A manufacturer of toothpaste has segmented the market and developed distinct product offerings designed to appeal to the three different segments. One product offers all day protection from tooth decay, a second product offers whiter, brighter teeth and the third product offers all day mouth freshness. Which approach to segmentation is the company most likely to have used?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

A toothpaste manufacturer is tailoring its offerings to address distinct benefits that different customer groups seek from the product. This points toward a benefits-driven approach to segmentation rather than focusing on other criteria.
Option a: usage rate. This would segment the market by how frequently customers use toothpaste (e.g., daily, occasional). The described products aren’t differentiated by how often people use toothpaste, but by the specific benefit they seek, so usage rate is not the best fit here.
Option b: benefit segmentation. This matches the scenario precisely: one product emphasizes all-day protection (a functional benefit related to cavity prevention), another emphasizes whitening (a cosmetic/appearance-related benefit), and the third emphasizes mouth freshness (a breath/alignment with freshness benefit). Grouping customers by the particular benefit they desire is a classic benefit-based segmentation.
Option c: psychographic segmentation. This would classify consumers by lifestyle, values, or personality traits. While psychographics can influence product design, the case describes concrete product benefits rather than abstract lifestyle categories, making psychographics a less direct explanation for this market approach.
Option d: usage occasion. This would segment by when or where the product is used (e.g., morning routine, travel). The scenario does not indicate different occasions of use; instead it highlights different benefits marketed to different segments.
Thus, evaluating the options against the scenario, the product lineup aligned with distinct benefits suggests benefit segmentation as the underlying approach.

MCD2050 - T1 - 2025 Week 3 Quiz

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