Assignment Goals
In this assignment you will review the strategy of a specific brand using the 4 P framework we have covered in class. While the 4P framework is relevant for any marketing situation, for this assignment, you need to select a brand:
a) that is a packaged consumer good (part of the assignment is to describe the package design). These are the types of products you typically find in a grocery store or a drug store, such as food and beverage products or personal care products
b) for which you can find market share data in the Passport that you will be able to access through the UIC library.
You must select a brand for a specific product, not a company. For example, Coca-Cola Inc. has several product lines and 200+ brands, each with a different strategy. However, you can select one of the company’s specific brands, such as Diet Coke.
YOU CAN NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING BRANDS SINCE THEY WERE COVERED BY MANY STUDENTS LAST SEMESTER:
Chobani Yogurt
Ben and Jerry’s Ice cream
Celsius Energy Drink
Nature Valley Granola Bar
Lay’s Chips
Please review the sample paper before you start writing your paper. (in the file shared)
Content of the paper
Your paper should include the following sections:
Competitive environment. This section must include a table with market share and sales data for the brand you analyze and at least three other competing brands for the most recent three or four years. This is the only section for which you must use UIC library databases. You need to conclude whether the product is experiencing a positive or negative trend compared to competing brands.
Product strategy. You will describe a) one functional and b) one psychological benefit of the product, c) the package design, and d) provide background information about the brand name, for example, how the company chose that name. You need to include a visual of the package design. You must also provide information about the product line, e.g., the range of flavors or sizes.
Distribution (Place) strategy. You will describe where this product is sold and need to include both labels of types of retailers and examples of specific retailers. You need to add a conclusion about the level of distribution intensity used for the brand.
Pricing strategy. You need to compare the price of your product with the prices of at least two competing brands and describe the pricing strategy based on the data you collect. The comparison should be presented in a table.
Promotion strategy. You will provide an overview of the company’s communication tools and describe one specific example of a communication activity (including a visual). For the specific communication activity, describe the message and what you think the communication goal is (see terminology covered in class).
Target market and positioning strategy. Based on your description of the brand’s strategy, you will identify what you think the target market is using two segmentation variables (indicate both the specific variable and the type of variable). You will summarize the strategy using a positioning statement format. Make sure to follow this format:
To [insert target market description and general need], [insert brand name], is a [insert product category] that [insert a description of the point of difference].
Conclusion. Summarize why you think the brand is successful (or not successful if you chose a brand that has seen a declining market share).
References. You can use any established reference format that you are familiar with. For this paper, you need to provide a reference for your source of the market share data and list any websites you use. IMPORTANT: Make sure to edit the URL so that it does not include a query string.
Your paper should be 800-100 words and follow the format of the sample paper. Please save your paper as a PDF file before submitting it. This will ensure the paper looks the same when I or the TAs review your work. The paper is due on Sunday, April 14, by the end of the day.
