5.3 Marketing Factors

Product appeal is also affected by the Marketing Department's Promo and Sales Budgets (see 6.2 Marketing for more information).

If the Total Quality Management module is enabled, some initiatives can increase appeal.

5.3.1 Awareness

Awareness is determined by each product's promotion budget. Promotion budgets are put towards advertising and public relations campaigns. Only customers who know about your products will rate them, therefore higher awareness can increase the survey score. Among those customers who are aware of your product, a certain percentage will actively seek it out over a competitors'. Your product will be chosen randomly and less frequently when customers are not aware of it.

Now suppose your product has not been promoted for many years while a competitor has aggressively promoted its product. Your awareness is 0%, their awareness is 100%. If you and your competitor's products are otherwise identical, your product would have half the appeal it would have received had it also 100% awareness.

5.3.2 Accessibility

Accessibility is determined by each product's sales budget: Sales budgets are put towards sales people and distribution systems. Customers who have access to your product will find it more favorable, therefore higher accessibility will increase the survey score. Like awareness, 0% accessibility does not imply zero sales . Instead, appeal to customers might be half what it could be because it is more difficult for customers to find your product or interact with you.

If you and your competitor's products are otherwise identical, and your product's accessibility is 0%, while your competitor's is 100%, your product would have half the appeal it would have received had it also 100% accessibility.