Current Marketing Mix

Listed company to work on this paper is : Jitterbug Cell Phones

Topics to work on:

Current Marketing Mix

a.  Product

b.  Pricing strategy

c.  Place or distribution

d.  Promotional campaign

 

Choose a brand from the list below to research and develop a marketing plan.  You should be able to find information from business media, such as The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune, Advertising Age, or Forbes.  Start with the recommended publications above.   Other information may be obtained from the company’s website, and from the business section of daily newspapers.  You may also look for the product in stores or visit the business for additional information.  This is particularly helpful for understanding the competition, the pricing, and distribution strategies.  Use multiple sources because some may be biased (for example, the company website probably avoids any negative information about the brand).

I expect a minimum of twelve current articles (2017 – present), not including the company website, as background for your paper.   If you are not sure about the meaning of the terms in the outline below, consult your textbook to make sure you understand what you are saying about the brand.  Although many students start their searches with Wikipedia for background information, Wikipedia is NEVER appropriate as a citation in college level work.

The major part of the assignment will focus on what the company is or has been doing.  Part four concludes with your recommendations to change something about the way the product should be marketed.  The actual paper should be written in paragraphs, ie, not simply an outline with bullets.  Go to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ if you need writing help, especially for an explanation of how to cite your sources using APA format.

The paper should cover:

I. Situation Analysis

a.Internal Environment

i.   What is the company’s mission and overall business objectives?

ii.   What resources does the company have that make them unique?

iii.   How is the marketing function organized (centralized?  By brand or category? By market?)

b. External Environment

i.   What is the overall domestic and global market for the product?  What is the approximate market share?

ii.   Who are the competitors?  What are their marketing strategies?

iii.   How does the economic environment affect demand for the product?

iv.    What is happening in the social and cultural environment that affects the product?

v.    What is happening in the legal and regulatory environment?

vi.    How does the technological environment affect the business?

c. SWOT Analysis

i.  Based on our understanding of the internal and external environments, what are the key opportunities and threats for the marketing of the brand?

II. Target Market

a. Describe the current target market(s) for the product.  What segmentation variables are used to divide the market?

b. What type of targeting strategy is used? (undifferentiated, concentrated, differentiated)

c. Research additional information about this (these) target markets that would be helpful in improving the marketing mix.  A business librarian may be useful in finding appropriate sources of information.

SWOT Analysis

  • Start by reading the attached case file (Course Resource West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.) and be sure to consider the following questions while you do additional research:
    • Where is the company headquartered?
    • What are the company’s major products and/or services?
    • What is the company’s annual revenue in dollars, and what is its annual production in units?
    • Does the company own its own facilities or does it subcontract manufacturing to others?
    • Who are the company’s major suppliers of raw materials or parts, and where are they located?
    • What is the distribution of the company’s workforce by country?
    • How does the company differentiate its offering in its highly competitive markets?
    • Does the company have exclusive marketing or distribution agreements or partnerships?
    • Who are the company’s major global and US customers?
    • What benefits does the company offer to its customers?
    • Who are the company’s major global and US competitors?
    • When developing your situation analysis, you should also understand the importance of vision and mission statements and then research the company’s own vision and mission statements.
  • **Write a three-page document detailing the main findings of your research about your client, including its mission and vision statement. This document will ultimately form part of your situation analysis report.
  •  As a member of the business development team for this project, you use quantitative and qualitative market information to make important decisions and set the direction of the marketing plan. As you continue to work on your situation analysis report, your team will use the following tools to conduct an environmental scan, the foundation on which a solid marketing plan is built.
  • Tools for Environmental Scan
  • Company-Specific Analysis (internal)
  • SWOT analysis—A SWOT analysis is a planning and brainstorming tool that helps a company evaluate its projects and formulate its business plans. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You will use this tool to identify and analyze the company’s internal strengths and weaknesses as well as its external opportunities and threats. The results of this analysis may help the company improve its business or forecast how a new product or service will perform (Harmon, 2016).
  • Industry, Market, and Customer Analysis (external)
  • PESTEL analysis—A PESTEL analysis (sometimes called PEST analysis) enables the company to identify, analyze, and monitor the political, economic, social, technological, legal (including regulatory), and environmental factors that may affect its operations (Frue, 2017).
  • Porter’s five forces analysis—Porter’s five forces analysis is a framework that can help the company understand the competitive forces at play in its industry. These forces may influence how economic value is divided among the company’s competitors in the industry (Porter, 2008).
  • Research your industry and its market trends in the United States and identify market opportunities, threats, and the company’s major global competition. Then conduct the SWOT, PESTEL, and Porter’s five forces analyses on your client’s company. These tools should allow you to analyze the company’s internal environment, customers, and macro-environment (external environment), and to answer the following questions in your situation analysis report:
    • Which elements have the biggest impact on the company’s success?
    • What factors affect the company’s customers (other businesses)?
  • Be sure to support your work with scholarly sources and reliable nonscholarly sources such as Reuters, Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance, Barrons.com, Morningstar.com, Money, Forbes, Fortune, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review, as well as the UMUC Library databases such as Hoover’s and ABI/INFORM. All sources need to be cited using APA formatting, both within the text and in the reference list. Also cite the UMUC documents provided as well.

