Marketing Unit III Case Study

Unit III Case Study Case studies are an important learning strategy in business classes as they provide an opportunity for you to critically analyze events that have taken place in real-life businesses. This develops your critical thinking and research skills as you research the competition and industry in which your business resides with an end goal of formulating a recommendation for the challenges faced by the company. Select one of the three case studies listed below, which can be found in your textbook. Evaluate the case of your choice, and respond to each of the questions below using both theory and practical managerial thinking as well as supporting research. Option 1: Microsoft (pp. 94–95) 1. Evaluate Microsoft’s product and marketing evolution over the years. What has the company done well, and where did it falter? 2. Through the application of a political, economic, social, and technological (PEST) analysis, what are the current MBA 5501, Advanced Marketing 3 environmental factors impacting Microsoft? 3. Who are the top three competitors of Microsoft, and what are their advantages/disadvantages with respect to satisfying the value proposition of their customers? 4. Evaluate Microsoft’s recent expansions into areas such as search engines and smartphones. Do you think these are good areas of growth for Microsoft with a focus on customer value, satisfaction, and loyalty? Option 2: Tesco (pp.154–155) 1. Evaluate Tesco brand’s product and marketing evolution over the years. What’s most important to the Tesco brand with respect to changes in how consumers shop for automobiles? 2. Through the application of a PEST analysis, what are the current environmental factors impacting Tesco? 3. Who are the top three competitors of Tesco, and what are their advantages/disadvantages with respect to satisfying the value proposition of their customers? 4. How will Tesco grow without losing focus on its core customer as they look to maintain customer value, satisfaction, and loyalty? Option 3: IKEA (pp.185–186) 1. Evaluate IKEA’s business model concept and how it has evolved through the years. It has been stated that they have essentially changed the way people shop for furniture. What are the pros and cons of this type of strategy for IKEA? 2. Through the application of a PEST analysis, what are the current environmental factors impacting IKEA? 3. Who are the top three competitors of IKEA, and what are their advantages/disadvantages with respect to satisfying the value proposition of their customers? 4. As IKEA looks to maintain markets in the United States as well as expand to areas such as Asia and India, what would you recommend to maintain customer value, satisfaction, and loyalty? In formatting your case analysis, do not use the question-and-answer format; instead, use an essay format with subheadings. Your APA-formatted case study should be a minimum of 500 words in length (not counting the title and reference pages). You are required to use a minimum of three peer-reviewed, academic sources that are no more than 5 years old (one may be your textbook). All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased material must have accompanying in-text citations.

 

DQ Question

Think of a brand that you believe connects well with its customers and communicates the value proposition effectively through a variety of venues. Explain your rationale with a detailed look at the customer value proposition and the marketing strategies used. Differentiate this from what the competitors are doing. Please select a brand not already brought forward by your fellow students.

What Are The Major Components Of An Offering

Question 1

What are the major components of an offering?

Question 1 options:

goods, ideas and products

tangible goods and intangible services

product and price

features and benefits

Question 2

The major advantage to the service-dominant approach to products is _____

Question 2 options:

the firm doesn’t have to be concerned with providing tangible benefits.

the firm can adjust the price of a service easier and more frequently than a tangible product.

the recognition that in today’s economy everything is essentially a service.

the ability to view the offering from the consumer’s point of view and the value they are seeking from the offering.

Question 3

Generally built on a core technology platform, a group of related products that meet differing consumer needs is called a ___________.

Question 3 options:

product mix.

line extension.

product family.

product line.

Question 4

A bag of potato chips offered for sale at the neighborhood gas station is a ___________.

Question 4 options:

shopping offering

convenience offering.

unsought offering.

speciality offering.

Question 5

Annie has been planning her dream wedding and the wedding dress is very important to her. She has been scanning wedding magazines for years and is now about begin looking for her perfect dress. Annie’s wedding dress is an example of a __________.

Question 5 options:

unsought offering.

specialty offering.

shopping offering.

convenience offering.

