Creative Content

Implementation Evaluation Control

“Relationship marketing is a strategy that entails seeking and establishing ongoing partnerships with customers. Relationship marketing has become an important business marketing strategy as customers have become more demanding and competition has become more intense.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg85) We believe that by using the relationship marketing we can make our employees more passionate about their work. They will see how pleased consumers are and implementing new ideas will be easier.

To evaluate and control what is going on with our product we plan on monitoring our success by using a marketing audit. We are going to gather information periodically to make sure we are on track. “Accurate and timely information is the lifeblood of marketing decision making. Good information can help an organization maximize sales and efficiently use scarce company resources. To prepare and adjust marketing plans, managers need a system for gathering everyday information about developments in the marketing environment.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg 113)

Price

We will start out with pricing our vodka at $49.99 and see how well that goes with consumers. We researched and saw that our competitions prices were around $29.99. We did raise the price twenty dollars but we wanted to use price skimming to begin with. “Companies often use price skimming for new products when the product is perceived by the target market as having unique advantages. Often companies will use skimming and then lower prices over time.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg279) We would also like to use prestige pricing as well. “Prestige pricing is charging a high price to help promote a high-quality image. A successful prestige pricing strategy requires a retail price that is reasonably consistent with consumers’ expectations.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg275) Price is elastic though and we would like to see what works out the best.

Distribution

We would like to begin distribution inside of what some might see as high-end liquor stores. We do not want our brand inside of a department store that promotes low values. We believe that “the main element of a store’s presentation is its atmosphere, the overall impression conveyed by a store’s physical layout, décor, and surroundings. The atmosphere might create a relaxed or busy feeling, a sense of luxury or of efficiency, a friendly or cold attitude, a sense of organization or of clutter, or a fun or serious mood.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg206) We seek to find one that will go along with our high-quality and prestige image.

Promotion

“The development of any marketing mix depends on positioning, a process that influences potential customers’ overall perception of a brand, product line, or organization in general. Position is the place a product, brand, or group of products occupies in consumers’ minds relative to competing offerings.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg 109) This is something that we plan to keep in mind as we start promoting our vodka. We would like to create print advertisements, as well as commercials to introduce our new product. We do not want to start with a sales promotion yet because we are afraid that people may see our product differently if we introduce it as a sale item. “Sales promotion is marketing communication activities, other than advertising, personal selling, and public relations, in which a short-term incentive motivates consumers or members of the distribution channel to purchase a good or service immediately, either by lowering the price or by adding value.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg245)

Product

Our premium beverage is made with the best materials man can find; including the purest water anyone has come across. We are working closely with our manufacturers to make sure that everything is as pure as they can be by using just-in-time production. “Just-in-time production, sometimes called lean production, requires manufacturers to work closely with suppliers and transportation providers to get necessary items to the assembly line or factory floor at the precise time they are needed for production.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg185)

We are sticking with the experience of the classic vodka. Our slogan is “Why mess with a classic?” We are going to be a global brand that allures people with the vintage packaging ideas that people can relate to in one way or another. “Global marketing standardization involves producing uniform products that can be sold in the same way all over the world. Communication and technology have made the world smaller so that almost all consumers everywhere want all the things they have heard about, seen, or experienced.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg50)

Target Market Strategy

The target market for Vintage Ice is men and women ages 25-45; of course we may pick up value customers from outside of this range. We did not want to start off any younger than 25 because based on studies many people younger than 25 do not care what type of Vodka they are drinking; they are just out to have fun. We believe that “people don’t know what they want – they only want what they know. Consumers have a limited set of experiences. They are unlikely to request anything beyond those experiences because they are not aware of benefits they may gain from other potential offerings.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg9) We want to reach people that have no clue what they are getting and offer them a high-quality beverage that they will never want to let go of.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths: “A competitive advantage is the set of unique features of a company and its products that are perceived by the target market as significant and superior to the competition.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg211) We actually have a competitive advantage because we have a classic vodka. Many people may not see this as an advantage, but so many vodkas are so extreme now that nobody can find a high-quality classic like ours.