Use the following template:

Case Discussion (Tag Heuer)Communicating Value

  • Please read the case and analyze it by answering these case analysis questions.
  • You may answer each case discussion question in each paragraph and separate different paragraphs for different questions. You don’t have to copy the discussion questions in your answer.
  • Although quantity is not quality, however I do not accept 1-2 sentence answers to each question. Please make a thorough case analysis, post 300 to 500 words’ case analysis (roughly 1.5-3 pages double spaced with12-font), and post it in the text entry format online. There is no word limit on your comments to others.

Case Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the SWOT of TAG? What does a Swiss luxury watch brand stand for?
  2. What was the situation at TAG Heuer when Biver took over as CEO? Which of Biver’s actions do you agree/disagree with? Why?
  3. How has Biver been able to turn around so many companies? What does he do for a marketing perspective?
  4. Was GAT Heuer right to go after the digital watch market? Why?
    • Please read the case and analyze it by answering these case analysis questions.
    • You may answer each case discussion question in each paragraph and separate different paragraphs for different questions. You don’t have to copy the discussion questions in your answer.
    • Although quantity is not quality, however I do not accept 1-2 sentence answers to each question. Please make a thorough case analysis, post 300 to 500 words’ case analysis (roughly 1.5-3 pages double spaced with12-font), and post it in the text entry format online. There is no word limit on your comments to others.

    Case Discussion Questions:

    1. What is the SWOT of TAG? What does a Swiss luxury watch brand stand for?
    2. What was the situation at TAG Heuer when Biver took over as CEO? Which of Biver’s actions do you agree/disagree with? Why?
    3. How has Biver been able to turn around so many companies? What does he do for a marketing perspective?
    4. Was GAT Heuer right to go after the digital watch market? Why?

Relationships And Interdependencies Between Marketing And Other Functional Areas

Individually, students will prepare a 3-5 page essay (excluding cover page, abstract, and references) on the relationships and interdependencies between marketing and other functional areas. APA methodology applies to this assignment.

References used  should be academic, peer-reviewed articles from trustworthy publications.  Additionally, none of the articles used should be older than 5 years.

Individually, students will prepare a 3-5 page essay (excluding cover page, abstract, and references) on the relationships and interdependencies between marketing and other functional areas. APA methodology applies to this assignment.

References used  should be academic, peer-reviewed articles from trustworthy publications.  Additionally, none of the articles used should be older than 5 years.

major public relations

You are a marketing consultant with a major public relations firm brought in by Burton Snowboards over a current boycott.  What seems like a simple maneuver for a PR firm could have more facets you realize.  Discuss 2-3 different strategies Burton could respond with, and make a recommendation based on strategy.

Attach is the case study. It is actual due today 11/16 my 10:00pm

You are a marketing consultant with a major public relations firm brought in by Burton Snowboards over a current boycott.  What seems like a simple maneuver for a PR firm could have more facets you realize.  Discuss 2-3 different strategies Burton could respond with, and make a recommendation based on strategy.

Attach is the case study. It is actual due today 11/16 my 10:00pm

Discuss Promotion Budget

This assessment addresses the following course objective(s):

  • Analyze data sources and uses in the local, national, and global marketplaces.
  • Assess challenges for a domestic company marketing globally.

Instructions

You and your brother in law, Joe Bombolini, are the owners of the newly established Pizza Suprema located in Clearwater, Florida, that has several branches, most of them located on the busy US 41 Highway North. Clearwater has a local population of 120, 000 but during the winter period, such population doubles due to the tourists and seasonal residents.

The demographic characteristics of the local residents are almost equally distributed between young and old, but the seasonal residents are practically all old. Tourists are mainly young with families.

