| Course | GB530 Marketing Management |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 1 |
| Paper type | Marketing strategy post |
| Length | About 400 words, 2 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 discussion post |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | MBA |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for GB530 Unit 1
Whose Side of the Roof Decision: A Unit 1 Marketing Strategy Post From a Thermal Drone Firm
GB530 · Unit 1 Marketing Strategy Post
Posted by [Student Name]
The firm, the writer's role and every figure are composite and illustrative; the sources cited are real.
Initial Post
I schedule the night flight crews at Scioto Thermal Imaging, so I see every survey we fly. We fly thermal cameras over flat commercial roofs after sunset, when wet insulation releases heat it stored during the day, and we sell maps showing where the roof is wet. Owners use the maps to repair only the damaged areas; contractors use them to propose new roofs.
Last year we flew 580 surveys. Roofing contractors ordered about 61 percent, building owners and their asset managers about 24 percent, and insurers and roofing consultants the rest. Contractors are easy customers: they order in volume and pay quickly. But they want us to find enough wet area to justify a full replacement, and owners know it. Two owners told our sales lead last month that they would not trust a map paid for by the company that wants to sell them a roof.
That is a strategic choice, not a sales question. Levitt (1960) warned against defining a business by its product rather than by the need it serves. If we define ourselves as a drone survey company, contractors are our best market. If we define ourselves as a source of independent evidence about roofs, owners are, and contractor work weakens what we sell.
Our product is the same either way; what changes is whose interest the map serves, and that decides whether owners believe it.
Kotler and Keller (2016) describe the marketing concept as starting from the target customer's needs rather than the firm's existing sales. Applied here, that means choosing owners as the target, accepting slower growth while contractor volume falls, and building an annual program that gives owners regular evidence about every roof in their portfolios.
Reply to Rachel
Rachel, you suggest keeping contractors as a separate line under another brand. I worry owners would still see the same crews and maps, and the independence claim would not survive.
Reply to Victor
Victor, your point that contractor revenue funds the switch is fair. Letting current contractor deals run out over two years while signing no new ones might balance cash and credibility.
References
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing management (15th ed.). Pearson.
Levitt, T. (1960). Marketing myopia. Harvard Business Review, 38(4), 45-56.
The Purdue Global GB530 Unit 1 instructions
The first GB530 discussion asks you to connect a firm's marketing to its strategy. Introduce the firm and your relationship to it briefly. Describe its current customers with figures and identify a strategic choice that marketing must make, such as which customer the firm serves. Apply one or two marketing concepts to explain the choice and recommend a direction, noting its costs. Then reply to two classmates, each time engaging a specific suggestion from their post and testing it against the firm's situation. Aim for roughly 450 words in the opening post, supported by two APA 7 sources, and let each reply take up a single point raised by that classmate.
How this GB530 Unit 1 example is built
The post introduces the writer's role scheduling night crews and the firm's thermal moisture maps. It breaks last year's 580 surveys down by buyer and reports two owners' doubts about contractor-paid maps. Levitt's marketing myopia argument frames the choice between a drone survey company and a source of independent evidence, and the highlighted sentence states that the product is the same but whose interest it serves changes. Kotler and Keller's marketing concept supports choosing owners and building an annual program. The reply to Rachel doubts that a separate brand would protect independence, and the reply to Victor suggests letting contractor deals run out over two years.
Where the points sit in the GB530 Unit 1 rubric
GB530 instructors look for a post that turns a marketing question into a strategic one. Describing customers with figures earns early credit. Identifying the choice, here whose interest the product serves, shows insight beyond promotion. Applying a concept such as marketing myopia to the firm's own situation carries significant weight. Recommending a direction and naming its cost, such as slower growth, shows judgment. Replies that test a classmate's idea against the firm's position meet participation criteria. A clear link between the choice and later marketing decisions completes it. The post's APA 7 references are Levitt's marketing myopia article and the Kotler and Keller marketing text.
Common GB530 Unit 1 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Many GB530 Unit 1 posts describe a firm's products and promotion without naming the strategic choice behind them. Others recommend growth in every direction at once. A common gap is the customer conflict: when contractors and owners expect opposite results from one map, the firm has to pick a side, and the post should say which. Some replies simply agree. Introduce the firm briefly, describe its customers with figures, name the choice, apply a concept, recommend a direction with its cost and reply with a specific test. Showing that the product stays the same while its meaning changes for different buyers is a strong way to frame the decision, and it prepares the ground for targeting and positioning later in the course.
Get a GB530 Unit 1 example written to your instructions
Paste the Unit 1 prompt and the rubric from your GB530 section, and name the firm to write about, your employer or a composite. A custom post with a short introduction and one reply is shaped to that prompt and returned in 24-48h, the first free. Mention which customers the firm serves today so the argument starts there. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
More GB530 papers and MBA samples
- GB530 Unit 2: Situation Analysis
- GB530 Unit 3: Buyer Behavior Research
- GB530 Unit 4: Segmentation and Targeting Analysis
- GB530 Unit 5: Positioning Statement
- GB530 Unit 6: Product Strategy
- GB530 Unit 7: Pricing Analysis
- GB530 Unit 8: Channel Strategy
- GB530 Unit 9: Integrated Promotion Plan
- GB530 Unit 10: Marketing Plan
- GB528 Unit 1: Discussion Board Post
- GB527 Unit 1: Discussion Board Post
- GB526 Unit 1: Discussion Board Post
- GB525 Unit 1: Discussion Board Post
GB530 Unit 1 questions, answered
How much of the Unit 1 post should be introduction?
Usually two to four sentences: your role, your industry and what you hope to use from the course. Many GB530 sections combine the introductions board with the first strategy question, and graders reward the strategy part. An introduction that runs to a full paragraph of career history leaves too little room for the argument the rubric actually scores.
Can I use my own employer as the example firm?
Often, yes, and it tends to produce a sharper post because you know which customers really pay the bills. Keep confidential figures out or round them, and say when a number is approximate. If your section prefers public companies, a composite built from your industry works too, as long as you label it as one.
Which frameworks suit a first-unit strategy post?
The ones your course reading introduces, most often the Ansoff matrix, the marketing concept or a basic view of competitive strategy. Pick one and apply it to a real decision rather than surveying several. A framework earns credit when it names the choice a firm faces; defining it in general terms earns very little on its own.
Where can I find a free GB530 Unit 1 sample paper?
This page carries a full GB530 Unit 1 marketing strategy post for a thermal drone roof survey firm choosing between contractors and owners, with customer figures, two concepts applied, two replies and APA 7 references.
Why does serving contractors weaken the firm with owners?
Contractors want maps that justify replacements, and owners know it. If the firm is seen as working for contractors, owners doubt its maps, which undermines the independent evidence it could sell them.