Exhibit A
Apollo’s Comparative Advantage Analysis
Compared to US competitors,
Apollo’s capabilities appear to be:
Product Management
• Ability to develop and deliver superior-quality and/or customized goods and services.
Inferior
Equivalent
Superior
Inferior
Equivalent
Superior
Pricing Management
• Ability to extract the optimal revenue from customers through a sophisticated yield management
system capability
Inferior
Equivalent
Superior
Channel Management
• Ability to establish and manage channels of distribution that effectively and efficiently deliver value
to end-user customers
Inferior
Equivalent
Superior
Inferior
Equivalent
Superior
Inferior
Equivalent
Superior
Inferior
Equivalent
Superior
Communications Management and Brand-building capability
• Ability to create & manage customer value perceptions leading to high levels of brand equity, using
effective: positioning, advertising message delivery, personalized communications, & integrated mktg
communications
Customer Relationship Management
• Ability to identify and initiate, maintain, and leverage relationships with profitable prospects and
customers to create superior customer-level profits. Requires data collection & interpretation
capability & individual targeting & personalized communications capabilities for individual
customers.
Market Sensing & Customer Insights
• Ability to learn about customers, competitors, channel members and the broader market to develop
actionable market intelligence and customer segmentation and targeting schema
Marketing Planning & Implementation
• Ability to conceive and implement marketing strategies that optimize the match between the firm’s
resources (including multiple product lines/brands) and the marketplace to achieve superior sales and
profits
Given this analysis, Apollo’s competitive advantage is best described as:
Exhibit xx
Apollo/Montreaux SWOT Analysis
Apollo’s Strengths
Capabilities
1.
Apollo’s Weaknesses
Capabilities
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
Resources
1.
Resources
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
Opportunities: Quantify the Dark Chocolate opportunity:
1. Customers:
Threats: Quantify the Dark Chocolate threats:
1. Customers:
2. Collaborators:
2. Collaborators:
3. Competition:
3. Competition:
4. Socioeconomic, technological, legal, product life cycle… context
4. Socioeconomic, technological, legal, product life cycle…context
Exhibit xx
Montreaux Dark Chocolates Positioning Map vis-à-vis Key Competitors & Substitutes