Question 6

Which of the following best describe the new offering-development process?

Question 6 options:

Ideation, design, testing, screening, development, launch, and evaluation

Idea generation, development, testing, and commercialization

Idea generation, idea screening, feature specification, development, testing, commercialization, and evaluation

Product design, testing, feature screening, and commercialization

Question 7

Why is it important for a firm to establish a brand for its offerings?

Question 7 options:

Because consumers find brand logos easier to recognize than product names.

Because any product sold under a brand can benefit from the sales of all products sold under the same brand umbrella.

Because the brand logo and name identifies the product and differentiates it from competing offerings thereby positioning it in the minds of consumers.

Because brands are families and like families are best known by their name.

Question 8

At the recent annual meeting of Apple shareholders, the iCar product design was unveiled and it was announced that sales would most likely begin in the first half of the next year. At which stage of the new product development process is the iCar?

Question 8 options:

development

testing

feature specification

launch

Question 9

Why is a product package important to the marketer?

Question 9 options:

Because marketing is responsible for any product breakage

Because the package communicates the offering at the point of sale

Because package design is essentially a creative process and therefore part of the marketer’s responsibility

Because packaging that is not eye appealing may not receive prominent shelf space by the retailer

Question 10

Kellogg Cereal markets All Bran, a non-sweetened and minimally processed cereal. It is in the late maturity stage of the product life cycle and the brand manager is concerned it might enter decline. What can Kellogg do to generate new interest in All Bran and extend the length of the product life cycle?

Question 10 options:

Offer price promotions with deep discounts to sell more boxes of All Bran.

Try to get better shelf position for All Bran so consumers see it better and therefore more likely to buy it.

Update the product and find a new market segment who would value the healthy cereal such as millinnials.

Consider the cereal a ‘dog’ and take it off the shelves to cut their losses.

Question 11

Question 1

What are the major components of an offering?

Question 1 options:

goods, ideas and products

tangible goods and intangible services

product and price

features and benefits

Question 2

The major advantage to the service-dominant approach to products is _____

Question 2 options:

the firm doesn’t have to be concerned with providing tangible benefits.

the firm can adjust the price of a service easier and more frequently than a tangible product.

the recognition that in today’s economy everything is essentially a service.

the ability to view the offering from the consumer’s point of view and the value they are seeking from the offering.

Question 3

Generally built on a core technology platform, a group of related products that meet differing consumer needs is called a ___________.

Question 3 options:

product mix.

line extension.

product family.

product line.

Question 4

A bag of potato chips offered for sale at the neighborhood gas station is a ___________.

Question 4 options:

shopping offering

convenience offering.

unsought offering.

speciality offering.

Question 5

Annie has been planning her dream wedding and the wedding dress is very important to her. She has been scanning wedding magazines for years and is now about begin looking for her perfect dress. Annie’s wedding dress is an example of a __________.

Question 5 options:

unsought offering.

specialty offering.

shopping offering.

convenience offering.

Question 6

Which of the following best describe the new offering-development process?

Question 6 options:

Ideation, design, testing, screening, development, launch, and evaluation

Idea generation, development, testing, and commercialization

Idea generation, idea screening, feature specification, development, testing, commercialization, and evaluation

Product design, testing, feature screening, and commercialization

Question 7

Why is it important for a firm to establish a brand for its offerings?

Question 7 options:

Because consumers find brand logos easier to recognize than product names.

Because any product sold under a brand can benefit from the sales of all products sold under the same brand umbrella.

Because the brand logo and name identifies the product and differentiates it from competing offerings thereby positioning it in the minds of consumers.

Because brands are families and like families are best known by their name.

Question 8

At the recent annual meeting of Apple shareholders, the iCar product design was unveiled and it was announced that sales would most likely begin in the first half of the next year. At which stage of the new product development process is the iCar?

Question 8 options:

development

testing

feature specification

launch

Question 9

Why is a product package important to the marketer?

