Mass marketing is the maximum exposure of product advertising to consumers. It's the opposite of niche marketing, where the idea is to advertise and market products to a specific target group of people. A target market is a segment of consumers identified through research to be the most likely to buy a particular product. In mass marketing, products that many people want or need, such as soda, toothpaste, bread, and household cleaners, are advertised to a large audience.
To reach large consumer audiences successfully, mass communication is crucial. The origin of mass marketing is the latter part of the 20th century when new technologies, such as television and radio, became immensely popular in society. For the first time, advertisers were able to reach wide audiences of people with each advertising message. Products that most people needed or wanted could be advertised to that large general market through the medium of broadcasting.
For example, products advertised during national television programs may reach consumers throughout the entire country. As long as these products are available nationwide, advertising to such a huge demographic can be a good marketing strategy. Consumers seeing products advertised on television commercials are often more likely to choose them over similar store products that weren't promoted. Showing television viewers the actual product and communicating benefits — such as getting sparkling white teeth by using Brand X toothpaste — has been shown to increase sales of advertised products. As the commercials are repeated, the repetition helps to create brand recognition.
Brand recognition occurs when consumers recognize a product through its packaging, name, and promoted benefits. Consumers seeing a new product advertised that appeals to them are likely to add it to their shopping list. Mass marketing also works to inspire brand loyalty by reminding consumers of the benefits of one product over its competition. Through repeated product advertising, advertisers hope consumers will continue to purchase the item. Through a mass advertising strategy, brand managers create a wide appeal for their products to match the wide scope of their audience.
Mass marketing is also called undifferentiated marketing since the typical strategies of reaching different market segments aren't used. In differentiated marketing, at least two different market segments are targeted, and each segment is reached through unique promotional strategies. This type of market concentration can be extremely effective in creating product sales, but it's typically more expensive.