The Ford Ka

Best segment is freedom lovers. The Ford Ka was scheduled for launch at the Paris Motor Show in October 1996. But Brand Manager, Gilles Moynier, needed to decide on the target market for the new product. The car industry was traditionally segmented into size tiers, but Europe’s market for small cars was changing rapidly and even alternative segmentations did not reveal a clear target for the Ka. This case introduces students to the fundamental marketing problem of market segmentation and target selection. Ford’s situation does not fit the ‘textbook’ model exactly and so the case is an opportunity to analyse how theory can be applied in the real world; the difference between segment formation and segment identification; and typical market research tools used for market segmentationThe Ford Ka was scheduled for launch at the Paris Motor Show in October 1996. But Brand Manager, Gilles Moynier, needed to decide on the target market for the new product. The car industry was traditionally segmented into size tiers, but Europe’s market for small cars was changing rapidly and even alternative segmentations did not reveal a clear target for the Ka.

This case introduces students to the fundamental marketing problem of market segmentation and target selection. Ford’s situation does not fit the ‘textbook’ model exactly and so the case is an opportunity to analyse how theory can be applied in the real world; the difference between segment formation and segment identification; and typical market research tools used for market segmentationThe Ford Ka was scheduled for launch at the Paris Motor Show in October 1996. But Brand Manager, Gilles Moynier, needed to decide on the target market for the new product. The car industry was traditionally segmented into size tiers, but Europe’s market for small cars was changing rapidly and even alternative segmentations did not reveal a clear target for the Ka. This case introduces students to the fundamental marketing problem of market segmentation and target selection.

Ford’s situation does not fit the ‘textbook’ model exactly and so the case is an opportunity to analyse how theory can be applied in the real world; the difference between segment formation and segment identification; and typical market research tools used for market segmentationThe Ford Ka was scheduled for launch at the Paris Motor Show in October 1996. But Brand Manager, Gilles Moynier, needed to decide on the target market for the new product. The car industry was traditionally segmented into size tiers, but Europe’s market for small cars was changing rapidly and even alternative segmentations did not reveal a clear target for the Ka. This case introduces students to the fundamental marketing problem of market segmentation and target selection. Ford’s situation does not fit the ‘textbook’ model exactly and so the case is an opportunity to analyse how theory can be applied in the real world; the difference between segment formation and segment identification; and typical market research tools used for market segmentationThe Ford Ka was scheduled for launch at the Paris Motor Show in October 1996.

But Brand Manager, Gilles Moynier, needed to decide on the target market for the new product. The car industry was traditionally segmented into size tiers, but Europe’s market for small cars was changing rapidly and even alternative segmentations did not reveal a clear target for the Ka. This case introduces students to the fundamental marketing problem of market segmentation and target selection. Ford’s situation does not fit the ‘textbook’ model exactly and so the case is an opportunity to analyse how theory can be applied in the real world; the difference between segment formation and segment identification; and typical market research tools used for market segmentation.