NWODO Sylvanus Ikechukwu
Department of Management Sciences (Marketing Programme)
Rhema University Aba, Abia State, Nigeria.
sylvanusnwodo@gmail.com
Abstract
This study examined the extent to which manufacturing firms in South-East Nigeria apply segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP), as well as the nexus between application of STP framework and marketing performance. The study adopted a descriptive design. The population of the study consisted 7,980 manufacturing firms in Anambra and Abia States in South-Eastern Nigeria. A sample size of 380 was drawn from the population using Taro Yemane formula for sample size determination. Stratified random sampling technique was used to arrive at test units. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data collected, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the between application of STP framework and marketing performance. The study found a significant positive relationship between application of STP framework and marketing performance of manufacturing firms in South-East Nigeria. The study concludes that STP framework is a strategic driver of marketing performance, and recommends that manufacturing firms that seek improved marketing performance should prioritize regular market research to gather reliable data that improves segmentation accuracy, identify emerging customer needs, and guide better targeting and positioning decisions.
Keywords: Marketing performance, positioning, segmentation, targeting, manufacturing firms