Marketing Project

CSUB-Muslim Student Association

Successful Segmentation Criteria

The Muslim Student Association is easily identifiable by its name; it is clearly a Muslim organization. Further, they have t-shirts branded Muslim Association which is an unmistakable tag. The organization is substantial since it serves all the Muslim students at the university. The target members are measurable since they are people that can be counted. The target members are mainly students on campus and the choice of social media for communication is excellent since students use this often hence accessibility. Their attendance of events, comments on the Facebook page and participation in various activities of the organization is an indication of their responsiveness.

Market Segmentation Bases

The ways in which possible members could be identified include studying the students’ stay, their religion, interests, the organization goals and the resources required to achieve those goals. Students found to be of Muslim faith would be good candidates for the organization. Students taking courses in religious studies would also be interested even though they were of a different faith. The group aims at clearing misconceptions created by the media about Islam and this makes every student a potential member. Clear identification of the amount of time to be dedicated to the group is also a factor to consider. Muslim members could meet more often mainly for prayers while non-Muslims would participate only in major events such as the Eid festival. The benefits offered by membership include a chance to meet new people, an understanding of Islam hence respect for the same, Psychological relief for Muslims who have felt offended by the condemnation of their faith by the media among others. Thus the whole student community is a target member.

Descriptors for Market Segmentation

Some individual factors that may make CSUB students eligible for membership include individual religious backgrounds. Muslim students will definitely benefit more from this through gaining a sense of belonging and being able to perform religious activities together such as the annual celebration of Eid. Students from other religions would be reluctant to join but those taking religious studies would show a greater interest. The social benefits of membership include the opportunity to make new friends and a harmonious relationship between Muslims and other people since they would understand each other better. This makes everyone a potential member. Cultural factors would also play a great role in this. The henna art is very captivating and many non-Muslims would enjoy this while others would be too much for non-Muslims, therefore, discourage them from joining the organization. The perceptions about Islam formed over time would cause some students to avoid membership. Muslims, however, would be eager to join owing to the sense of belonging created by the group and security.

Analysis of Segmentation Strategy

The mission of the Muslim association is to clear the misconceptions about Islam in the university community and promote peaceful coexistence and respect for the different religions. As such, the targeted members are both Muslims and non-Muslims both of whom possess very varying needs. As such, the multi-segmented approach is most appropriate to ensure that the needs of the two groups are met.

Designing a Positioning Strategy