Question 9 options:

Because marketing is responsible for any product breakage

Because the package communicates the offering at the point of sale

Because package design is essentially a creative process and therefore part of the marketer’s responsibility

Because packaging that is not eye appealing may not receive prominent shelf space by the retailer

Question 10

Kellogg Cereal markets All Bran, a non-sweetened and minimally processed cereal. It is in the late maturity stage of the product life cycle and the brand manager is concerned it might enter decline. What can Kellogg do to generate new interest in All Bran and extend the length of the product life cycle?

Question 10 options:

Offer price promotions with deep discounts to sell more boxes of All Bran.

Try to get better shelf position for All Bran so consumers see it better and therefore more likely to buy it.

Update the product and find a new market segment who would value the healthy cereal such as millinnials.

Consider the cereal a ‘dog’ and take it off the shelves to cut their losses.

Question 11

Discuss on Marketing Strategy

Questions No.1

Suppose you are the product manager responsible for General Electric’s line of trash compactors. After many years, the product has yet to gain acceptance by many consumers. Use the diffusion of innovation theory discussed in the text to explain why trash compactors have achieved such poor market penetration. What does this imply concerning the shape of the rest of the trash compactor’s life-cycle curve? What actions might you consider taking to increase the market penetration for this product?

Questions No. 2

Can market segmentation be taken too far? What are the potential disadvantages of oversegmenting a market? What strategy might a firm pursue when it believes that the market has been broken into too many small segments?

Questions No. 3

Should positioning be based on product features or benefits? Why? Under what circumstances should features be the focus of an advertising campaign?

Questions No. 4

In terms of positioning strategy, what is the rationale for the fact that Nabisco offers many different brands within the cracker category, each of which is perceived as being only slightly different from the others? What are the advantages and limitations of such a strategy?

Master’s Marketing Paper

Assignment 1: Part A: Your Marketing Plan

Due Week 4 and worth 200 points

 

At the end of this course, you will have created a marketing plan for a hypothetical product-based company. Each assignment focuses on a different section of the overall marketing plan. For Assignment 1, you will compile information on the company’s background information, an environmental analysis, your company’s short and long-term goals, and a SWOT analysis.

 

For information on Website analytics, visit Google Analytics at http://www.google.com/analytics/why/.

 

Note: You may create and / or make all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment.

 

Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:

1. Write an introduction to your company. Describe your company, its location, and the product it makes or the service it provides.

2. Develop an environmental analysis that includes competitive, economic, political, legal, technological, and sociocultural forces.

3. Determine the primary and secondary target markets for your company. Next, analyze the primary and secondary target markets that you identified for your company. Be sure to cover the 4Ps, 5Cs and STP.

4. Decide the main goals that you would like to achieve within the next year (short term) and the main goals that you would like to achieve within the next five (5) years (long term). Determine the most appropriate ways to measure both short- and long-term goals. Note: Consider the following metrics: tracking downloads of Website content, Website visitors, increases in market share, customer value, new product adoption rates, retention, rate of growth compared to competition and the market, margin, and customer engagement.

5. Develop both a SWOT analysis and needs analysis for your product. Each analysis should examine four (4) strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for your company.

6. Use at least four (4) academic resources as quantitative marketing research to determine the feasibility of your product / service. These resources should be industry specific and relate to your chosen product / service. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  • Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font      (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references      must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for      any additional instructions.
  • Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment,      the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date.      The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required      assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

  • Analyze the marketing framework including the concepts      of the 5Cs, STP, and 4Ps.
  • Develop strategies to assess performance and achieve      marketing goals.
  • Examine the marketing science of customer behavior and      products in the marketing exchange process, and create dynamic strategies      for competing.
  • Evaluate target customer segments and positioning      products within these segments.
  • Use technology and information resources to research      issues in marketing management.
  • Write clearly and concisely about marketing management      using proper writing mechanics.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric found here.

Discuss Cultural Considerations

You, Mike, and Tiffany meet in a conference room to begin to assemble your final presentation.

This presentation will be the project deliverable, so you want to make sure you have provided all of the requirements.

