Tuesday, March 23, 2010

IMPLEMENTATION, EVALUATION, AND CONTROL

Implementation
We will do research on Mahal to see what feedback we will receive. One way we will research is to perform focus groups. “Focus groups can be used to gauge consumer response to a product or promotion and are occasionally used to brainstorm new product ideas or to screen concepts for new products” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 8, pg 119). The focus groups can aide Mahal on how to promote the perfume, and also understand what new products our customers would want.

All of our employees will perform with great customer service. Mahal will provide training on how to solve problems quickly, and how to interact with customers and co-workers. “By thanking customers for their purchases and telling them they are important, marketers can help cement a long-term, profitable relationship” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 19, pg 303). Plus, being pleasant with fellow co-workers will actually assist employees on their customer service skills.

As tedious as it sounds, paper work is a must. We will keep track of all information, especially if it involves our objections.

Evaluation
The Mahal company will have monthly meetings to converse about what is new, what gets to be improved, and if our objectives are being met.

Control
We will also have a marketing audit every five months. This will not only “develop a full profile of the organization’s marketing effort and to provide a basis for developing and revising the market plan, it is also an excellent way to improve communication and raise level of marketing consciousness within the organization.” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 2, pg 27).

MARKETING MIX

A marketing mix is a blend of the four Ps: product, place, promotion, and pricing. If a business has a poor marketing mix but a delightful product, most likely they will fail. Therefore it is important to for Mahal to look at the strategies of the four Ps.

People buy products that will benefit them and because how much they value it. Mahal is marketing their perfume by presenting themselves in a unique and creative manner. The bottle is a curvaceous bottle with shades of purple. The bottle itself is a representation of a curvaceous woman, and the color compliments the scent of Mahal (cherry blossom, jasmine, and lavender). The package of Mahal is a white square box with designs of cherry blossoms across it. It is a simple box, however the cherry blossoms provides color and life to the package. When customers see the package, they will automatically think of Mahal. Our company image is very important to us. We believe that every woman is beautiful, and our perfume is the final touch to one’s being. As a result, if a customer is not pleased with our product, we offer a customer satisfaction guarantee.

Mahal’s place, or distribution, strategy is to utilize selective distribution. Mahal is a specialty product that customers will seek for. Thus, we will launch our products selectively. It will be “achieved by screening dealers and retailers to eliminate all but a few in any single area” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 12, pg. 181). In late 2010, we will send out samples of our fragrance. “One recent study found that sampling events produced an average 36 percent increase in sales soon afterward” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch. 16, pg 249). Then early 2011, Mahal will be sold in selective cities in department stores. The a couple months after, it will be sold in department stores across the world and on the internet.


Mahal will be promoting themselves through various ways of advertising. “One of the primary benefits of advertising is its ability to communicate to a large number of people at one time” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 14, pg 212). We will advertise Mahal in magazine ads, billboards in malls, and also commercial ad on radio and televisions. Also, Mahal will be using a promotion strategy that will promote not only their product but their services. Mahal will do “follow-up activites that a service firm might engage in after a customer transaction” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 11, pg. 164), also known as postpurchase communication. This will ensure customers that we appreciate their business, and in return we will gain customer loyalty. Also, when promoting Mahal we will be consistent with our message. “The message reaching the consumer should be the same regardless of whether it is from an advertisement, a salesperson in the field, a magazine article, or a coupon in a newspaper insert” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 14, pg 224). Consistency in Mahal represents commitment to our product, and will imply deep impact to the consumers.

Pricing is a competitive weapon because they “are the key to revenues, which in turn are the key to profits for an organization” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 17, pg. 261). Being a new business and launching a new product, it is the safest route to a long term survival to use the status quo pricing. The status quo pricing is simplicity with fewer price wars. The reason there are fewer price wars is due to meeting with the competitors prices.

Monday, March 22, 2010

MARKETING STRATEGY- TARGET MARKET STRATEGY

Defining Mahal’s target market is a must when it comes to a successful business. Understanding the target market will assist Mahal with defining on what our customer want and need. Also, the “market segment differ in size and potential, segmentation helps decision makers more accurately define marketing objectives and better allocate resources” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 7, pg 98). There are three segmentations that our company is focusing on, age segmentation, gender segmentation, and income segmentation.

Among the age segmentation, Mahal is concentrating on the target market of the generation Y. They are in their late teens to early thirties. Most of them are college students or women in their “in between” stage, meaning they are going off to college or into their careers. Annually, generation Y spends nearly $200 billion, and in their lifetime they will most likely spend $10 trillion. There are over 60 million people categorized in the generation Y demographic in the United States alone. In addition, gender segmentation is just as important as the age segmentation. It is apparent that Mahal perfume is targeting to females. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 51.4% of the generation Y is females (U.S. Census Bureau, www.factfinder.census.gov). Another segment that is important to Mahal is the income segmentation. Previously mentioned, Generation Y women are either college graduates or on their way to a major stage of their life, and making prime purchases. This is why Mahal is pricing their product at an affordable price to accommodate to the generation Y women.

