First, you will select ONE company or brand of interest to you (e.g., Nike, local coffee shop, LinkedIn) and identify a particular consumption area that the company/brand offers (e.g., product, service, or experience). For instance, Nike’s brand offering might be apparel and shoes for sports; a local coffee shop’s brand offering might be coffee or other types of drinks; LinkedIn’s brand offering might be service for social networking. These are just examples. You should be creative in choosing a company or a brand!
Second, you will conduct research and analyze the effectiveness of the current marketing strategy (concerning 4Ps and services) with regard to this company/brand offering (e.g., product, service, or experience). Then, you will identify the company’s/brand’s target consumers and analyze advantages and disadvantages of the current marketing strategy with regard to reaching these target consumers. For instance, you might analyze (a) whether the company’s/brand’s current marketing the strategy is effective and satisfies the changing consumer behavior/changes in American society, (b) whether the marketing communication used for the advertisement is appealing to the targeted groups of consumers etc. You might use TV advertisements, printed advertisements, or other forms of advertisements/communication for this analysis (if applicable).
Based on the findings regarding the current marketing strategy, you will come up with an idea for a new marketing strategy that takes into account the issues we covered in class (e.g., external influences i.e., changing American society – demographics, values, subcultures etc. – and internal influences i.e., perception, motivation, learning, attitudes etc. as well as consumer decision process). All three sections should be addressed in a type-written report. The body of the analysis should not exceed seven double-spaced typed (12-point type) pages. However, extensive use of appendices (such as charts, tables, industry-related ads etc.) is acceptable. Each item in the appendix must be individually referenced in the body. References (i.e., sources of information) must be cited in the body and listed in a reference section. As with all written assignments, your analysis will be evaluated on its professional appearance, readability, and apparent effort, as well as on its content
