research paper

 

Urgent

 1. Please adhere to directions on the attachment

2. No plagiarism, APA format

3. Need within 36 hrs or less, Paper is on Tonny little cheeks footwear.  I 

4. Only MBA-worthy work; If you can not submit this level of work do not send a bid!!!!

Marketing Plan

To complete your final project, each group must develop an Executive Summary and Table of Contents. The Executive Summary should include the following:

Concise overview of the report

Overall strategies, main conclusions, and key points of the Marketing Action Program

When you complete the Marketing Plan (Final Project), upload it as a final MS Word document in which all the components of milestones are integrated in a well-defined plan.

Your expense should be in a chart so it is easier to read. Also use pictures, graphs, and Give a concise SWOT Analysis.

AMarketing Plan: Key Components and Plan Outline

To get your marketing efforts off to the right start, you first must fully understand the strategic

goals of your organization. All good marketing plans begin with a comprehensive and intimate

understanding of the goals of the company. You will also be well served to review the vision

and mission of the organization. All of your marketing efforts should fully support these goals

and every marketing strategy and tactic should be designed with these goals kept firmly in

mind.

The First Step in Creating a Marketing Plan

Marketing plans must be based upon the goals laid out in the business plan, so a thorough

review and understanding of the company’s business plan is the first step in creating a

marketing plan.

Once you understand the strategic goals of the company, as a successful marketer you will also

fully understand the benefits of the products and services you offer, as well as who can benefit

from them and how you will sell and deliver them to those consumers profitably. You will also

seek to uncover and explore strategic opportunities that will help your business grow and

increase profitability through the delivery of superior products and services to an audience that

will benefit from them.

Once you have a strategy that describes your company’s products or services and how your

market will benefit from them, then you can create a marketing plan that will enable you to

communicate with your market, sell your product or service, and reach your organization’s

strategic goals. You may choose to include tactics for uncovering new strategic opportunities

that exist.

Below is an outline of a marketing plan that addresses the essential points of concern, along

with a brief discussion of each component in the plan. Keep in mind that every marketing plan

is different but each of the below components should be discussed in your plan.

Marketing Plan Outline/Example

A marketing plan for a company should include the following information:

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 Concise overview of report

 Overall strategies, main conclusions, and key points of the marketing action program

 Table of contents (appears after the items described above)

2. OBJECTIVES

 Company mission – mission statement, definition of the business, and contribution of

the unit and distinctive competence

 Financial objectives – return on investment, net profit, and cash flow

 Marketing objectives – statement of what is to be achieved through marketing activities

(for example, gains in market share, sales volume, profitability per unit, degree of

product introduction, innovation); must be stated in measurable terms (for example, 10

percent), with a given time frame (for example, 24 months), and internally consistent

(for example, following launch of product)

3. MARKETING ANALYSIS

 Markets/products overview – provides basics of the marketing plan and background

about market segments

 Marketing macro-environment trends – technological, economic, political, and legal

 Competition situation – describes major competitors in terms of size, goals, products,

marketing strategies, and any other relevant traits

 Distribution situation – facts and data on the products by channel and the changing

importance of each channel (by value and bargaining power)

4. SWOT ANALYSIS

 Strength and weaknesses of current marketing strategies

 Opportunities and threats – outside factors that can affect the future of the business

 Issues to be addressed – results of the SWOT analysis

5. MARKETING STRATEGIES

 Target market segments

 Competitive advantage by segment

 Positioning by segment

 Major decisions about all elements of the marketing mix – product strategy, pricing

strategy, communication strategy, and distribution strategy

 Cooperation required with other departments to reach targeted segments

6. MARKETING ACTION PROGRAMS

 Marketing mixes by segment – activities required to implement the marketing plan and

achieve marketing objectives

 Tasks and responsibilities

7. BUDGET

 Revenue – forecasted sales volume by unit and average price

 Expenses – cost of production, cost of physical distribution, marketing costs (for

example, product development, advertising, distribution channel training and

development, sales force training and payment, marketing research)

8. CONTROLS AND CONTINGENCY PLANS

 Controls – how the performance of the plan will be measured, schedule by which to

monitor its progress by comparing results against objectives

 Contingency plans in case of an adverse event (for example, delay in product launch,

technical problems)

Glossary of Terms

Overview

Your overview will be a brief description of your plan, what your goals are, and the assumptions

implicit in the plan, and the major actions you will take to achieve your marketing goals. This

will give the reader a short preview or synopsis so they at least have a general understanding of

what your plan is trying to accomplish and why.

