Market development vs. market disconnect

I didn't adequately explain "market development" in the earlier entry on cultural tourism. I won't go into it in great length. Suffice to say that market development is the process you have to go through to get people to buy your product. At that if what you are trying to sell is much different than what the reality is, or norms, you have to go to great and expensive lengths to convince potential customers of this.

An example is selling high-end arts products to low income demographics, or the value of a neighborhood shopping district as it is, rather than what it wants to be, or the local history value of DC vis-a-vis the world-wide attractiveness of the monuments and Smithsonian Museums and the National Gallery.

Another example of market disconnect is Whole Foods Markets trying to sell themselves to customers as a low cost option in supermarketing. I hate shopping there because it's so expensive. I prefer Giant, ethnic markets like PanAm International, or of course the Florida Market. Even DC area farmers markets seem very expensive compared to the Waverly Saturday Market or Baltimore Farmers Market in Baltimore. As long as Whole Foods sells cilantro for $1.68/bunch and it isn't organic--70 cents more than Giant, and $1.18 more than PanAm or the Florida Market, there is no way that they can claim that they are a low cost producer. Get over it. Market what you are. See "Grocers hype bargains to thrifty public" from the Baltimore Sun.

Now if you are trying to change your position in the marketplace, i.e. a commercial district like H Street NE, that's one thing. You change your position by adding new destinations attractive to your target audiences. Whole Foods isn't gonna start changing their product mix to compete with Shoppers Food Warehouse.