BMK810 – Brand Strategy II and BMK811 – Brand Strategy Client Case

White Claw: Defending Market Share As Competition Encroaches

REMINDERS

 This is a “major” assignment for BMK810 – Brand Strategy II

 This project also represents 20% of your overall grade in BMK810 and, as a
result, it is important for your overall performance in the course.
 I would like you to treat this as a client project such as this one, when they are
successful, can be a valuable addition to your resume and as a great talking
point during job interviews.
 You are required to approach this with the same level of professionalism, focus
and passion as every major consulting agency would.

1. As this is a group project and, as such, it must reflect the work of the entire group.
It must read and be presented as an integrated piece of work as is expected from
any consultant group.
 It MUST not be a “cut and paste” job which simply assembles the individual
work of group members.
2. A completed “Group Project Peer Assessment” is an integral part of the case
submission. Failure to submit a properly and completely filled out peer review will
result in a grade of “INC” for the entire group.
 Ensure that both the Individual and Group Evaluations are submitted.
 For clarity, a peer evaluation that rates every member of the team equally is
not properly filled out. You are expected to provide an honest critique of the
work of yourself and your team members.

These instructions are in addition to those provided in the “Case Assignments –

Overview & Instructions” document posted on Blackboard.

THE MANDATE

We will bring this case forward to launch in the summer of 2024 and your
analysis, alternatives & recommendations must reflect the situation at that
point in time. You are Sanjiv Gajiwala, SVP Marketing for Mark Anthony Brands,
the company that markets White Claw. The business decision deck you are
preparing is to be presented to Mark Anthony Brands’ CEO and Executive
Committee. Your task is to:

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White Claw: Defending Market Share As Competition Encroaches

Build the BRANDING STRATEGY deck for the White Claw brand that
effectively addresses the key issues and opportunities facing Mark
Anthony Brands related to the White Claw brand, its current business
results and its future business performance.

Any recommendations, of course, must clearly solve the problem you identified
and be justified by an assessment using appropriate close-ended criteria, when
requested. The business decision deck should be designed to present all the
necessary facts and analysis in a logical manner to support your
recommendations – it needs to “tell the story” in a concise and clear manner but
it must also be thorough and complete.

GRADE ALLOCATION

This assignment represents 20.0% of your final grade in BMK810 – Brand Strategy
II. Your assignment will be graded out of 200 marks as outlined below. Each
student’s individual grade will reflect the overall group grade adjusted for the
results and feedback coming out of the peer review process.

Situation Analysis – Company, Value Discipline, & External Situation

 10 marks for your analysis of the firm’s current situation including the firm’s
objectives (including objectives for how White Claw is to be perceived by its
customers and external stakeholders such as retailers, its competitive
advantages, its performance (both operational and financial), any internal
challenges, etc.
 Multiple insights should and can be derived from the case facts, and half of
the marks for this section are based on the insights you have discovered.

 10 marks for your analysis and conclusion on what Mark Anthony Brand’s
value discipline is.
 Note that you DO NOT need to use a criteria table for this analysis, but you
shouldn’t just discuss the value discipline you have selected but also the
ones you didn’t choose.
 You should include your analysis of the four value disciplines in your
appendix with your conclusion incorporated into the company section of
your situation analysis.

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White Claw: Defending Market Share As Competition Encroaches

 15 marks for your situation analysis of the market as you have defined it.
 In addition to the “standard” analysis and insights that would be included in
a situation analysis, you must address which fads/trends is White Claw
surfing and how long or short lived to you believe they are and why?
 Is hard seltzer a fad or does it have long term staying power? What
do you predict the lifecycle curve of hard seltzers will look like?
 How has White Claw influenced whether hard seltzers will become a
fad or a longer-term trend? Have we helped or hurt ourselves thus
far?
 How have consumers themselves influenced whether hard seltzers
are a fad versus a longer-term shift in consumer behaviour?
 Product life cycle and product adoption theory (studied in the
“Product module in the first semester) must be used to help
understand this. Can hard seltzers and White Claw “cross the chasm”
using the language of product adoption theory?
 Roger’s product adoption theory may provide some useful insight
when you assess and evaluate different growth options.

 What does your analysis of the market mean for the future performance
and available growth opportunities for White Claw.

 10 marks for the remainder of your situation analysis including the consumer,
our customer, the competition, collaborators (e.g. retailers) and any relevant
PESTLE factors.
 You must not only talk about what has happened but what you expect will
happen in the future and what that means for White Claw.
 Multiple insights should and can be derived from the case facts, and half of
the marks for this section are based on the insights you have discovered.

Current Brand Assessment

 20 marks to analyze and the brand White Claw. You will be required to
complete outside research.
 What is White Claw’s brand’s image/meaning?

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White Claw: Defending Market Share As Competition Encroaches

 What is White Claw’s brand story? How well is it embodied in its business,
products, and marketing and advertising? How strong is their brand story?
 What is the brand’s associations, personality and values? What is their
brand personality archetype and why did you select the one that you did?
 You may want to consider looking at the brand’s associations relative to
functional, emotional, self-expressive and social needs.
 Your deck must include a Brand Identity Prism.
 Are the elements of its brand image/meaning consistent and reinforcing?
 How does the brand vision/identity of White Claw (i.e. the strategic
intentions of the brand’s managers) differ from its brand meaning/image
(i.e. the meaning of the brand according to consumers and the greater
culture)?
 This section must include what you learn from this analysis to inform the
decisions you are making in this case.