Mike begins, “I think we’ve done some pretty good analysis on our  strategy. We just have to put the pieces together before the final  presentation.”

“We have some solid information, but we have to look at all the parts to see if we can remain competitive,” Tiffany adds.

Complete the following:

  • A balanced scorecard is used to align the business activities to the  vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external  communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic  goals. Based on your analysis of the company’s four perspectives in IP3,  develop a complete balanced scorecard that helps put the pieces  together for your final presentation. Once completed, answer the  following questions.
  • What are the considerations that you need to be aware of to remain competitive?
  • Based on the research and analysis that you have done, can you compete in the market that you have chosen? Why or why not?
  • What primary factors led you to this decision?
  • What would you say to someone who would dispute your position?
  • How do you plan on evaluating the global marketplace in the future?

Marketing in Action Case Study

Marketing in Action Case Study: Case studies are attached

.

Brief summary of the case and then answer the following questions: 2-page written case analysis paper (12 point font, double

spaced). Just need 3 cited references.

Chapter 9: BMW (5 th paper)

1. How does BMW segment its consumers?  Why does this work for BMW?

2. What does BMW do well to market to each segment group?  Where could it improve its marketing

strategy?

3. Should BMW ever change its tagline, “The Ultimate Driving Machine”? Why or why not?

Marketing in Action Case Study: Case studies are attached

.

Brief summary of the case and then answer the following questions: 2-page written case analysis paper (12 point font, double

spaced). Just need 3 cited references.

Chapter 9: BMW (5 th paper)

1. How does BMW segment its consumers?  Why does this work for BMW?

2. What does BMW do well to market to each segment group?  Where could it improve its marketing

strategy?

3. Should BMW ever change its tagline, “The Ultimate Driving Machine”? Why or why not?

Market Environment And Research

Most of us think of primary marketing efforts as being focused on the introduction of new products. In reality, all products undergo a lifecycle: introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. The task of managing a given product at any stage of that lifecycle is significant and offers multiple opportunities for success or failure. A large number of new products fail at launch (introduction), while many go on to live long market lives.

 

Case studies are a very effective way of applying business concepts to a real-world situation and that approach will be used for this activity. For this assessment, consider that you work as a marketing analyst for a consulting firm and that your manager asked you to develop a case study for the executive team of the organization in the case. That executive team will use your analysis and recommendations in their business planning.

Preparation

For this assessment, refer to the REI Case Study – Research Guide, linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading. In addition, conduct independent research to develop a case study based on REI.

Your research resources should include the REI organization’s Web site, but you are also expected to use information about REI that has been gathered by organizations that are devoted to marketing research. These organizations are referred to as secondary sources. A short list of secondary sources is provided for you in the REI Case Study – Research Guide. Use these sites to get your research started. You are encouraged to explore further secondary sources.

Conduct your research on REI, focusing on the following topics:

  • How does the current U.S. economy affect REI retail operations? Specify potential marketing changes needed based upon emerging trends in this environmental factor.
  • How does the current global economy affect REI retail operations? Specify potential marketing changes needed based upon emerging trends in this environmental factor.
  • What types of legal and regulatory forces affect REI in the United States? Specify potential marketing changes needed based upon emerging trends in this environmental factor.
  • What types of social and culture trends affect REI? Specify potential marketing changes needed based upon emerging trends in this environmental factor.
  • What types of technology changes affect REI? Specify potential marketing changes needed based upon emerging trends in this environmental factor.

Organizational Profile Development

Based on your research, develop an organizational profile for REI’s marketing environment, analyzing the key environmental factors of the U.S. economy, global economy, legal and regulatory environment, socio-cultural forces, and technological forces.

  • Identify three or more of the secondary sources of information available for conducting market research on REI.
  • Develop a short analysis of the value of these secondary sources, specifically in gathering information on REI.
    • How might these secondary sources be used to develop an integrated marketing plan? What are the limitations of the identified sources?
    • How valuable would their information be in developing a marketing plan that would contribute to the company’s economic success? What are potential limitations of these sources for this purpose?

