Product Category Options

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  Section I

  I.  Market-Oriented Mission

  Remember the examples of market-oriented definitions from Chapter 2.  Focus on the need being fulfilled by your product, not the product itself.  This should be one, maybe two sentences.  This is not a slogan or a tagline.  This is something that should help to keep a marketing department focused on what’s important – customer needs.

   

   

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  Section II

  II.  Conceptual Overview

  a.  Product Description

  b.  Customers    

                                i.  Factors Influencing Behavior

                               ii.  Buying Decision Behavior

  The product description should be brief – only one or two sentences.  You will provide more depth about actual features later in the plan.

  You should be able to apply at least three factors influencing behavior.  Be careful not to talk about your product here, stay focused on the customer.  Keep in mind that the work you do in identifying the factors influencing your consumer’s behavior should ultimately influence the bases for segmentation that you select.  Use your text for guidance.  Figure 5.2 in Chapter 5 is very useful to consider when you are identifying the factors influencing your consumer’s behavior.  Focus on an individual factor, like “reference group”, instead of a whole category like “social”. 

  Buying Decision Behavior types are also discussed in Chapter 5 of your text.  Be sure to consider both level of involvement and perceived differences between brands when you are explaining which one applies to your product or service. 

  On a cautionary note, don’t let using these handy visuals replace the actual reading of the chapter.  Sometimes the terms used in the figure or table mean something a little different than what you expect – the chapter text provides some much needed context and explanation to support those visuals. 

   

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  Section III

  III.  Marketing Intelligence

  a.  Macro-environmental Factors

  b.  Competitive Analysis

                                            i.  Direct Competition

                                           ii.  Indirect Competition

                                          iii.  Strengths and Weakness of Leading Competitor

   

  For macro-environmental factors, provide good coverage of at least three.  Keep in mind that this is about your environment, not your product.  This is not the time to talk about how you will respond to that environment – the rest of your marketing plan does that.

  Your list of direct competition should be comprehensive and should be organized in a logical way.

  Indirect competitors are those products that compete for space in the consumer’s wallet.  For example:  an indirect competitor for a nail salon is a massage therapist.  Consumers have a budget for pampering themselves – they decide how they want to do that and so they could easily chose to get a massage over a manicure or pedicure.

  Your most threatening competitor should come from your list of direct competitors.  Focus on just ONE competitor – depth is important here.   

   

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  Submission 1 – Sections I – III

  Sections I, II & II must be submitted as a single MS Word document.  

  (15 points)

  Deadline:  June 25, 2013 (11:59 pm)

   

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  Section IV

  Attached Files:	Personality Segments.docx (18.175 KB)  LifestyleSegments.docx (20.161 KB)  SegmentationandTarget.doc (23 KB)

  IV.  Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning

  a.  Bases for Segmentation

  b.  Target Market

  c.  Positioning Strategy

  Chapter 7 is a critical resource for this section of the marketing plan.  First you must select the bases for segmentation.  Table 7.1 on page 193 is an excellent place to help you identify some good choices.  You should plan to select at least three bases for segmentation and the should come from at least two different categories (geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioral).  At least one basis for segmentation should come from the psychographic or behavioral categories. 

  Your target market is defined using your bases for segmentation.  Please see the attached Word document for a sample to follow for this section.

  Also attached are documents you can use to support segmentation based on personality or segmentation based on on lifestyle.  (This is only used if you are choosing either personality or lifestyle as a basis for segmentation – many of you will NOT use either of these.)  Keep in mind that you may NOT just make up a list of personalities or lifestyles – you have to use an established framework for categorizing these segments.

   

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  Submission 2 – Section IV

  Section IV should be submitted as a single MS Word document.  

  (10 points)

  Deadline:  July 9, 2013 (11:59 pm)

   

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  Section V

  V.  Product Plan

  a.  Product Classification

  b.  Individual Product Decisions

        i.  Attributes

       ii.  Branding

      iii.  Packaging

      iv.  Labeling

       v.  Support Services

  Be sure to explain your choice of product classification (convenience, shopping, specialty or unsought).  Connect all individual product decisions back to your target market(s).  Explain why these decisions will resonate with your target market.

   

   

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  Section VI

  VI.  Pricing Plan

  a.  Internal Considerations

  b.  External Considerations

  c.  Pricing Strategies

  This plan should connect with your target market and also support your positioning strategy.

   

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  Section VII

  VII.  Distribution Plan

  a.  Channel Design

  b.  Retailers (if appropriate)

  This also needs to connect back to your target market.

   

   

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  Section VIII

  VIII.  Promotion Plan

  a.  Advertising Concept

        i.  Message Appeal

       ii.  Message Execution

      iii.  Media

  b.  Sales Promotion Tools

  c.  Public Relations Tools

  Remember that all these decisions must clearly connect back to the target market.  Explain why your message will resonate with the target market.  Explain why your proposed sales promotion tools are the most relevant for your target market…