Marketing plan

You will need to choose a consumer product from the Canadian marketplace – truLocal the consumer product chosen 

  

truLocal

You will need to choose a consumer product from the Canadian marketplace.

Specifically, content:

To Get a Great Mark: Read the Instructions & Rubric Carefully!

1. Identify the trends and changes that are occurring in the external environment that impact your chosen product’s marketing plan.

a. Specifically, consider trends and changes in the areas of Technology, Regulatory, Economics, Environmental, Demographics, and Socio-Cultural happenings in this marketplace.

b. Research and analyze at least

3

factors. Explain for each of the factors you have selected the positive or negative implications (minimum of two for each) the external environmental factor could have on your chosen product’s marketing plan. Ensure that you explain why?

c. Provide recommendations (action plans) as to what you plan to do to alter your current marketing plan to address this implication, again based on the factors you selected. Ie How may this trend impact your Product, Price, Promotion or Place strategy…and Why? (10 marks)

Format Example

a) External Trends	b) Implications: + and –
1, Technology Consumers increasingly using on-line shopping for their purchases.	Positive Canadian Tire has just put a renewed focus on updating their website to be more user friendly and easier to purchase Negative The chain still does not do next day delivery to home to compete effectively against Amazon. Also prices may not be competitive enough.
Economic?
Cultural?

c) Actions Plans

· The chain needs to significantly ramp up its on-line capabilities in the following areas; Example

· Price: review to see if pricing are competitive enough

· Place; Need to get next day delivery established to home vs going to store

· Promotion: The chain needs to actively promote the on-line service to attract new customers and keep existing

· Product: review their product line-up to see what other products they can add for variety

2. Review the competitive environment for your chosen product.

a. Specifically, provide details on 3 direct competitors, focusing on comparing the

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“P”s for your own product versus the competitor’s product.

b. Evaluate and specify your product’s ‘Unique Selling Difference’ or “Value” what makes it different and what value does it provide the consumer?

c. Provide rationale for your evaluation. (10 marks)

Format Example

a)

Canadian Tire	Wal-mart	Home Depot	Lowes
Product
Price
Place
Promotion

b) Unique Selling Difference

· Tell me what makes your brand unique. What is the one thing that differentiates this business/brand vs the competitors? Example: Canadian Tire is a Canadian neighbourhood store that offers everything you need for your household

c) Give me three points that rationalize your unique selling difference

3. Include a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis using a bullet point, table format.

a. This analysis should be from the perspective of your product

b. Finally, summarize your findings and indicate possible implications for the marketing of this product. (10 marks)

Format Example

a) Put in a Grid below

Strengths	Weaknesses
Opportunities	Threats

b) Implications

From your analysis above what are the three things that the company needs to do differently or focus on in their Business and Marketing Plan

4. From a Global Citizenship and Equity(

GC&E

) perspective:

a. Identify(in your own words) how your product’s firm has supported environmentalism/sustainability, and

b. Has supported social responsibility at the national or global level. Please provide supporting documentation
(10 marks)

Format

a) Environmental/sustainability

– write down (in own words) what the company is doing for this subject.

-give examples as support

b) Social Responsibility

– write down (in own words) what the company is doing for this subject.
-give examples as support

5

.

Overall

professionalism and presentation of the assignment

a. including cover page, bibliography including citation (APA), spelling/grammar. (5 marks)

Submission:

· Format: a 3-4 page
type written report
of your assignment should be uploaded in e-centennial with a title page that includes the assignment title, date, name of this class and section, the instructor’s name, and your names and student numbers. The title page and Bibliography is not part of the 3-4 pages

· Note you will be judged on original thinking and plagiarizing or selecting content that has already been detailed. Note your assignment will go through Turn-it In which will assess the amount of plagiarizing. So beware that this can lead to a “0” grade

Assignment Rubric:

Environmental Scan	0-4 Identifies less than minimum two trends or less than 3 factors. Missing Explanation of positive/negative impact. Doesn’t explain implications for brand.	5-6 Identifies less than minimum two trends or less than 3 factors. Somewhat weak explanations of implication for brand and limited support with rationale and sources.	7-8 Identifies minimum two trends for each of three factors. Somewhat Explains positive/negative impact and why. Somewhat Explains implications for brand plan. Somewhat Supports with rationale and sources.	9-10 Identifies minimum two trends for each of three factors. Explains positive/negative impact and why Explains implications for brand plan. Supports with rationale and sources.
Competitive Analysis	0-4 Missing either or both evaluation of competition or USD	5-6 Incomplete evaluation of competition or USD	7-8 Somewhat Complete evaluation to three competitors against 4p’s. Somewhat evaluates (USD) with rationale	9-10 Complete evaluation to three competitors against 4p’s. Evaluates (USD) with rationale with sources
Brand SWOT	0-4 Includes fewer than 12 factors that are not supported. Missing implications for brand plan	5-6 Includes fewer than 12 factors that are somewhat supported. Somewhat provides implication for brand plan	7-8 Includes a minimum of 12 factors that are somewhat supported. Somewhat provides implication for brand plan	9-10 Includes a minimum of 12 factors that are well supported. Provides implication for brand plan
GC&E	0-4 Fails to identify Either factor.	5-6 Fails to identify and support 1 factor or provide support documentation. Fails to provide summary in own words	7-8 Somewhat identifies how brand has sup supported sustainability/environmentalism and supported ported social responsibility and includes support documentation	9-10 Completely identifies how brand has supported sustainability/environmentalism and supported social responsibility and includes support documentation
Overall	0-2 Is missing cover, or bibliography/citation in apa style …several spelling or grammar errors	3 Is missing cover, or bibliography/citation in apa style	4 Provides cover page, bibliography and citations apa style…has 1 or 2 spelling or grammar errors	5 Provides cover page, bibliography and citations apa style. Free of spelling or grammar errors