Based on your executive audience, your case study should be well organized and written in clear, succinct language. Follow APA rules for attributing sources that support your analysis and conclusions.

Identify and create sensory elements of visual media communication to attract viewer attention.

Identify and create sensory elements of visual media communication to attract viewer attention.

Scenario

You are a member of a committee at your child’s school. The committee has been assigned the task to design a flyer for the students to take home to their parents. The purpose of the flyer is to notify parents about the upcoming Field Day for all students. They have specified that it can only be one-page in length, and they have encouraged creativity to catch the eyes of the parents.

Several parents wish to participate, so the leader of the committee creates a fun flyer competition. She asks that each person creates his/her own flyer and create a screen share to persuade the committee to choose your flyer. The screen share should visually show the flyer and include a verbal explanation regarding why your flyer will best attract the eyes of the parents.

Since you are extremely creative, you know that in order to capture the parents’ attention and win this competition, you will need to use color, lines, balance, and contrast visual elements.

In your video presentation, be sure to defend your visual choices to the other parents and members of the committee. You know that if you clearly explain why you chose each of these visual elements and how it best attracts the eyes of the parents, you could win this fun competition!

Your presentation should be a maximum of 5 minutes.

Instructions

The presentation must include a visual and an audio recording using Screencast-O-Matic®, a free audio recording software compatible with PC and MAC computers. Follow these instructions to download and use this software to create your presentation.

  1. Access the Screencast-O-Matic® homepage by clicking on the box in the upper right-hand corner titled, “Sign Up” to create your free account.
  2. Create a free account (be sure to write down the email and password created for account access.)
  3. Once logged in, click on the “Tutorials” link at the top of the homepage and view Recorder Intros.
  4. Create your presentation by clicking on the “Start Recorder” box.
  5. Once finished recording click on the “Done” button.
  6. Next, choose, “Upload to Screencast-O-Matic®”.
  7. Select “Publish”.
  8. Choose “Copy Link”.
  9. Place the “Link” in a Microsoft Word® document and upload to the deliverable dropbox.

Resources

For additional writing and research support, please visit the following Library and Learning Services resources:

Grading Rubric:

Advertising Experiments

Read the attached mini-case, and then analyze the data from the test (the data is in the attached spreadsheet).

Your deliverable is to write a P&G style one-page memo detailing your analysis and recommendations based what you found digging through the data.

It’s fine to have an attachment page following your one-page  memo if you want to show how you did your data analysis.

Read the attached mini-case, and then analyze the data from the test (the data is in the attached spreadsheet).

Your deliverable is to write a P&G style one-page memo detailing your analysis and recommendations based what you found digging through the data.

It’s fine to have an attachment page following your one-page  memo if you want to show how you did your data analysis.

Advert On Social Media

Select an ad on a social media platform (YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media) of your choice. Provide APA citation and referencing for the advertisement. After reading unit texts and watching the content of selected ad answer below questions:

  • Would you consider the ad to be an emotional or rational ad? Why or why not?
  • Who do you think is the target audience for the ad?
  • Why or not should people want to share the ad for it to go viral?
  • Is the content for your chosen social media platform more suitable for B2B, B2C, or both?
  • How many times more likely is it for a lead (potential customer) to convert when developed through employee social marketing? Why?
  • List three social media which you consider to be most suitable for a customer testimonial and Why?Select an ad on a social media platform (YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media) of your choice. Provide APA citation and referencing for the advertisement. After reading unit texts and watching the content of selected ad answer below questions:
    • Would you consider the ad to be an emotional or rational ad? Why or why not?
    • Who do you think is the target audience for the ad?
    • Why or not should people want to share the ad for it to go viral?
    • Is the content for your chosen social media platform more suitable for B2B, B2C, or both?
    • How many times more likely is it for a lead (potential customer) to convert when developed through employee social marketing? Why?
    • List three social media which you consider to be most suitable for a customer testimonial and Why?