Week 10 EOC: What Channels Are You Going to Do to Get Your Product Noticed

Deciding on the best channels might not be a problem: The problem might simply be how to convince one or a few good intermediaries to handle the line. P.22

Unveiling a new product to the market is a very serious event and process. It should be carefully analyzed, in order to locate the best channels to use. Of course there is bound to be a ton, because the product is brand new, and unknown. So, in efforts to get the product noticed, luckily, you have just about every point of connection to the market wide open. Being realistic, I would start off selling my alcohol drink to a group of the best known bars and liquor stores in California alone. After awareness is spread throughout the market,

Week 9 EOC: Three Great Mission Statements

EOC Week 8: Creative Content Projects

For creative content, I am considering doing a possible photo shoot for Vogue, or cover for Vogue. I would like to probably try to use prior images, already published, and incorporate the drink into them using photoshop or possibly scissors and a scanner. This is likely to be unmanageable, though, so I suppose I could dress models and photograph them with the drink. I'd maybe like to create a prototype six-pack, and magazine ad. The ads will be featuring obviously people in a bar, and also one of a woman with it sticking out of her purse. Another will be of someone wearing a stained shirt, next to someone holding the drink with its lid. I haven't designed the logo yet, but I want to create some images of it on various pieces of clothing and accessories. I'll definitely put it on a t-shirt, and have it say something clever like "your stain could be here", or "we love (product name)" on a women's shirt. Another ad might be showing a traditional Japanese tea party with the drink in place of the teapot, or maybe the label on the tea pot.

Implementation Evaluation Control

Price

Promotion

Hammer Time will be promoted using the 'pull strategy,' "A promotion strategy that calls for spending a lot on advertising and consumer promotion to induce final consumers to buy the product, creating a demand vacuum that “pulls” the product through the channel." (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong/Kotler, ch. 12 pg. 385) advertised in magazines in the regions with the beer available.  Magazines relative to our market include: CG, Forbes, Vogue, and possibly others.  We will know more magazines to feature in once we know more about our target market.  In addition, the local newspapers and editorial prints will be used to advertise, to create awareness in general.  Various merchandise will be handed out in the bars where located throughout the first few months of sales.  After that time period ends, we hope to establish a website, where the merchandise can be bought online from.  Merchandise will include: t-shirts, sweatshirts, messenger bags, laptop cases, and more to come.  The bottle Hammer Time is sold in is also a promotional item, conveniently.  The bottle is reusable, and comes free with beverage purchase.  However, we plan to continue using these bottles permanently.

Distribution

This would generally be the section titled "Place," however, distribution is substituted.  The beer, Hammer Time, will be available in Ontario, Canada and outskirts.  In the United States, it will be shipped from headquarters, via roadways on commercial vehicles, to the northern regions, including: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New England states, and North Dakota.  In these states it will be delivered to certain places, using selective distribution, "The use of more than one, but fewer than all, of the intermediaries who are willing to carry the company’s products" (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong/Kotler, ch. 10 pg. 324) by the case to both liquor stores and bars, and units to sell on tap to the bars.

Product

The products are "The goods-and-services combination the company offers to the target market." (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong/Kelter, ch. 2 pg. 54)  Our product, Hammer Time, is a malt beer beverage.  It is from a new brewery, headquartered in Hammerton, Quebec, Canada.  The beer has a rosy color, given from the Light Munich Malt added, in slight amount, to give a richer flavor.  Only organic grains are used in this beer, and only alkalized water.  The alcohol content is 18%, definitely much higher than most beers.  It isn't done with the intention of getting consumers drunk, though.  We take great pride in our beer's taste, contents and appearance.  That's what most people don't recognize in a beer anymore-its full quality.  We believe in the savoring of a beer, taking a moment to really gather the taste.  Every beer has a taste, and every taste tells a story.  With Hammer Time's high alcohol content, you can't or at least shouldn't guzzle it down without even recognizing what you just tasted.  Hammer Time should be savored slowly, and really taken in.  Give it full appreciation, don't just chug it because you have become trained to believe that a beer is relaxing and refreshing.  Hammer Time should actually BE refreshing and relaxing, so let it be.  It is generally said to "Include packaging as just one of many product decisions."  (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong/Kelter, ch. 2 pg. 54)  So, the packaging  consists of a pewter colored stainless-steel, reusable bottle, with a screw top and carabiner clipped to that.  The bottle has chilling ability, keeping your brew cold.  The words Hammer Time are printed in simple black lettering, all capitalized.  The beer is also available on tap at bars, but only when requested, generally by those who have already tried it before.  This is to ensure that first-timers get the full experience, which is something you never forget and you'll never be able to recreate exactly the same.

