The Advantages of Undifferentiated Marketing

Undifferentiated marketing is more commonly referred to as mass marketing. It lacks the targeted approach of other marketing strategies and typically operates on a larger scale. The philosophy behind undifferentiated marketing is to reach the most consumers by any means necessary and without regard for specific goals. Where targeted marketing is the game fisherman using a rod and reel, undifferentiated marketing is the man casting a large net. Although it is less scientific and more scatter-shot in nature, undifferentiated marketing has a long list of advantages over narrowly targeted marketing.

Undifferentiated marketing is by nature cheaper to put together than other types of marketing. Since it does not require as many work hours, expensive marketing research data, and constantly changing content as other forms of advertising, undifferentiated marketing has far less overhead. When it comes to implementation, mass marketing is on equal footing, since the cost of an ad is the cost of an ad, for the most part. If you engage in saturation campaigns that require the regular purchase of ad space with a few partners, you may be able to negotiate better rates than small businesses who run more targeted and less frequent initiatives.

The reach of undifferentiated marketing is typically far greater than most other types of marketing. Since there is no concern for who will be exposed to the message and why, undifferentiated marketing is often carried out in a haphazard manner based on quantity and not quality. For example, an undifferentiated marketing campaign for a small business may involve the distribution of flyers by 10 people canvassing 100 random streets who are there to hand out as many as possible to anyone passing by. A more targeted campaign will have one person staged in a strategic location where the target market is known to congregate. While the latter method may target a more preferable market segment, the former will reach more eyes and more potential customers overall. Whether those potential customers become actual customers is up to chance.

The time necessary to put together undifferentiated marketing campaigns is far shorter than more targeted methods. This is a great advantage when it comes to changing market conditions, marketing methods, or product information. Whereas a small-business owner who moves ahead with precisely targeted campaigns will have to rework her efforts and get the word out to her specific clientele, a mass marketer can adjust almost immediately. Since there is no concern for who must be reached and how, the materials can be mass produced with no specific details or targeted messages attached, then distributed by whatever means are available. As long as the word is on the street, or in the mailbox, or on the radio, the goal is accomplished.

The more your brand is seen by the consumer, any consumer, the better name recognition you will have. It's just a fact that the small businesses that spread around the most marketing materials will be the among the best known in the market. This is not always be perceived as a positive, since some consumers may get to know you only as the company with all the flyers, but as P.T. Barnum said, "There is no such thing as bad publicity." Brand recognition is a valuable asset to have in any business, and should you decide to switch to a more targeted set of initiatives in the future, the odds are people will already know who you are thanks to your undifferentiated campaigns.