Company Vision or Mission Statement

This section will discuss the philosophy of your business, who you wish to serve, why you wish

to serve them, and the manner in which you will conduct business. The vision or summary

describes why you are in business in the first place.

Objectives

This section will discuss the major marketing objectives you will accomplish through your plan

in quantifiable terms, along with a discussion of your budget and the major actions or

marketing initiatives you will undertake to accomplish those objectives.

Market Overview (A Discussion of Your Market)

This section will talk about the identified needs of identifiable groups of people and how your

products and services meet those needs. The more you know about the people you hope to

serve and the better your market research (“people research”), the better your plan will be.

Market Segments, Market Segmentation Strategy, Discussion of Needs and Requirements

This section will analyze your overall market and discuss the identified sub-groups of people

based upon their different needs and wants. You can probably never understand too much

about the needs and requirements of your market, and they are likely to be very diverse, so the

more you can segment your market and understand the unique needs and wants, the better.

Sales Goal

This section will provide an identified sales goal. It is impossible to create a successful plan if

you do not know what the goal is. You should also set sales goals within each market segment

and among each of your product lines.

Product Definition

This section will discuss each of your products and services and how each uniquely meets the

needs and wants of your market. What are you selling? What is unique about it? Why would

anyone buy it?

Communications Strategy

Thus far, your plan has talked about what you need to do. Now your plan must discuss how you

will do it. This section will also discuss how you plan to reach and communicate with each of

your market segments and how you will treat each differently. Discuss how you will position

your company based upon your unique selling proposition. Your unique selling proposition is

what you do that is different from anyone else and is the single most important reason you are

different than any other company. Your unique selling proposition is how you will differentiate

yourself from your competition.

Distribution Channels

This section will discuss and examine how you will deliver your products and services to your

customers. It would be a good idea to understand your customers’ preferred delivery method

and try to base your distribution on that model.

Competitive Analysis

This section will provide a full and complete analysis and discussion of your competition. Who

are they? What do they do? How do they do it? What are their strengths? What are their

vulnerabilities? Who are their customers? Why do their customers buy from them?

A Tactical Plan

This section will provide a detailed plan of all the communication channels you will use and all

the marketing communication tools you will use. In other words, carefully consider how you will

communicate with your market. Just some of the marketing tactics you might wish to include

are print advertising, public relations, publicity, direct marketing, direct mail, trade show

exhibiting, web and Internet marketing, outdoor advertising, and sponsorships.

Expense Budget

This section will provide a delineation of marketing communication tactics you will use and

budgets for each of them. You must know how much money it will take to carry out your plan

so that you can be realistic about the tools and tactics you will use.

Discussion of Sales and Marketing Resources Available

Carefully consider the resources you have available to you as you prepare to execute your plan.

Identify the financial and human resources you will need to translate your strategic plan into a

series of tactical successes. This is the place to fully discuss your sales and marketing

infrastructures and make sure they can support your goals.

Measurement/Evaluation

This section will discuss how you will measure each and every step of your plan. If you do not

know how to measure your marketing initiatives, you will have no understanding of how to

improve your marketing. Build predefined evaluation periods into your plan where at which

point you will measure your results and adjust your plan accordingly.

Keys to Success/Critical Issues

This section will discuss the most important parts of your plan, upon which your success will

depend. What are the absolute essential things your plan must accomplish and why?

Strategic Opportunities

It is a good idea to include a discussion about strategic opportunities in the marketing plan. You

probably will not know the specifics about the opportunities that will present themselves in the

future, but you should discuss how you will evaluate strategic opportunities when they arise.

Ask yourself, what other markets might present additional growth avenues for my business?

How will you know if opportunities are right for your business? In my experience, it is best to at

least talk about how you will evaluate strategic opportunities before they arise. A great way to

accomplish this is to use your company’s mission or vision as a guide as to what will define a

strategic opportunity worthy of consideration. You might also discuss ways to actively seek and

uncover strategic opportunities.