Target Market Strategy

Our goal is to appeal to the entire market, but currently our target market is very small.  It consists of those who have a standard for quality and take beer and its elements seriously.  In other words, the beer tasting enthusiasts.  This group of people, we predict, is very limited; but we hope to make it much larger, and ultimately include the entire market.  Obviously that isn't happening any time very soon, so right now, we will be using the niche marketing strategy.  This works by "Instead of going after a small share of a large market, the firm goes after a large share of one or a few smaller segments or niches." (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong/Kotler, ch. 6 pg. 188)  Meaning, instead of offering mediocre products to the mass market, we offer high-grade and special gourmet products to a small niche market.  The customers in this niche market are unable to get their unusual products from retail giants, which is why they come to upscale specialty retailers.  Their special products have higher prices, but equally higher quality, so customers are receiving fair value.  Once the target market grows larger, we'll move towards an undifferentiated, or mass, marketing strategy.  This is one that ignores market segmentation, and sells a product to the market as a whole.  "This mass-marketing strategy focuses on what is common in the needs of consumers rather than on what is different. The company designs a product and a marketing program that will appeal to the largest number of buyers." (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong/Kotler, ch. 6 pg. 187)  This will become an appropriate strategy when the needs of our customers are all common, (when they form an appreciation for beer) thus placing them in one category-the mass market.

Situation/SWOT Analysis

It becomes necessary at some time in every company's life to evaluate their situation.  This includes both positive and negative elements, easily done using the SWOT analysis-Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. Being truthful about the company is important, because it can prevent overlooking a threat or weakness, even an opportunity, because of ignorance to the issues. "The goal is to match the company’s strengths to attractive opportunities in the environment, while eliminating or overcoming the weaknesses and minimizing the threats."(Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong/Kotler, ch.2 pg. 56) In Hammer Time's SWOT analysis, the findings, applying to the current time period, were as follows.  Strengths we possess are high-quality, moderate pricing, convenient exporting from headquarters, and strong company values.  Having high-quality merchandise gives an easy leg-up over competitors, because it creates a higher value.  Having reasonable prices is attractive to customers, because with us, it means they get a lot without spending a lot.  Having our headquarters in Canada makes exportation across North America and maybe someday South America, very simple and cost-efficient.  We can eliminate the need for cargo ships, and rely on shipment vehicles.  Also, being in a foreign nation, the United States' rules and regulations for production factories do not apply to us.  The Canadian economy allows us more freedom.  Weaknesses include: lack of company history, limited market information, and a fairly small target market.  Being new gives us the appearance of an inexperienced company to consumers and other industry groups.  Also due to to our company's adolescence is the lack of customer demographics.  And at this point, from the little we know about our target market, it includes a pretty small number of individuals.  Opportunities we can hope for may be changing society's common ideals of beer.  As said many times prior, we want to instill a stronger appreciation of beer in the minds of consumers, therefore, this could become an opportunity.  Threats Hammer Time faces are those caused by competition, and the legal drinking age, which restricts our product for anyone under age 21. With the many weaknesses Hammer Time has currently, it's important that we always provide the best customer service.  "I.n order to provide a great customer experience, find out what customers are facing—what their problems and opportunities are." (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong/Kotler, ch. 3 pg. 68)  While offering this great service, we'll likely reduce our weaknesses, expanding the limited market information, and changing our image of an inexperienced company, by obviously getting experience!