussion of different areas of learning and development from the module. Excellent academic models and theories used to underpin the discussion throughout.




To ensure the report meets the exceptional criteria listed, below is the structure to be used:

1. Title Page:

2. Executive Summary: (200 - 250 words)
- Clearly outline the scope of the report, the exceptional level of discussion, comparative analysis, and the novel tactics proposed for modern personas with comprehensive academic support.

3. Contents Page:

4. Introduction: (200 - 250 words)
- Introduce the objective of critically evaluating traditional segmentation and targeting.
- Position the report in the context of its aim to link theory with practice at an exceptional level.

5. Main Section:
- Part 1: Exceptional Critical Discussion of Traditional Segmentation and Targeting (1050-1150 words)
- Introduction to Segmentation and Targeting: (200 words)
- Provide definitions and historical perspective.
- Emphasize the need for rigorous academic critique and the breadth of literature reviewed.
- Critical Evaluation: (500 - 600 words)
- Thoroughly critique traditional methods, using a wide array of academic sources.
- Discuss the evolution and contemporary challenges faced by segmentation and targeting.
- Exceptionally clear links to the organisation with comparisons to modern approaches aligned with personas.
- Persona Comparisons: (350 - 400 words)
- Illustrate outstanding range of comparisons of traditional segmentation/targeting relative to modern personas.
- Discuss implications for the selected organisation.

- Part 2: Exceptional Marketing Tactics and Justification (1050 - 1150 words)
- Development of Marketing Tactics: (200 words)
- Introduce the tailored marketing tactics, ensuring they are exceptional and innovative.
- Linkages to Personas: (600 - 650 words)
- Articulate exceptional marketing tactics developed for each persona with a detailed discussion.
- Provide extensive links to the lifestyles of the four personas.
- Theoretical Justification: (250 - 300 words)
- Exceptional linkage of marketing tactics to relevant models or theories, fully supported by a comprehensive range of sources.
- Offer outstanding discussions on the suitability and alignment of these tactics for the organisation.

6. Personal Reflection: (400 words)
- Personal Learning and Development: (400 words)
- Provide an exceptional reflective discussion of personal learning and development areas from the module.
- Relate personal growth to the module with excellent integration of academic models and theories.

7. Summary/ Conclusion: (200 words)
- Recapitulate the exceptional insights achieved from the critical discussions and proposed marketing tactics.
- Summarize how the report’s findings are underpinned by extensive academic research and exceptional application to theory.


Key Points for Superior Execution:

- At each section, actively seek to incorporate a wide range of academic sources, ensuring representation from foundational authors to current thinkers in the field.
- Ensure the discussion is not only descriptive but rich in critical evaluation, using comparative analysis where necessary to illustrate superior understanding and application.
- Embed marketing tactics within a clear theoretical framework, justifying choices through in-depth discussions of consumer behavior models and their relevance to the personas.
- Demonstrate reflective excellence by critically analyzing personal development with reference to concrete examples and theories that have influenced your understanding and practice.
- Throughout the report, maintain a coherent argument, a thorough line of reasoning, and a sterling academic tone.




Now, i have already written the following 

Introduction

In the swiftly evolving landscape of marketing, scrutinizing the relevance of conventional strategies such as segmentation and targeting has never been more critical. The digital age has introduced an ecosystem teeming with data, reshaping the dynamics of how businesses interact with diversified consumer bases. Against this backdrop, this report offers an incisive examination of traditional segmentation and targeting approaches within the modern context, specifically for the brand Durex Condoms by Reckitt.

Foundational marketing theories once heralded segmentation and targeting as cornerstones for crafting precise and effective marketing campaigns (Kotler & Keller, 2016). By dividing the market into discrete segments and pinpointing target audiences, firms could tailor their messaging and product offerings, resonating with the specific needs and desires of customers (Armstrong et al., 2020). However, with the advent of advanced analytics and the ubiquity of digital platforms, consumer behavior has grown more dynamic and less predictable.

Thus, the objective of this report is multifold: Firstly, to robustly evaluate the enduring validity of segmentation and targeting through a comprehensive survey of scholarly discourse (Smith & Collins, 2020). Secondly, to innovatively interweave marketing tactics tailored to the unique consumer profiles created for Durex Condoms—represented through the meticulously crafted personas of David, Laura, Emily, and John. Finally, to map the linkage between these strategies and consumer behavior theories, ensuring all proposed tactics are buttressed by an extensive array of academic underpinnings (Solomon et al., 2021).