TONY LITtLE CHEEKS ®

Executive presentation group 3 marketing management

Jessica Boehm, mehek qureshi, cherod jones

Contents of presentation

Mission Statement

Objectives

Competition

SWOT Analysis & Results

Action Programs

Product Overview

Controls & Contingency

Marketing Elements

Macro-Environment Trends

Marketing Strategies Slides 11-14

Budgets Slides 17-19

Department Cooperation

Contingencies

References

Mission statement
Company Mission- created internally by the team
“To provide the public with a fun, affordable, stylish, and functional sandal created by a fitness guru, made for the fitness enthusiast”
Business Definition
Health and fitness industry, B2C, retail footwear
Unit Contribution and Distinctive Competence
Creating extra growth opportunities
Product (sandals) supported by warranty and celebrities use of the product

The mission statement of the company is, “To provide the public with a fun, affordable, stylish, and functional sandal created by a fitness guru, made for the fitness enthusiast.” The definition of the business is health and fitness sector, uses buyer to customer strategy. The company engages in retail footwear. When it comes to the contribution of unit and distinctive competence, it will create additional growth opportunities by expanding the Tony Little footwear line and diversifying his products. These sandals are backed by warranty and worn by the celebrities and other fitness professionals.
3

Objectives – marketing & FINANCIAL
Marketing Objectives
Increase online sales by 25% within the first 3 months of the new sandal promotion
Improve traffic conversion rate on both physical stores and online platforms by 30% by February 2021. 
Reach or exceed an average ROAS (specifics on slide 20)
Financial Objectives
The goal is to generate profits
The main financial objective is to attain Return on Investment (ROI)
The average cost of producing one pair is $12
The selling price ranges between $25- $40 per pair

Even though the goal of Tony Little Cheeks Sandals financial objectives is to make profits and money, they help provide an understanding of how the desired amount is achieved, the timeframe, and how the received profits will be spent. As such, the focus on the financial objectives is to attain profitability in line with the company’s long-term health, mission, and survival in the ever-competitive business environment. The principal financial objective is to achieve a return on investment.
4

products overview

Cheeks® Bandals & Sandals
massage and exercise sandals
The product is affordable, comfortable, casual and stylish
Products can be for everyday use and are meant to be
The products are manufactured for adult’s sizes 5-11
Products made for mostly ladies –none for kids yet

Objective – get more sales, awareness, and engagement with Tony Little’s Cheeks Sandal / Bandal line
Goal – Overall Sales of Cheeks footwear
Strategy – Social media, Google Ads & Shopping, TV, e-commerce
Target Audience – mostly females, national online targeting but local for TV since so expensive
Timeline – 8-10 weeks
High-level Elements of the Marketing Plan

MARKETING MACRO-ENVIRONMENT TRENDS
Technological trends link to the creation of new technologies. It creates an excellent opportunity for new products and market opportunities.
Tony Little Cheeks Sandals will use mobile applications and wireless communication to penetrate the market
Government regulations affect choice of words, pictures, and content used to advertise the sandals
The economic trends relating to our product include: consumer purchasing power, inflation rate, sales tax or VAT
In totality, the microenvironment provides the marketers with specific areas that could drive opportunities or threats to the business processes.

When it comes to technology, wireless communication and mobile applications have offered a good chance for Tony Little Cheeks Sandals to penetrate the market. Through social media, the target audience can be informed about available products and the benefits of using sandals. On another point, certain regulations may determine the choice of words, pictures, and content to use to advertise sandals. Economic trends may concern consumers’ purchasing power, spending patterns, and behaviors (Birnleitner & Student, 2018). Consideration of disposable personal income, sales VAT/tax, GDP real growth rate, inflation rate, and unemployment rate will offer the business with a comprehension of the specific target audience to focus on.
7

Competition
3 major competitors offering a similar product:
-Clarks –
has good market share and is recognize for its comfort
reputable brand name,
pricing is normally higher than ours
well known by older demographic
-Reef-
has much larger portion of individuals in our target market, ie beach goers
Has greater product line to offer more
Very well-known brand name & reputable
Prices are comparable depending on the style
Well known by younger demographic
-Skechers-
Has huge market share
Globally known, brand recognition everywhere
Offers similar products with similar benefits at comparable prices
Well known by all demographics

SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Internal
External
Affordability – comparable if not lower prices than competitors
Brand Recognition – Tony Little fitness expert
Established relationships with HSN
Quality & Comfort – long-lasting, good material, & gel footbed cradle technology
Functionality & Design – achieves its purpose as well as being stylish
Limited Demographics – only targeting the older demographic that shops on HSN
Limited Styles – Sandals and Bandals are limited – he could expand on product line
Cannibalization (CITE) – when websites are competing for same product line – and he is through Amazon and his own site
Inventory Issues – there seems to be back orders or items of larger sizes out of stock

Greater Social Media – reach younger demographic and target via social marketing
Feedback & Reviews – gather more information from direct consumers to fix products
Cast wider net – the already targeted audience is living longer now a days and healthier lifestyle
Cross-channel promotion – promote more on HSN & direct them to purchase on the website

COVID – the older demographics are more susceptible to illness and are going out less
Fierce Competition – besides low barrier to entry, many retailers offer similar product at similar price
Seasonality – only able to run the sandal & bandal line in the south during the winter months (See Graph)

Cite for cannibalization – https://neilpatel.com/blog/web-marketing-cannibalization/#:~:text=Web%20marketing%20c annibalization%20happens%20when,away%20at%20your%20own%20results.
9

RESULTS OF SWOT ANALYSIS
issues to be addressed

Expansion of Product Line – expansion into boots / winter shoes to not waste advertising dollars
Demographic Targeting – Shift focus from HSN to younger audience on Social Media –
Website functionality – if website can be improved, up-to-date reviews can be added as well as real-time inventory and purchases can be made online directly
Mitigate cannibalization – strategize and cohesively find one way to target the cheeks sandals online – one website only

MARKET SEGMENTS & Positioning
TARGET MARKET SEGMENTS

11

AGE & GENDER

Focus on Women mostly

INCOME

Affordable to all types of income ranges

Will not target the top 10% or Elite that have expensive purchasing habits

GEOGRAPHY

Engagement w Tony Little

Active Outdoor Fitness Enthusiasts

BEHAVIORS

National – once boots are added to the mix

Age 30+

Local – Target Sandals all year long & use Tony Little Brand for local recognition

Online Shoppers

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE BY SEGMENT

There are various factors which can help a business to gain competitive advantage when it comes to market segmentation. One of these factors in our case is purchase behaviors. Because much of the purchasing currently has moved to online via numerous varied platforms such as mobile and social systems (Zinkhan & Pereira, 2019) there is need to target home and online shoppers by their last purchases and procuring behavior. E-commerce can be considered on geographical segmentation to reach a wide group of targeted audience.
12

Age & Gender

Women after retirement 65+ (long-lasting, comfortable, reputable – brand name

Women between 30-65 (stylish, functional, affordable)

For Locals – positioning Tony Little Brand

Behaviors

Target Online Shoppers via Google ads, social media, etc

Target Audiences that have already engaged with Tony Little Brand

Geography

Income

To compete with our competitors

Comfy affordable beach sandal” we can compete by offering the lower prices w the same attributes they offer

Target consumers who are active, healthy and outdoor enthusiasts

MARKETING MIX DECISIONS
Product & Pricing Strategy

Product

– Since his Cheeks shoe line is considered to be more of a new product launch and in the growth stage we need to consider the main product which consists of the following

Pricing

When getting into the market with a new product, Tony Little Cheeks Sandals should have a penetration price of around $17 per sandal.

Looking at Tony Little Cheeks Sandals’ pricing strategy, it is important to focus on

Extra Comfort – Focus on patent cushion gel footbed

Long-lasting & durable – quality material made to withstand long wear and tear

Style – casual and stylish with interchangeable straps

Functionality – When you Stand you Stretch and when you Walk you Flex.(Little, 2020)

Light weight & waterproof

Competitor actions, customers’ ability to pay, market conditions, and input costs

MARKETING MIX DECISIONS cont
COMMUNICATION & DISTRIBUTION

Communication

Others

Distribution

It should distribute the products in brick and mortar department stores as well as online e-commerce. This will ensure the product reaches its target customer with ease.