You and your brother in law need to produce viable data on the following elements:

  1. Why type of advertisements you are going to use for old and young permanent residents, tourists, and seasonal residents.
  2. What key messages you need to include for each of the demographic classifications listed above.
  3. What percentage of your budget you are going to use for attracting all of the above demographic classifications.
  4. Since there is a huge number of restaurants in the area where your branches are located, consider the possibility of providing such restaurants with the kinds of pizza they want.
  5. Also consider providing pizzas to a large number of business organizations in the area, most of which are service, like banks, car dealerships, or department stores, including large shopping centers

Submit

You must prepare a written work where you respond to the case scenario.  The work must comply with APA academic writing standards.  You must support your answer using appropriate 5 sources that are properly cited in APA.  The paper will be approximately 5 pages in length

Understanding Financial Statements

Instructions:

Read the _Forge Group [PDF] attached below case study for this unit. Managers may not be accountants, but they must be able to understand financial statements.  This unit’s case study will give you the opportunity to analyze information presented on the financial statements of an engineering and construction company.

Answer the following question in one page.

1. Explain the importance of operational managers being able to understand how financial statements are prepared. How can operational managers at the Forge Group use the financial information presented in the case study to manage their respective divisions effectively?

2. Discuss the importance of providing timely financial information to management. Is it more important to be 100% accurate and late, providing financial information or provide estimates and be timely? Discuss the pros and cons of each.

3. Identify some potential areas where management may have been biased in their reporting. Support your thoughts with specific information from the case study

Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with in-text citations and references in APA format.

Instructions:

Read the _Forge Group [PDF] attached below case study for this unit. Managers may not be accountants, but they must be able to understand financial statements.  This unit’s case study will give you the opportunity to analyze information presented on the financial statements of an engineering and construction company.

Answer the following question in one page.

1. Explain the importance of operational managers being able to understand how financial statements are prepared. How can operational managers at the Forge Group use the financial information presented in the case study to manage their respective divisions effectively?

2. Discuss the importance of providing timely financial information to management. Is it more important to be 100% accurate and late, providing financial information or provide estimates and be timely? Discuss the pros and cons of each.

3. Identify some potential areas where management may have been biased in their reporting. Support your thoughts with specific information from the case study

Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with in-text citations and references in APA format.

Discuss on marketing management.

This activity/assignment will help students understand concept of positioning and its importance

Activity: Find a company that is struggling. Where is it in the positioning matrix? Could the company be more successful if it changed any of its Ps (e.g., to head to the lo-lo-lo-lo or hi-hi-hi-hi cells)?

The assignment is to answer the question provided above in essay form. This is to be in narrative form and should be as thorough as possible. Bullet points should not to be used. The paper should be at least 1.5 – 2 pages in length, Times New Roman 12-pt font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins and utilizing at least one outside scholarly or professional source related to marketing management. The textbook should also be utilized. Do not insert excess line spacing. APA formatting and citation should be used.

This activity/assignment will help students understand concept of positioning and its importance

Activity: Find a company that is struggling. Where is it in the positioning matrix? Could the company be more successful if it changed any of its Ps (e.g., to head to the lo-lo-lo-lo or hi-hi-hi-hi cells)?

The assignment is to answer the question provided above in essay form. This is to be in narrative form and should be as thorough as possible. Bullet points should not to be used. The paper should be at least 1.5 – 2 pages in length, Times New Roman 12-pt font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins and utilizing at least one outside scholarly or professional source related to marketing management. The textbook should also be utilized. Do not insert excess line spacing. APA formatting and citation should be used.

Discuss on managerial finance

Question 1

At year-end 2018, Marvel Company total assets were $4.5 million, and its accounts payable were $850,000. Sales, which in 2018 were $5.5 million, are expected to increase by 25% in 2019. Total assets and accounts payable are proportional to sales, and that relationship will be maintained. Marvel typically uses no current liabilities other than accounts payable. Common stock amounted to $ 2.25 million in 2018, and retained earnings were $150,000. Marvel has arranged to sell $25,000 of new common stock in 2019 to meet some of its financing needs. The remainder of its financing needs will be met by issuing new long-term debt at the end of 2019. (Because the debt is added at the end of the year, there will be no additional interest expense due to the new debt.) Its net profit margin on sales is 2.5%, and 55% of earnings will be paid out as dividends.

a. What were Marvel’s total long-term debt and total liabilities in 2018?

b. How much new long-term debt financing will be needed in 2019? (Hint: AFN – New stock = New long-term debt.)

