MGCR352 MARKETING MANAGEMENT I Application Questions Fall 2011

Description: By analyzing a real life situation, the application question provides an opportunity for you and your team to apply the theories learned in class. After completing your research, you and your team will present your findings to the class. This assignment is worth ten percent of your final grade. Objectives: Understanding marketing concepts and their application to profit-oriented and non-profitoriented organizations. Applying these concepts to the analysis of marketing problems and the development of appropriate and creative marketing strategies to solve these problems. Critically analyzing and evaluating case problems. Answering questions and defending your findings during the question period. Confidently presenting your findings within a limited time. Instructions: Identify your application question. The number of the application question represents the number of your team (i.e., application question 1 = group 1). Read the chapter(s) and the class notes corresponding to your application question. Research and answer all the components of your application question. You may use multiple external sources for your research. Resources available through the library can provide much of the needed information. Prepare an oral presentation with your group. Your presentation must be power-point based, but you may also use other forms of visuals such as videos, samples, handouts, etc. After your presentation, your audience will ask questions or make comments. Be prepared to elaborate, clarify, and defend certain aspects of your presentation. You need to submit an electronic or written copy of your final PowerPoint slides before you start your presentation. Late submissions will be subject to penalty in grading. Requirements: The group oral presentation will not exceed 15 minutes followed by 5 minutes questions and answers. Any presentation running overtime will be penalized. At least three members of your team must present and all the members of your group must be present and ready to answer questions on the day of the oral presentation. Professional business attire is recommended but not required for all the presenters. Refer to the schedule in the course outline for the presentation date. Special notes: Your set up time is five minutes (maximum). If you choose to use your personal laptop (MAC or PC), please practice setting up ahead of time and become familiar with the equipment located in the classroom. No more than five minutes will be allowed to set up under any circumstances. It is strongly recommended that you have two versions of the presentation available (online and on an external saving device such as a USB key). Keep in mind that the room is equipped with power point, Internet connection, and video. However, if you are presenting a video, it must fit within your presentation time. Be creative and have fun!

Application Question 1 Segmentation/Targeting/Positioning As gas prices continue to climb, car manufacturers are rushing to introduce new fuel-sipping electric cars. Nissan recently launched its Leaf electric cars in the North American market. But the CMO remains uncertain on how the market would perceive this new product. She asks your group of marketing consultants to compare Leaf with three other electric and/or hybrid car brands that compete against it. In answering the CMO, please focus on the following issues: What are the consumer segments targeted by these four brands? What is the positioning for each brand on a perceptual map? Are there any trends that favor one brand over the other? Now select one of the electric car brands other than Leaf. If your group represented the senior brand management team for this brand, would you change your brand positioning with the launch of Leaf, and if so how? Provide a compelling argument. Application Question 2 Strategic/Market Planning As the mobile phone market is heating up due to competition from the market leader Apple, HTC Inc. has been struggling and wants to revaluate its product portfolio strategy. The company approaches its senior product management team (your group) for the task. Your task is to collect information on the portfolio of mobile and smart phone brands owned by HTC in North America and then do the following analysis: Place these brands in a portfolio matrix and develop a marketing strategy for any two brands based on their position in the matrix. Your marketing strategy should clearly outline the recommended marketing mix for these two brands moving forward. Provide justification for your recommendations. Application Question Group 3 Understanding the Marketing Environment Panda Restaurant Group Inc. is one of the growing fast food chains in the United States. Now, the top management of Panda Group is considering expanding to Quebec. Assume your team is a group of marketing consultants hired by the CEO of the company to evaluate this decision. Provide the following information to the company: A view of the economic, social, demographic, competitive, political, and technological environment Panda Group will face in Quebec. Given this view, evaluate how the companys marketing mix strategy (i.e., product, prices, promotions, and place) should be tailored for the Quebec market. Which target market(s) should they pursue in Quebec, and why? Application Question Group 4 Consumer Behavior Logitech has recently teamed up with Google to provide electronic boxes offering access to Google TV to consumers in North America. The Google TV service uses the same Android operating system that is used in smartphones and brings a web browser to the TV set. This service is designed to bring to the living room a trove of internet videos from sites such as YouTube, which Google owns. However, Google TV has not performed according to expectations, and Logitech is not able to generate significant interest from consumers for this product. The CMO of Logitech wants to understand what factors are driving these consumer behaviors and approaches her marketing executive team (your group) for answers. Provide a description of the various factors influencing consumer behavior with respect to the internet TV. Back your description with in-depth interviews with two consumers who may be the target audience for such services.