Traditional & Non-Traditional

TV, Print, & Digital

PR, local events with Tony Little, fundraisers & public sporting events

Communication / Customer Service – the service is covered in the mission statement, contact information accessible
Promotion: strategy applied aims at targeting individual by promoting active and healthy lifestyle
Distribution: availability of Amazon storefront and HSN outlet increases product accessibility
Pricing: designed to fit the target group with consideration of competitor’s price
Advertising / Specific Promotion: offer enticing offer to start such as BOGO or subscription savings
MARKETING ACTION PROGRAMS

Tony Little’s advertising strategy focus on targeting people by promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. Specifically, for the cheeks brand they state how they want to “improve customer health and fitness experiences throughout everyday activities” (www.tonylittle.com/cheeks, nd).
The exercise sandal is another way he promotes active wear to help achieve this goal. The company holds a strong online website which also doubles a community for active people. They affix all their products with the cheeks logo which is another way to promote and advertise the brand.
15

DEPARTMENT COOPERATION & RESPONSIBLITIES
Cooperation with other departments is key to reaching targeted segments that the company plans to capitalize on (CITE). The following departments must work harmoniously in order to achieve overall success.
Sales – The sales department is tasked with creating superior value in the eyes of the consumer without cannibalizing existing products. The sales department must consider the cost of getting the product to market. The sales department must keep in mind that each line of shoe that Cheeks makes must hold a competitive advantage.
Design / Production – -The production department is tasked with assembling the materials and incorporating the technology into the products to give the different lines value
Quality Assurance – This team must be the final stage of checking over everything before and after launch of the product line. They will also be the line of defense when things are returned or damaged
Management -The managing department is tasked with the responsibility of recognizing customer needs and doing so in a manner that maintains profitability (Moutinho L., 200).  Management at all levels must be effective and efficient.
Accounting – They will keep track of our budgeting, our target ROI and ROAS goals and make sure the new sandal / bandals are bringing in the desired numbers

16

BUDGET OVERVIEW
Budgeting provides the plan and process on how the business will spend its money. It allows the business to determine whether there is enough money to achieve the goals of the business (Bhasin, 2020). If the business does not have enough resources or money, the budget provides insights into the specific areas to prioritize.
While looking at Tony Little Cheeks Sandals, the section will focus on revenue and expenses.
The revenue section pays attention to forecasted sales volumes by unit and average price; forecasted sales volumes by unit and average price are very important to the business.
It provides the business with an opportunity to create cash flow statements, balance sheets, and profit and loss statements.
Besides providing excellent guides as to where to allocate the funds, the budget can also guide on how much should be spent on marketing to acquire new customers, how much on administration and operations (Dickey, 2010)

In specifics, Tony Little Cheeks Sandals forecasted sales volumes by unit, and the average price is as follows:
Each hour, around 600 people pass by the streets where Tony Little Cheeks Sandals check-in shop is located. One out of ten will get into Tony Little Cheeks Sandals shop.
Statistically, it implies that around 60 potential customers will visit the shop. One of five people coming into the shop will purchase a product.
Analytically, it implies that the store will make around 12 sales walk-in sales per hour. The average price of the product is $24, which implies that the shop will make $288 per hour.
If the shop is opened for 10 hours a day, the total sales will be $2880. Around 120 items will be sold. In a month, the store will have sold $86,400.

REVENUE

*We are still working this out for Milestone 7
18

EXPENSES
Expenses are the cost of operations that the company must incur to generate revenue. At Tony Little Cheeks Sandals, the average cost of producing a product is $12, then sold at $24. The cost of physical distribution is $1.5; marketing cost stands at $3 per product. It implies that the total cost of the product from production to customers’ hands, including distribution, advertisement, and placement on the shelves, is $16.5. Therefore, if sold at $24, the actual profit of the product is $7.5. The store has three employees, with each employee being paid $7 per hour. If they work for 10 hours daily, it means the store pays $210. Statistically, it implies that if 120 products are sold, the actual profit is $900 minus 210, which implies that the store makes around $690 per day. In a month, the actual profit will be $20,700

Cost of Production

Cost of Distribution

Marketing Costs

TRACK & MEASURE SUCCESS
controls
To monitor our progress and track performance, KPIs will be put in place to compare our results against the objectives. We want to gauge performance by measuring the success of our initiatives by looking at the following:
Net sales, profit and revenue on a monthly basis
See where our efforts are most successful and where we need to cut our costs
 Variable costs and expenses on a monthly basis
Costs directly related to our product line
The % of repeat customers vs new ones
Tells us how well people know the Tony Little brand name as well as how many people like the shoes and intend to purchase more
ROAS during promotions and new launches
Will need a benchmark to start, average 300% and can evaluate after 1 month
The amount of website sales vs. TV sales vs. store sales
See what channel produces the best results in terms of sales to costs
The % of returned items to purchased items 
We can gauge product quality and customer satisfaction