Question 2

Mayor company sales are expected to increase by 20% from $5 million in 2018 to $6 million in 2019. Its assets totaled $7 million at the end of 2018. Mayor is already at full capacity, so its assets must grow at the same rate as projected sales. At the end of 2018, current liabilities were $1.2 million, consisting of $500,000 of accounts payable, $300,000 of notes payable, and $400,000 of accruals. The after-tax profit margin is forecasted to be 5%, and the forecasted payout ratio is 60%.

a. Use the AFN equation to forecast Mayor’s additional funds needed for the coming year.

Question 1

At year-end 2018, Marvel Company total assets were $4.5 million, and its accounts payable were $850,000. Sales, which in 2018 were $5.5 million, are expected to increase by 25% in 2019. Total assets and accounts payable are proportional to sales, and that relationship will be maintained. Marvel typically uses no current liabilities other than accounts payable. Common stock amounted to $ 2.25 million in 2018, and retained earnings were $150,000. Marvel has arranged to sell $25,000 of new common stock in 2019 to meet some of its financing needs. The remainder of its financing needs will be met by issuing new long-term debt at the end of 2019. (Because the debt is added at the end of the year, there will be no additional interest expense due to the new debt.) Its net profit margin on sales is 2.5%, and 55% of earnings will be paid out as dividends.

a. What were Marvel’s total long-term debt and total liabilities in 2018?

b. How much new long-term debt financing will be needed in 2019? (Hint: AFN – New stock = New long-term debt.)

Question 2

Mayor company sales are expected to increase by 20% from $5 million in 2018 to $6 million in 2019. Its assets totaled $7 million at the end of 2018. Mayor is already at full capacity, so its assets must grow at the same rate as projected sales. At the end of 2018, current liabilities were $1.2 million, consisting of $500,000 of accounts payable, $300,000 of notes payable, and $400,000 of accruals. The after-tax profit margin is forecasted to be 5%, and the forecasted payout ratio is 60%.

a. Use the AFN equation to forecast Mayor’s additional funds needed for the coming year.

Discuss on MarketingManagement

Develop an 8-10-page digital marketing strategy for a new pet food product (or new product or line extension at your employer or future employer.)

Introduction

Digital marketing and social media have completely changed the face of marketing. It is not that the older tools and models no longer work (they do!) but, rather, that these tools and models need to be applied in different ways.

Digital marketing activities are performed while customers are connected to networks through various mobile devices. Among the many things that make digital marketing unique is the trigger of communication. Customers may target the business (pull communication) or the business may target the digital consumer (push communication). Digital marketing can take place through a variety of modalities including email, text, apps, and any other means by which a customer can communicate on a mobile device. Social media takes the marketer into the world of “views,” “clicks,” and “likes” as a means of ascertaining product appeal to the potential market. Digital marketing has changed the landscape of marketing activities.

When measuring the results of social media and digital marketing, we have to measure outcomes to determine the effectiveness of a general approach or campaign. If we cannot determine effectiveness, how can we possibly know if this is something we want to do again or not? In this assessment, you will gain insight on some approaches to measuring social media and digital marketing effectiveness. Unlike other areas of business operations (for example, finance), the measurements here are still evolving. However, you need to have at least a foundation for thinking about this very important aspect of marketing.

Introduction

This portfolio work project, a digital marketing plan with a social media strategy, will help you demonstrate competency in digital marketing planning and measurement.

Scenario

The Vice President of Marketing at MSH Brands (or at your employer or future employer company) was impressed with your marketing plan and brand presentation submitted in Assessments 1 and 2. They have now asked you to develop a Digital Marketing Strategy based on this work.

Your Role

You are a Brand Manager at MSH Brands (or at your employer or future employer company). You are being asked to develop a digital marketing strategy for a new pet food product (or new product or line extension at your employer or future employer.)

Requirements

Building on your prior work this term, develop a digital marketing plan using the SOSTAC© model. Your plan must address each of the SOSTAC© elements, including:

1. Situational Analysis
  • Analyze the current situation in terms of customers, intermediaries, and competencies.
  • Conduct a thorough competitive analysis and identify what your competitors are doing in terms of Web presence and social media presence.
2. Objectives
  • Develop specific measurable objectives for a digital marketing strategy. Where do you want your company to be?
3. Strategy