Success Stories

　　One of the most successful fashion companies in the world is Benetton. The Benetton family opened their first shop in Italy in 1968. _________ (1) Benetton followed four marketing principles in order to achieve their success.

　　The first principle in Consumer Concept. To build a successful business, you have to develop products around things people value, especially quality. ___________ (2) He created clothes to match people’s wants: the style is casual; the colors and patterns are bold; and the quality is excellent.

　　The System Link in another feature of good marketing. For Benetton, this means waiting to get information about what customers like and what they dislike before making the clothes. _________ (3).

　　The Information Link means making sure the company responds quickly to people’s demands. _____________ (4) This information is then sent to the main office in Italy. Benetton can use this information to identify popular products and to continue making them; it can also identify less popular products and stop making them.

　　A final important marketing principle is the Retail Link. There are Benetton stores in countries around the world. All the stores have the same clothing, the same window display, and the same approach to sales. ______________ (5)

　　The things people like about Benetton stores are that the quality is always high and the prices are generally low. And that spells success.

　　A The founder of Benetton began by asking people what they wanted.

　　B There used to be a good reason for this.

　　C When something is sold at a Benetton store, the store records information about the type, size, and color of the item.

　　D Today, there are Benetton shops in major cities all over the world.

　　E This means that customers can go into any Benetton store in the world and be sure of what they are buying.

　　F In other words, Benetton’s clothes are made to order.

　　Answers: 1. D 2. A 3. F 4. C 5. E