CONTINGENCIES
In regards to actual events, we plan on facing the following situations with the following solutions
Product damage / replacement
We will have an agreement/ contract with each manufacturer that will reimburse us for expedited shipping and returns to replace the product as quickly as possible
We will have a quality assurance team in place to inspect the orders of products going out and products coming in to try and be proactive
Product launch is delayed due to inventory issues such as bullet 1
Websites and any other means of advertising will be updated immediately so the customer is aware
Quality control team contact any vendors, retailers, customers etc for transparency & communication
Not all marketing channels are ready to run at the same time
If for any reason, the holiday promotion is ready on the website and not on TV or vice versa, we will only run the channels that are ready with the promotions so we do not have different offers running across media channels.
Once channels are all aligned with the same promotional message, we will run simultaneously, ie. TV, Google PPC, Social Media, e-commerce (online shopping)
Technical issues on the website
Quality control team is also aligned with a backup server or notification if our site were to go down for any reason so they could fix it immediately 

REFERENCES:
Zinkhan, G. M., & Pereira, A. (2019). An overview of marketing strategy and planning. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 11(3), 185-218.
Birnleitner, H., & Student, D. (2018). Influence of macro-environmental factors to the process of integrating a business entity. In Proceedings from Industry, science and policy makers for sustainable future: the 14th Management International Conference (pp. 21-23).
Dickey, T. (2010). Basics of budgeting: Become a better business planner. Axzo Press.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing management (15th ed.). Pearson.

QUAKER OVERNIGHT OATS
EXECUTIVE PRESENTATION

Presented on: December 9, 2017

BUS5470 – Marketing Management

QUAKER OATS Mission Statement
Quaker is a proud part of the PepsiCo family. Our Mission is to “provide consumers around the world with delicious, affordable, convenient, and complementary foods and beverages from wholesome breakfasts to healthy and fun daytime snacks and beverages to evening treats.
We are committed to investing in our people, our company, and the communities where we operate to help position the company for long-term, sustainable growth.” Bailey, S. (2014)

Quaker Oats Financial Objectives
The financial objectives of Quaker Oats is to increase profits while maintaining a global presence in the market place. Since the merger of Quaker with PepsiCo there has been little change in the company’s financial position over the years. (Values are listed in millions)

Quaker Foods 2016 2015 2014
Net Revenue 2,564.00 2,543.00 2,568.00
Operating profit 653.00 560.00 621.00

“Net revenue grew by only 1% whereas operating profit increased by 16%” PepsiCo. Annual report.

Quaker Oats Financial Objectives cont’d
Hence, with the report of low financial growth we are aiming to increase net revenue using Quaker Overnight Oats over the next 3 years by 15%.
To increase net revenue we will increase our marketing efforts by widening our target market to include younger customers and customers focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
In year one we aim to increase sales by 5%. The anticipated operating costs during this time will increase by 7%. However, in year 2 we anticipate that profits will increase to 10% and then steadily increase to 15% in year three. During this time we plan to keep operating costs low while aggressively increase our marketing and sales efforts in order to meet this objective.

QUAKER OATS MARKETING OBJECTIVES
With the growing inclination toward healthy food, we believe that we are in a great position to grow our customer base and continue to be a leading force in the industry.
Our aim is to widen our target market range by increasing our focus on the health benefits of our products to include young children and health oriented individuals who have not traditionally been a part of our target market. Hence, we are building a marketing plan geared to this market by introducing Quaker overnight oats.
This product was introduced in 2016 which saw moderate success, however our goal is to increase awareness of this product and make it a staple breakfast item that all can enjoy.

Market Overview
Our target markets will include individuals focused on living a healthy lifestyle as well as household families. We will target household families with two are more individuals consisting of adults and children. This is a good market for our product seeing that Overnight Oats is an easy, versatile, healthy meal that will fit into all kinds of family lifestyles.
The second market will include any individual who exercise daily and are focused on living a healthy lifestyle. This is a good audience for Overnight Oats since our product is a wholesome, low fat, low calorie meal that is also heart healthy.
In addition we will target families of military members and persons in the health profession.