Weaknesses: “Any marketing mix is only as good as its weakest component. The best promotion and the lowest price cannot save a poor product. Similarly, excellent products with poor placing, pricing, or promotion will likely fail.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg 25) Fortunately our weakness is that we are a new brand that is just starting out. We are not well known yet, so consumers may choose other brands over ours that they are used to because “usually buyers are familiar with several different brands in the product category but stick with one brand. Consumers engaged in routine response behavior normally don’t experience need recognition until they are exposed to advertising or see the product displayed on a store shelf.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg 67)

Opportunities: There are many opportunities for our brand, including being able to place our product in many retail places and well as utilizing media for product placement. “Product placement is a strategy that involves getting one’s product, service, or name to appear in a movie, television show, radio program, magazine, newspaper, video game, video or audio clip, book, or commercial for another product; on the internet; or at special events.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg241). We can also make our price elastic because of the cheap production cost to better suit our consumer and keep our high-quality image.

Threats: The threats are the brands that already exist in the market place. Many people do not like to try new things, but thanks to innovators in our field we are sure that we can overcome this because “innovators are eager to try new ideas and products, almost as an obsession. In addition to having higher incomes, they are more worldly and more active outside their community than non-innovators. They rely less on group norms and are more self-confident.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg152)

Business Objectives

-By 2011 we would like to have our brand recognized by consumers because “the success of any business of consumer product depends in part on the target market’s ability to distinguish one product from another. Branding is the main tool marketers use to distinguish their products from the competition’s.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg 135)

-By 2012 we would like to have raised our loyal customers by 15% because “satisfied customers are likely to engage in positive word-of-mouth communication, thereby helping bring in new customers. Many businesses have found that it is more cost-effective to hang on to the customers they have than to focus only on attracting new ones.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg166)

-By summer of 2011 we would like to create some sort of loyalty program for our return customers because “loyalty programs reward loyal customers for making multiple purchases. The objective is to build long-term mutually beneficial relationships between a company and its key customers.” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg 302)

Business Mission Statement

Vintage Ice is a brand that is offering premium products that will fit into everyone’s lifestyles. Vintage Ice recognizes that “a lifestyle is a mode of living; it is the way people decide to live their lives. In other words, they are choosing products and services that meet diverse needs and interests rather than conforming to traditional stereotypes” (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, MKTG, pg33) and realizes that everyone does not like the same products. This brand is trying to supply beverages that will be liked by people in various lifestyles. Vintage Ice strives to produce products that will cater to many different types of people at a fair, but competitive price.

Week 10 EOC

We have all seen it happen; ignorant people posting naïve things online about companies and their products. Launching a new product is tough and social media networks will definitely play a huge part in it no matter what. Vintage Ice has come up with a way to use social media to promote and to protect their new product.

The first thing to do would to actually set up accounts on the most used social networks. (i.e. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.) With these we will launch new ideas for our product and gain feedback from current and potential customers. We plan to offer incentives to those who befriend us online and through that we are sure we will be able to gain some loyal customers.

And how do we protect our brand without fighting back with our own negative comments? Well that is easy! Through our loyal customers of course. If someone posts something negative about a brand that someone truly loves there is no way they are going to get away with it without an argument. Our customers will back our product no matter what is said about it. Those passing by will see how passionate our customers are about our vodka and become curious as to why the product is being debated so heavily. These people will then seek out our product and try it on their own and we are absolutely confident that they will become loyal customers as well and through their word of mouth we can overcome any negative connotations linked to our name over the internet.

People think they can ruin a company through an internet…and maybe they can…but not for the Vintage Ice Vodka brand. I would like to see anyone try. Join us online and post your opinions today!

Week 9 EOC

I am a cheap consumer, that is the truth but I suppose there are a few things I will spend more money for. Some of these include Anderson milk, Starbucks, Levi’s, Converse, etc. I think this is mostly out of habit but the one purchase that I know I am spending thousands more for is my education at The Art Institute.

A guy that I recently worked with at Levi’s was hammering me about why I would choose to pay $96,000 at this school than to go to UNLV and it turned into a heated debate. It is not that his school is terrible. It is not because The Art Institute of Las Vegas is the most prestige school in the world it is honestly preference. I would prefer to go to a private school with much less people than to have to go to a huge university where I feel like I am just another number.

I appreciate my class sizes and getting to have one on one time with my instructors. I am extremely hands on and where is there a better place to do web hands on? Most of our classes are lab! Yes, I have heard there are other schools like this one but they aren’t the ones I fell in love with. I knew I was meant to be here by whatever means necessary when I was 17 and walked through the front doors.

So you may ask me why I spend so much for my education and the answer is simple: I feel like it is worth it. I believe I have great teachers that are in my own profession. I am surrounded by people that are passionate about whichever major they are in. I feel like I belong here. $96,000 is nothing when I think about the experience I am paying for.