Positioning the discussion within an advanced academic framework also requires acknowledgment of contemporary scholars, who argue for nuanced modifications to the traditional paradigms, in sync with technological advancements and emerging market trends (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2012; Shankar & Batra, 2021). This interplay between historical insights and current-thinking paves the way for an elevated understanding of segmentation and targeting’s relevance today.

Long-standing critiques have postulated that traditional marketing frameworks must evolve to remain effective (Porter, 2020). Echoing this sentiment, the magnitude of analysis presented here not only promises a rigorous intellectual endeavor but also aspires to bridge the gap between time-honored marketing ideology and the demands of the contemporary marketplace. The ensuing segments of this report will deconstruct, analyze, and refine these classical marketing constructs to better align with the contemporary realities faced by Reckitt’s Durex Condoms, endeavoring to achieve a blend of both scholarly and pragmatic excellence.

Introduction to Segmentation and Targeting

Segmentation and targeting lie at the heart of marketing strategy, enabling firms to allocate their efforts and resources efficiently to captivate the right consumers (Kotler & Armstrong, 2020). Segmentation involves dividing the broader market into distinct subsets of consumers who share common needs, preferences, or characteristics, while targeting is the strategic selection of specific segments to which a company directs its marketing mix (Weinstein, 2021). Historically, these concepts have played a pivotal role in guiding businesses to identify and cater to the specific needs of different market niches (McDonald & Dunbar, 2022).

However, as the marketplace becomes ever-more saturated and consumer preferences increasingly fluid, the relevance of traditional segmentation and targeting is being called into question. Critics argue that rapid technological change and data proliferation demand a more dynamic and real-time approach to understanding and engaging consumers (Holt et al., 2020). Against this backdrop, the ensuing discussion delivers a rigorous academic critique of these time-honored concepts, supplemented by a breadth of literature that convenes traditional theories with the latest marketing thought.

Critical Evaluation

As the marketing landscape has evolved, so too has the scrutiny placed upon traditional segmentation and targeting methodologies. Once considered as the bedrock of a sturdy marketing approach, foundational authors such as Kotler and Keller (2016) portrayed these strategies as salient for delivering an organization’s value proposition to the right audience. However, contemporary scholars argue that such frameworks may struggle to grasp the nuances of the modern consumer whose behavior is characterized by rapid change and complexity (Holt et al., 2021).

Traditional segmentation often relied on demographic, geographic, psychographic, and behavioral factors to codify the consumer populace (Weinstein, 2021). This method allowed marketers to craft targeted messages to defined customer groups, considered to be homogenous in their wants and needs (Smith & Collins, 2020). Yet, critics like Vargo and Lusch (2017) have highlighted the increasing nonlinearity of consumer journeys, which defy the clear-cut categories of yesteryear. This has prompted a reassessment of stereotype-based groupings and encouraged a move toward a more individualized, micro-segmentation approach that leans on real-time data and predictive analytics (Holt et al., 2021).

The targeting process also has undergone significant transformation. Traditional targeting approaches often prescribed a one-size-fits-all solution within each segment. However, with the advent of big data analytics and artificial intelligence, personalized targeting has become increasingly feasible and demanded, offering specific solutions to individual consumers in real-time (Shankar & Batra, 2021). This shift from a “broadcast” to a “narrowcast” manner of communication requires marketers to update their practices and calls into question the efficacy of broad-based targeting.

Moreover, customer empowerment enabled by digital platforms has catalyzed the fragmentation of markets and the emergence of niche, often short-lived micro-cultures (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2013). The firm-centric logic that anchored traditional segmentation seems antediluvian in an age where consumers co-create value and forge their own identities independent of marketers’ predefined categories (Vargo & Lusch, 2017).

Here too, a competing view emerges from scholars who argue that traditional market segmentation still holds relevance. Laud & Karpen (2021) counter that a well-researched and carefully constructed segmentation strategy can serve as a beneficial framework for understanding core consumer needs, even within the rapidly shifting marketplace. They assert that the issue lies not in the fundamental approach of segmentation but rather in its application, which must adapt to leverage modern technological tools.

In evaluating targeting, it is noteworthy to consider the interplay between traditional methods and contemporary ethical concerns. As personalization intensifies, the invasive nature and potential overreach of personalized targeting become points of contention, highlighting privacy concerns (Martin & Murphy, 2017). Brands like Reckitt’s Durex Condoms must delicately balance consumer insights with discretion, ensuring that targeted strategies do not overstep personal boundaries, a concern less prominent in traditional targeting paradigms.

Comparatively, while foundational strategies emphasized market coverage and message repetition for brand recall and consumer persuasion, newer models focus on relevance through engagement and interaction (Chaffey & Smith, 2021). As an evolutionary response, companies now deploy consumer-centric approaches, employing tools like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to foster brand relationships and loyalty, going beyond mere targeting towards engendering comprehensive customer experiences.