Product overview – Overnight Oats
Quaker Overnight Oats is a superior product compared to our competitors. We are providing a trendy new oatmeal option that is wholesome, quick and easy to prepare and takes all of the guesswork out of preparation.
We also have the advantage of generations of history standing behind our brand which helps us gain customer loyalty and trust which is an important quality when consumers are considering which brand to choose.

Product overview – Overnight Oats
Overnight Oats are simply oats, fruit, nuts, and spices prepackaged for easy preparation. These oats come in multiple flavors to satisfy all kinds of tastes and offers variety to our customers.
Our overnight Oats are also low in calorie, heart healthy as well as a low fat food which makes it a great addition to a healthy diet.

Competitor Business Analysis
Quaker Oats’ competitors in the food-cereal and snack for breakfast business has grown. However we have identified our top competitors to be Kellogg and General Mills.
Other competitors in the market place includes but is not limited to La Crosse Milling, Post, Torto, Uncle Sam cereal etc.
This competitor analysis will cover Quaker Oats’ top competitor for the cereal and snack for breakfast industry.

Competitor Business Analysis – Kellogg
Kellogg’s started out in 1898 hence the company’s strength comes from having years of experience in the cereal and breakfast industry. The company has also launched Kellogg’s institute of food and nutrition research, a facility where the company can engage itself into research and development of new product offerings and ideas.
However, one drawback to Kellogg is that, even though the company is interested in producing wholesome breakfast products, they have not entered the market for old fashioned oats or the overnight oats breakfast idea.
This remains a major advantage for Quaker Oats.
Taken from Kellogg.com

Competitor Business Analysis – General mills
General Mills’ overall strength comes from having a strong presence in the global market, they have made their products quiet appealing to the younger generation, this is an area where Quaker Oats can improve by redesigning its packaging to be more attractive to children and using marketing tactics to get children eating heart healthy oats for breakfast. In addition, 17% of General Mills net sales comes from cereal which takes up its second largest income generating activity, and is being marketed widely in north America which captures 65% of total sales in that area.
Taken from generalmills.com

Competitor Business Analysis – General mills
General Mills is a very strong competitor for Quaker oats.
In order to capture or regain a segment of this market share, Quaker needs to be engaged in intensive marketing efforts. However, while General Mills has a very strong market presence and started out with cheeri-oats they have tapered off to offering more of sweetie type cereal instead of the good old traditional oats that maintains health. As such Quaker Oats still has room to enhance this product offering to its customers thought overnight oats.

Distribution Situation
For our distribution situation, we will use our current grocery retail channels that includes: Super-centers (Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart), Warehouse clubs (Sam’s Club, B’J’s, Costco), online marketplaces such as Amazon, convenience stores, drug stores, vending machine suppliers, and military base stores.
Quaker Overnight Oats will also be sold on college campuses where we plan to market to busy college students. We plan to use social media platforms to reach potential customers online. We also plan to emphasize that our customers are making a good choice when they choose to eat Quaker Overnight Oats.

OVERNIGHT OATS SWOT Analysis
strengths
Over 140 years in business (since 1877)
Global market competitor
Major market share in cereal and snacks
First company to trademark Breakfast Cereal
Offers healthy breakfast options
Extensive distribution channel
Brand recognition and loyalty
weakness
Reduced market shares due to strong competition
Potential customers may need more health education
Lacking innovation pertaining to traditional oats
Similar products offered by competitors
High probability of substitution

OVERNIGHT OATS SWOT Analysis
Opportunities
Producing Overnight Oats, not currently sold by competitors
Reaching new, younger customers by using targeted social media advertising
Ability to produce Overnight Oats with a low marginal cost
With increasing globalization distribution can reach all over the world
The internet and the popularity of social media sites allow us to achieve global reach with our marketing efforts.
The growing trend for a healthy lifestyle
Threats
Competitors may develop their own overnight oats
Consumers may make their own overnight oats (perhaps using Quaker Traditional Oats which will cannibalize sale but at least it stays within the company)
Marginal cost of oats may rise
External environmental threat – natural disasters may impede our production

Positioning by segment
Quaker has positioned itself in several areas of the market. First, the company has positioned itself as an any time nutrition option as oppose to fast food; The company has also positioned itself to the health-conscious market since the product contains fiber, no cholesterol and can be prepared overnight and consumed for breakfast as a healthy alternative. Final the product is positioned as a ready, quick and easy to cook cereal.
The positioning segment will focus on the Psychographic, Geographic, Demographic and Behavioral segment of the market:

Positioning by segment
Psychographic segmentation
This will take into consideration the social class of society, such as upper, lower and middle-class families. Our product will be segmented mostly to middle class, healthy lifestyle people with busy lives.
Geographic Segmentation
Quaker Oats aim is to provide nutritional Overnight Oats to families globally. The merger of Quaker Oats with its parent company PepsiCo has made this effort much easier for the oats product to be distributed to larger geographic areas and reach a larger target audience.

