Marketing

1. Based on Subaru and Toyota's Websites, both corporate companies offer a variety of vehicles to target each marketing segment based on consumer demand, but one company offers a larger range than the other.

Subaru and Toyota have researched the each marketing segment and provided a vehicle for each category. The main segments are family, off road/SUV, sports and small car/economical but Toyota has also added utility vehicles to their target market.

Both Subaru and Toyota have so many brands because they are involved in a largely intense market which offers such a large variety in vehicles which are driven by consumer demand. They both offer the same market of vehicles so they must compete with one another to drive more customers to them, for e.g. Subaru endowers a high functionality standard over its competitors.

2. Subaru and Toyota have targeted multiple segments within in the Australian market. With their large variety of vehicles, they have chosen to cover all the segments categorised according to consumer demands.

In the car manufacturing business, customers may have similar needs but not all of them seek the same product or services to satisfy their own needs. Customers that buy the same product may be influenced by certain needs and or benefits that product delivers. This is why car brands like Subaru and Toyota develop multiple vehicles to cover many marketing segments that will satisfy the consumers and to cover most of the market.

For example, a family man with a wife and two children will be looking for a car to accommodate not ones individual need, but multiple individuals, in this case a family of four. So this rules out a small car, utility and sports car. Now Subaru and Toyota have analysed and measured the marketing opportunities and have developed their own branded vehicle to suit this family needs. Based on Subaru and Toyota, the family will have a choice from the Forester X and RAV4 CV.

3. Corporate brands such as Subaru and Toyota benefit greatly when taking part in racing car events such as rallying championships.

- This gives Subaru and Toyota large exposure to an audience of car enthusiasts.

- It allows them to market their brand for the specific event. Since it's a sports event, this rules out the market segments of family, small and economical cars and left with sports/performance vehicle market. In this case Subaru would market there WRX and Toyota will market there Corolla Sportivo.

- It creates a great deal of brand loyalty, for example in one of Australia's largest rivalled sports is the V8 championship. Holden fans will refuse to buy a Ford and vice versa. This cements a given sale from the consumer.

- Having a successful team will help aid in brand loyalty and convince the viewers that there brand is the greatest compared to its competitors.

4. The Pricing and Promotional strategies of Subaru and Toyota completely differ from one another. This is because The Subaru Forester X is recognised as a recreational 4WD, ideal for families and the Toyota Yaris is targeted for economical use.

Subaru have chosen to target the family segment