In order to reach to the generation Y we will be retailing in department stores. Department stores are a perfect place to sell our products because of the amount of foot traffic done by women, and also it is a convenient location for women to sample Mahal. In addition to department stores, online retailing will be used. There are over 70% of Americans that have access to the internet, and the generation Y has mostly been raised with this technology all their lives. Also, “consumers have found this type of shopping convenient and, in many instances, less costly” (McDaniel Lamb Hair, MKTG3, Ch 13, pg 201).

Sunday, March 21, 2010

SWOT ANALYSIS

It is very important to recognize the surroundings of one’s business because gaining that knowledge can aide to their success. Mahal understands this concept; therefore we have provided a SWOT analysis to illustrate our strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats.

The strength of Mahal is their fragrance, the price, and the company image. The fragrance is a delightful mixture of flowers that has a soft touch with a bold aroma. By producing Mahal this way, it will aide to its long lasting scent. Women will experience the final touch of being loved as long as they would like. The other strength of Mahal is our price. Mahal is coming into 2011 as a new fragrance. The best strategy is to use status quo pricing. Status quo pricing basically means using the going rate pricing. “meeting the competition may be the safest route to long-term survival” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 18, pg 280). We will be starting as a small business, so simplicity is an advantage. Mahal’s image is another strength because a business “must make a positive impression on and be desirable to targeted market” (MTKG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 15, pg 230). By understanding this concept, Mahal is concentrating on a women’s natural beauty. We are stating that all women are desirable and Mahal is to enhance their authentic self. We do not believe that you are in need to be beautiful, so buy our product. We want to convey a positive meaning of beauty. You are already
beautiful; compliment your self-worth with Mahal.

The weaknesses of Mahal are our financial resources and employee capabilities. Mahal is coming into 2011 as a new business. Therefore, our financial resources are very limited. Finances are tight right now due to Mahal building its roots in the perfume business and producing their products at the same time. The lack of employee capabilities is also a weakness. Mahal is a small business with an undersized amount of employees. We perform with excellence; however we could use more employees to achieve more work. We look forward to to gaining more employees as time and our company progress.

Mahal has a great opportunity to aide in the confidence-building programs and promote all definitions of beauty. Our company operates under its slogan “the final touch of being loved”. The slogan entails that women already have the ability and the qualities of being loved, desired, and beautiful. Mahal is just the final touch to compliment and strengthen the women’s persona. We would love to work side by side with DOVE’s Campaign for Real Beauty. DOVE’s mission is “to make more women feel beautiful every day by widening stereotypical views of beauty” (DOVE Campaign for Real Beauty, http://www.dove.us/#/CFRB/arti_CFRB.aspx[cp-documentid=7049726]). Mahal and Dove have very similar beliefs about beauty, and share the same goals on how to aide in the confidence-building programs. According to Dove’s website, “81% of women in the US strongly agree that ‘the media and the advertising set an unrealistic standard of beauty that most women can’t ever achieve’” (DOVE Campaign for Real Beauty, http://www.dove.us/#/CFRB/arti_CFRB.aspx[cp-documentid=7049726]). Understanding this statistic Mahal will be “developing a single product for all markets and promoting it the same way all over the world” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 4, pg 58), also known as global marketing standardization. Mahal will be using real women in all shapes and sizes, not just the coke bottle shaped bodies, to promote our fragrance. Using this tactic will transform people’s view of the media’s definition of beauty.

The threats of Mahal will be its competitors. Marc Jacobs’ Lola, Kim Kardashian’s Kim Kardashian, and Clinque’s Happy are Mahal’s top three competitors. All three have been in the fragrance business for some time and are all well-known across the world. Being so popular Mahal will have a rough time competing. However, Mahal is dedicated to work hard to be at the same level as these famous fragrances.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

EOC WEEK 10- VOLKSWAGEN

Ten Facts About Volkswagen

The word “Volkswagen” means “people’s car”

In 1933, Adolf Hitler met with Ferdinand Porsche to discuss Hitler’s idea of a Volkswagen.

Politically, an affordable car such as the Volkswagen, was a strong platform for Hitler to win the public support that he desperately needed for his military adventures.

From the beginning VW tired to make a car that is simple enough so that the average people could afford it.

Special stamps were made by the government. They were sold to people and on theory if someone got 200 stamps they could immediately be changed with a KdF Wagen.