Positioning by segment
Demographic segmentation
Our demographic segmentation is to target persons between the ages of 6 years to 100 who are capable of consuming old fashion oats. We will also target men and women who are engaged in fitness and healthy living. Due to the affordability of Overnight Oats it is a great food option for middle-class families. We will not segment based on religion, race, or nationality because this is a product that can be consumed by almost everyone.
Behavioral segmentation
Behavioral segmentation – We will be positioning our product to individuals who are health conscious. These individuals may be focused on being fit or just interested in maintaining a heart-healthy diet.

Product strategy
Quaker Overnight Oats is in the growth stage of the product life cycle. In this stage our product strategy is to continue marketing efforts to expand product awareness and increase sales. Product packaging and labeling are of extreme importance to our strategy because they will convey a large amount of information to our customers.
The packaging for Overnight Oats is an individual serving of oats in a sturdy waxed paper cup with a tight-fitting lid. This is of the utmost importance because the container must be strong enough to hold liquids overnight and potentially longer without leaking.

Pricing and communication strategy
Pricing strategy
Our price strategy is to increase sales. The price for an individual cup of Overnight Oats is $1.50. This price is good for our target markets because many of our potential customers are price conscious. $1.50 for a meal is a bargain. Customers can save further by buying the 12 cup package for $16.99. Our marketing strategy to increase sales also involves strategies to increase product awareness
Communication strategy
Our communication strategy consists mainly of marketing through social media platforms using Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and YouTube in order to reach consumers world-wide.
We will also engage traditional promotional activities such as bundled products, advertising and other promotional campaigns to increase product awareness.

Departmental Cooperation
In order to reach our goal, it is important that all department cooperate with each other. We depend on the production department, the sales department, the distribution department as well as the finance department.
The production department will be responsible for the quantity of Overnight Oats and keeping up with the demand.
The sales department will control the communication with online retailers that we are relying on heavily with this product.
The Distribution Department will be responsible for working with all the departments to ensure we are able to scale production and products.
While the finance department is needed to provide the various funding for the marketing budget.

Marketing mixes by segment
We will introduce a new product to the market – Quaker Overnight Oats using penetration pricing, extensive advertising, and current distribution networks in order to increase our revenues and growth rate. Our target audience will include:
middle class working families
military members and families
mothers and students from kindergarten to college 
health conscious individuals

OBJECTIVES WHO RESOURCES NEEDED TARGET DATES HIGH/MEDIUM.LOW
Design packaging Marketing department Graphic design Immediately, January 15, 2018 High
Produce social media marketing video clips Marketing department Video producer Immediately, January 15 2018 High
Launch social media campaign Marketing department Social media experts March 1, 2018 Medium
Launch 3 month rebate application campaign Marketing department Contacts with Ibotta and Checkout51 representatives March 1, 2018, Medium
Produce product with new packaging Production department Packaging design from Marketing department February 1, 2018 High

Overnight oats Marketing ACTION PLAN
We aim at using the following action plan in order to successfully carry out and implement the launch of Quaker overnight oats to our targeted audience.

Reference
Bailey, Sharon (2014) PepsiCo: A Company overview, retrieved from http://marketrealist.com/2014/12/pepsico-company-overview/ On November 19, 2017
Pepsico annual report retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/docs/album/annual-reports/pepsico-inc-2016-annual-report on November 1, 2017
Quaker History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2017, from http://www.quakeroats.com/about-quaker-oats/content/quaker-history.aspx
General mills, making food people love (n.d) retrieved from http://www.generalmills.com/en/Company/Overview on November 19, 2017
Who we are (n.d) retrieved from https://www.kelloggs.com/en_US/who-we-are/our-history.html on November 18, 2017