Brand Success (or Lack of Success)

 10 marks for your summary assessment of the White Claw brand.
 Why has White Claw been so successful?
 Exactly what is White Claw’s current value proposition and singularity (i.e.
differentiation)?
 Is White Claw differentiated from their competition? Has this been an
issue to date? Why or why not? Will it be an issue in the future? Why or
why not?
 What have White Claw’s brand managers done right and done poorly?
 Why did White Claw take off when BONV!V fizzled?
 Why did it take White Claw a few years to take off?
 What energizes you and what worries you about the brand and its future
prospects?

 20.0 marks for your assessment and conclusions of the strength of the
brand equity of White Claw
 You are determining the relative strength of the brand equity of the
White Claw
 Is the White Claw brand stronger or weaker post-launch?
 For this analysis, you are to use the Aaker 10 method of assessing brand
equity strength.

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White Claw: Defending Market Share As Competition Encroaches

 This section must include what you learn from this analysis to inform the
decisions you are making in this case.

Market Segmentation, Target Audience, & Positioning

 10 marks for your segmentation base decision.
 This includes identifying an appropriate range of alternatives, the analysis
of those alternatives using relevant and thorough close-ended criteria and
your overall assessment leading to your recommendation on which
segmentation base(s) to use.

 10 marks for your target market decision.

 This includes segmenting the market using your chosen segmentation base,
the analysis of the segments you have identified using relevant and
thorough close-ended criteria and your overall assessment leading to your
recommendation on target audience.

 15 marks for your positioning analysis and recommendations.

 A minimum of three perceptual maps must be presented with two of those
maps having completely unique axis and then assessed using relevant close
ended criteria to select a positioning (a quadrant on one of the maps).
 The maps should include a representative sample of competition (between
4 - 6 competitors is sufficient) that is consistent with your market
definition.

 20 marks for your positioning statement including identifying relevant benefits

and the determination of the key benefit for White Claw and the supporting
reason to believe.
 This requires the identification and assessment of benefits for the brand
based on the positioning that you have determined.
 You will need to identify and assess a minimum of 3 emotional and 3
functional benefits.
 Your positioning statement must provide a compelling benefit for your
target audience supported by a strong reason to believe that, in
combination, would cause them to buy White Claw instead of competitive
offerings.

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White Claw: Defending Market Share As Competition Encroaches

Growth Strategy
 10 marks for your analysis and conclusions on the future growth prospects for
hard seltzers and, specifically, White Claw.
 Does White Claw have a TRUE first mover advantage? If so, is it
sustainable in the future?
o Please ensure that you read “The Half-Truth of First-Mover Advantage”
by Suarez and Lanzolla (HBR, April 2005) before you make a decision to
ensure that you fully understand the concept of a first-mover
advantage before you use it in your business decision deck.
 Should the primary focus be on generating primary demand (i.e. for hard
seltzers in general) or to influence secondary demand (i.e. demand for a
particular product).
 What are the best sources of growth for White Claw?
 Is it new drinkers, category switchers from other alcoholic beverages,
new occasions, increased frequency, increased quantity per occasion,
higher price points, etc.?
 You do not have to use a criteria table for this analysis but you should cover
all sources of growth in your assessment to arrive at a conclusion.
 You may also conclude that there are multiple (no more than 3) attractive
sources of growth.
 You must indicate where on the Ansoff Growth Matrix each growth
prospect.
 You must clearly state what you have learned from this analysis and what it
means for the going forward marketing strategy for White Claw including
your selection of target audience and your positioning/positioning
statement.

Appendix
 10 marks for using and seamlessly incorporating relevant strategy and
marketing management theory (e.g. VRIO & 6 Forces) into your business
decisions deck.
 Appropriate marketing and strategy theory (e.g. 6 Forces, core
competences, competitive advantage, VRIO, etc.) must be seamlessly
incorporated into your thinking and your deck.
 The thinking must be present in your business decision deck BUT there
shouldn’t be a VRIO or 6 Forces section in the actual body of your deck.

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White Claw: Defending Market Share As Competition Encroaches

 If you want to include them in your appendices that is up to you, but
you will want to make sure that they support and contribute to the
decision that you are recommending.

 20.0 marks for your summary of all your decisions including short rationales,
and the overall quality and impression of your business decision deck.

There is no financial analysis required in this business decision deck.

THE BUSINESS DECISION DECK (The Fine Print)

Your deck is to be presented as a professional business decision deck as is

described in the “Business Decks – Guidelines & Requirements” document that
I have posted on blackboard and as outlined in the “Course Grading, and Case
Assignments Overview & Instructions” that is also posted on Blackboard. For
clarity, a business decision deck is an information intense, detailed document
that executive used by management to decide what to do. This is not a
presentation deck which is heavy on graphics & pictures and light on words. All
the necessary information for the reader to evaluate your recommendation
must be included in your business decision deck and its appendices.
 It needs to tell your story in a concise and clear manner but it must also be
thorough and complete.
 You are free to flow the content in your deck in whatever way best
communicates the “story” you want to tell and ensures that there is a logical
flow to the strategic marketing decisions you are making.
 The allocation of space for each of the required areas is up to you as long as
the assignment requirements are appropriately covered.
 There is no maximum or minimum length specified for this deck.
 An executive summary, table of contents or “thank you” slide is not required
and must not be done.
The overall quality, flow, consistency & professionalism of your submission
must meet an appropriate standard for a business deck in the “real world”.
Marks, up to 10% of the total grade for this assignment can be deducted if those
expectations are not met or if too much irrelevant content is included.

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