In conclusion, while the principles of segmentation and targeting remain germane, their application necessitates a renaissance that aligns with the agile and empowered consumer of the digital epoch. Reasserting Reckitt’s position with its Durex brand means not discarding traditional wisdom but reconstructing it in a manner that is reflexive and responsive to the ever-changing consumer milieu.


Persona Comparisons

In light of the rigid classifications of traditional segmentation, modern marketing’s embrace of personas offers a more nuanced and empathetic understanding of consumer archetypes. Personas are fictional, yet data-informed representations of key customer segments, interweaving behavioural, attitudinal, and demographic insights (Cooper, 2020). In examining Reckitt’s approach for Durex Condoms through the personas of David, Laura, Emily, and John, we discern the shades of individuality eclipsing the confines of traditional segmentation.

David represents the environmentally conscious segment, reflecting an emergent customer type who prioritizes corporate sustainability and eco-friendly products (Cheah & Phau, 2021). By contrast, traditional segmentation might have amalgamated this eco-conscious behavior as a subsidiary trait within a broader demographic group. Modern personas permit a more granular, and thus more accurate, representation of consumer clusters which are essential for developing precise marketing tactics.

Laura’s persona reveals the health and safety-centric consumer, underscoring the demand for trust and reliability in products (Bahl et al., 2020). Traditional targeting may group such consumers with broad terms like ‘health-conscious’, but the incorporation of psychographic and behavioural data into personas allows for a more refined understanding and engagement strategy.

The adventurous and experience-seeking aspects of Emily’s persona challenge traditional notions of risk assessment in targeting, where risk-averse customers were the primary focus (Holt et al., 2021). The persona underscores the importance of understanding the aspirational motivations that underlie consumer choices, which transcend conventional behavioral segmentation.

Finally, John’s persona epitomizes the tech-savvy consumer, valuing product quality and reliability. His reserved and analytical approach to purchasing decisions illustrates a type of consumer that traditional models often overlook when considering the typically young, tech-oriented market segment (Smith & Collins, 2021).

Through comparing these personas to traditional segments, present-day marketing acknowledges the richness of individual consumer narratives. These narratives offer insights, which when captured correctly, lead to strategies that better resonate with contemporary audiences (Malthouse et al., 2021). When applied to Durex Condoms, it means crafting messages that strategically align with each persona’s intrinsic motives and perceptions—be it sustainability for David, health for Laura, adventure for Emily, or reliability for John.

Such persona-driven strategy challenges the simplistic categorical logic of traditional segmentation and signifies the progression to an era where customer centricity takes precedence. Marketers thereby gain a more dimensional understanding, enabling higher precision in targeting and relevant value proposition delivery, reflecting the dynamic fluidity of modern consumer identities (Vargo & Lusch, 2017).


Development of Marketing Tactics

The development of marketing tactics in today’s fragmented and dynamic market requires a strategic concoction of data analytics, creativity, and deep consumer understanding. In deploying these tactics, firms like Reckitt’s Durex Condoms must not only interpret complex consumer data but also manifest adaptability and agility in their marketing efforts (Kannan & Li, 2017). At the core, these tactics must align with the persona-driven approach, ensuring that each action resonates deeply with the intended audience by leveraging behavioral insights and consumer trends (Holt et al., 2021).

With Durex Condoms, the tactics for engaging the personas of David, Laura, Emily, and John require marketing campaigns to pivot away from one-size-fits-all messaging. Instead, they must integrate persona-specific content that addresses the unique environmental, health, adventure, and reliability cues that these consumers seek (Chaffey & Smith, 2021). Strategies can range from eco-labeled product lines and wellness-focused educational content to adventure-themed partnerships and evidence-based tech endorsements, all synchronized with a multichannel approach harnessing social media, online forums, and targeted advertisements (Holt et al., 2020).

Modern marketing tactics must, therefore, be innovative and responsive, designed with an appreciation for the personas they aim to engage. By crafting bespoke and responsive strategies, Durex positions itself to effectively captivate and retain each of these diverse consumer segments (Weinstein, 2021). This approach delineates a move from the broad strokes of traditional marketing tactics to a more precise and nuanced art of consumer engagement.








Now, in the best possible way and to the highest possible standard, generate the “Linkages to Personas” section (600 words). Ensure to include proper in-text citation referencing a wide range of the most relevant academic writings (as recent as available on your last update in early 2023). Ensure to articulate exceptional marketing tactics developed for each persona with a detailed discussion, and provide extensive links to the lifestyles of the four personas.