Team Project (20%+10%)

The objective of this project is to provide you with experience in applying the concepts and methods of
marketing to a real-world situation. The project is done in teams (6 members). It will involve the
following:

Each team will be required to choose a firm in an existing product/service category. A brief description
of the particular product or service should be submitted for approval. Each group is then required to
do the following to complete the project:

Visit companies’ Web site to see if you feel that the company is responding to the changes in marketing
today, i.e. adopting customer-orientated marketing. Seek information on the corporation’s definition of
customer satisfaction, loyalty, and what the particular firm does to foster such customer relations.

Talk about the Organisation Culture. Mention the Organisation Structure. Also mention some recent
strategic alliances that the company might have entered in.

Discuss the different SBUs the company has. (You could focus on any one).

Review the company’s annual reports to collect from these reports the corporations’ mission statements,
strategy statements, and target market definitions.

Prepare a summary of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT).

List the marketing and financial objectives the company.

Marketers need to understand who constitutes the market, what and why they buy, who participates in
and influences the buying process, and how, when, and where they buy. You are responsible for
researching and analyzing the market. Does the firm market its products to both the industrial and
consumer markets? Visit the company’s Web site. Do you feel the firm most effectively and efficiently
addresses the needs of the consumer and / or the corporate buyer?

Identify the customers for the specific product or service and describe these consumers in relevant ways.
These are the questions you need to answer:
 What cultural, social, personal, and psychological factors have the most influence on
consumers buying this product?
 What research tools will help you better understand the effect of these factors on buyer attitudes
and behavior?
 What consumer buying roles and buying behaviors are particularly relevant for these products?
 What kind of marketing activities should the firm plan to coincide with each stage of the
consumer buying process?

You must also research target market and market segmentation. Specifically, how large is the target
market, what is the future growth potential of this target market, how do/does the marketer reach this
target market and so on?

 Which variables is the firm using to segment its consumer markets?

 Which variables to segment its business markets?
 Which is the most attractive identified segment?
 Does it pursue full market coverage, market specialization, product specialization, selective
specialization, or single-segment concentration? Why?
 Be prepared to present the firm’s competitive analysis. Are they the market leaders for the chosen
product or service? Or the follower, or challenger to well-established products or brands?

Use Michael Porter’s Five Forces model to completely define these five forces for the market or
market segment. Who are the potential entrants, who are the suppliers (and how much power do
they have), who are the buyers (and what sort of buying power do they have), what are the
substitutes.

You are to decipher the positioning and differentiation strategy for your chosen firm. What stage in
the product’s life cycle) does your product fall? What level of competitive advantage, if any,
commensurate with the position in the life cycle, does your product command?

 Which of the differentiation variables related to product, services, personnel, channels, and
image are best suited for your product’s situation, strategy, and marketing objectives? Why?

 Write the positioning statement for your product. Within its industry, a firm could aspire to be
the product leader, operationally excellent firm, or customer intimate firm. Identify and place
your firm as either the product leader, operationally excellent or customer intimate.

 Points-of-differences and points-of-parity are two important concepts of brand development

and are driven by two differing strategies—inclusion and differentiation. Demonstrate points-
of-differences and points-of-parity in the product’s brand positioning.

Explain the marketing strategy for the product/service. This discussion should include a description of
the product/service and its benefits, pricing and positioning strategy, advertising and promotional plans,
and a consideration of distribution channel(s).

A group presentation would be held during the last class. The time limit for this presentation will be
approximately 15 minutes. Final written report must be submitted at the beginning of this final class.

Key Team Project Dates

August 14 th, 2019: Final Submission

August 16 th, 2019: Final Presentations