Formulate recommendations to Logitechs CMO on how to combat this problem/opportunity discuss the marketing mix to harness consumer preferences.

Application Question Group 5 Product Life Cycle Samsung is one of the leading electronic manufacturers in the World. Consider your team has been hired by the marketing division of Samsung to evaluate their current product mix available in North America and recommend the appropriate marketing mix strategy. Collect information on Samsungs four to six major products/brands in North America and evaluate their respective stages in the product life cycle. Based on your evaluation, provide recommendations to the company regarding the marketing mix strategy for any one product in the growth stage and any one product in the decline stage in the portfolio. Consider if Samsung should change their target market or add a new segment for their core products/brands? Make a compelling case for your proposed strategies. Application Question Group 6 New Products Schick is one of the leading brands in the mens personal care product category. Due to strong competition from its arch-rival Gillette in the North American market, Schick is witnessing a stagnant market share for quite a few years. To alleviate this problem, the company is planning to focus on developing new products that can help attract a bigger share of customers. Your task as a group is to evaluate the current product line up of Schick and make recommendations towards the following: What new product/s should Schick offer? How would you describe your new product idea on the innovation scale? What steps does Schick need to take develop this new product. Application Question Group 7 Brands and Branding Lowes Inc. is one of the leading retailers selling home hardware and construction materials in North America. Currently its main target market is construction/professional workers and Do-it-Yourself (DIY) home owners. However, it has been witnessing a slowing growth in the demand for its products and services due to the recent economic downturn. To alleviate this problem Lowes is planning to focus its marketing strategy to attract younger DIY consumers living in rental apartments and homes to its stores. Evaluate the current branding strategy and the source of brand equity for Lowes Inc. in North America. Ask 4 or 5 persons, If Lowes was a person, what would it look and be like? Report your findings and their implications for the company. Describe the specific segment(s) of younger DIY consumers living in rental apartments and homes, and discuss the marketing strategies Lowes may implement to attract these chosen segment(s)? Suggest a cobranding strategy for Lowes to reach these consumers. Why/Why not will this strategy work? Application Question Group 8 Pricing With the Conservatives in majority in the Parliament, it appears that the Canadian Wireless Phone industry is poised to be opened to increased foreign competition very soon. As such, France Telecom, one of the major the major wireless players in the world, wants to preemptively design entry strategies into the Quebec market. As a first step, it wants to understand the pricing environment facing the

wireless phone industry in Quebec. It approaches your group of pricing experts to get key insights. Your task is to do the following: Identify the important mediums through which wireless telephone services are available to Quebec customers and provide a discussion of the pricing strategies associated with them. Is the demand for wireless phone services elastic? If so, why should this matter to France Telecom in deciding its prices? Based on this analysis and the competitive environment France Telecom will face upon its entry in Quebec, recommend the appropriate pricing strategy to the company that will allow it to gain market share in this province. Application Question Group 9 Marketing Channels Behr Paints is one of the leading manufacturers of paints in Canada. It is considering expanding its operations in Canada by allowing customers to customize and order paints directly from its website. However, it is unsure how this move would affect its relationship with its current channel partners. It approaches your group of Canada based marketing consultants to evaluate this concern. Your task is to find out what different channels does Behr use to sell its products and then explain: How is the purchase experience different for consumers under the current models and the proposed online model? What kinds of channel conflicts can arise if Behr continues with opening its own online sales website? Based on this analysis, provide a final recommendation to the senior board of Behr on how it can minimize some of these conflicts and expand its business. Application Question Group 10 Integrated Marketing Communications Due to saturation in the market for GPS systems in North America, Garmin ltd is planning to put more emphasis on its GPS sports watch. However, it is not sure of the appropriate communication strategy for this product. As such, they approach your group to provide the following recommendations to the company. Prepare a presentation for the senior board of the company explaining the communication process. Who should be the target market(s) for this product? Design an IMC for this market. Which aspect of your IMC will be most effective? Why? Pick one.