There were some main ideas that Porsche had to stick to while developing the VW:
-Max weight 650 kg
-Cruise speed of 100 km/h
-Air-cooled engine with 26 hp
-Fuel consumption 71 per 100km
-CHEAP PRICE

The first Volskwagen car was presented in 1938. It included all the features ordered by Hitler, the engine was placed at the rear of the car, and the shape of the car was quite specific – it was very round.

That was the reason why it got its nickname “Beetle”. An American reporter thought it looked like an insect, and so the “Beetle” was born.

By the end of the 1950s, the new interior of the beetle was designed so that there was the opportunity to build in a radio and speakers on the dashboard.

In the 1970, the other competitive branches got “too close on the Beetle’s wheels” by introducing new modern models. Volkswagen also developed a few new models like Karmann-Ghia and Volkswagen Transporter. The Beetle got reshaped, becoming wider and swollen. Even after getting a panoramic windscreen, the beetle was no competitor to the new Volkswagen creation.


In Mad Man, the men talked about the “Beetle” for 15 minutes. Discussing how small the car was and how ridiculous they were advertising. The ad just stated Lemon, implying that it was shaped as a lemon. Volkswagen just wanted to stimulate people’s mind and conversation. Based on results, Volkswagen successfully succeeded.
Also, there was a woman in that episode that drove a “Beetle”. She was a single, divorced, working mother driving the “people’s car”. Stereotypically, this woman is what Volkswagen wanted to target at.

WEEK 10- OBJECTIVES

Before any marketing plans are said, there must be some objectives confirmed. The
“objectives should be realistic, measurable, and time specific” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch. 2, pg. 18). The objectives should also be consistent and point out the priorites of a business.

One of Mahal’s objectives is to achieve 12 percent dollar market shares in our business within 12 months of product introduction. We will accomplish this objective by getting “consumers to recognize an imbalance between their present status and their preferred state” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch 5, pg. 64). When hearing about Mahal, the final touch of being loved, women will soon be aware that their wants and needs of enhancing who they are are in their reach. Owning a bottle of Mahal is to complete a woman’s sense of being. The scent lures people to them and in return women desire the aroma of Mahal.

Another objective is to gain 20 percent of our targeted market every year. One way to accomplish this is to obtain “information about customers, competitors, and markets; examining the information from total business perspective; determining how to deliver superior customer value” (MTKG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, Ch. 1, pg. 6)

Mahal’s other objective is to spend 10 percent of sales revenue between 2011 and 2012 on research and development in an effort to introduce at least three new products in 2012. After Mahal is successful, we will be looking into creating new products for our customers. To be successful in developing and introducing new products, we will “make the long-term commitment needed to support innovation and new product development” (MKTG3, McDaniel Lamb Hair, ch. 10, pg146).

Mahal’s objectives are time specific, assessable, and reasonable. Customers and employees will be satisfied, motivated, and successful.

Monday, March 15, 2010

WEEK 9- BUSINESS STATEMENT




The perfume business is a huge industry concentrating on people’s wants and needs. Mahal is a delightful and desirable perfume that will be in many women’s possession. It is a delicate and bold fragrance with a mixture of cherry blossom, jasmine, and lavender. Mahal is targeted to women of the Generation Y demographic. Generation Y women are in their late teens to early thirties. They “have already started their careers, and are making major purchasing decisions” (MKTG3, McDaniels Lamb Hair, Ch 3, pg 35). Therefore, purchasing Mahal would be a great investment for them. Also Generation Y women are very in tune with themselves. Mahal is not promoting itself to provide women something they do not have. Mahal is a perfume that strongly believes that every woman is beautiful and Mahal is there to enhance who they are. Mahal is targeting the Generation Y demographic, which does not mean other women in different age groups would enjoy the perfume. It is a scent that many people would love.

Mahal will be sold in department stores such as: Macy’s, Dillards, Nordstrom, etc. These places are perfect locations due to the amount of foot traffic that occurs there. When walking into the department stores, the first things you see are products for women, make-up, perfume, jewelry, and so much more. Mahal is a specialty product, where “consumers search extensively for a particular item and are very reluctant to accept substitutes” (MKTG3, McDaniels Lamb Hair, Ch 9, pg 132). Therefore, Mahal’s customers can find their Mahal perfume fairly easily at the department stores.

“To Survie in today’s highly competitive marketplace, companies need pricing objectives that are specific, attainable, and measurable” (MKTG3, McDaniels Lamb Hair, Ch 17, pg 262). This is why Mahal is priced at $40. It is a high end quality perfume set at a sensible price. The sought-after scent of Mahal will last for a long time. Also over the years, the women of Generation Y “have already spend nearly $200 billion annually and over their lifetimes will like spend about $10 trillion” (MKTG3, McDaniels Lamb Hair, Ch 3, pg 35). This explains that Generation Y women would be accepting to a $40 exquisite perfume named Mahal.