Marketing Plan Executive Summary Our researchers here at JellyFusion have put together the below report for you which shows in detail the process that we here at JellyFusion have gone through within the last three months. Here are some key points to briefly sum up the below report: Developed by scientists in the hills of Morocco, we are the first on the market, combining alcoholic coolers with the intense fruit taste packets (bubbles) found in the popular beverage, Bubble Tea. The taste is innovative and exciting, compared to key competitors, like Smirnoff, whose brands and flavors have been on the market for years. Socialites seeking something new and exciting will want to try, JellyFusion. The product will be launched in January 2009 and have a steady campaign thought the year. The objective of this marketing camagain is to generate 50 percent awareness of JellyFusion within the target market Modern Socialiser by December 2009. Marketed to female socialites who seek out an alcoholic beverage that is both invigorating and healthy, JellyFusion provides a sophisticated intoxicating beverage with an added kick of flavour. Unlike Schirnoff Ice, JellyFusion is more health conscience with more flavour added, providing a more satisfying taste to the consumer. A four pack of JellyFusion is to be marketed at a price of $12 plus taxes which we approximate to give us in return a 25% profit from each bottle. It will be sold in Canadian College/university pubs and bars, Canadian urban Nightclubs with promotional events (see below promotion section), LCBO (for those of the target market who take products home) and Regular bars and clubs (bars and nightclubs as a whole are 64.3 of the market as proven by research) College/university pubs, select urban nightclubs and the LCBO are JellyFusion’s are the main focus, as the below promotional report is targeted towards these main retailers. A budget of approximately 1.6 million has been allocated for media advertising to cover a oneyear period from January 2009 to December 2009. An interactive and informative website will be created, school and bar washroom posters and indoor billboards will be displayed in urban areas across Canada, including universities and colleges, change rooms and restobars. As well as the development of a campus tour and a magazine ad campaign which will have inserts within four of Canada top women magazines. I know I speak on behalf of all the staff here at JellyFusion when I say ‘let’s get this show on the road!’ A special thank you to our research team Natalie Bélanger, Emily Goncalves, Mike Hawkins and Allyssa Helm who went through endless hours to complie this thorough plan on the marketing of Jelly Fusion. Enjoy! Marketing Plan Background Alcohol Industry Analysis As of 2007, according to market intelligence firm Euromonitor International, in the article “Boozer, Who’s Drinking What, Where?”, the world consumes 18.3 billion litres of spirits yearly, with China’s thirsty citizens drinking the most nationally with 3.7 billion litres. The article also states, that by far the most popular category of liquor in the world is vodka [3.7 billion litres], thanks to Russia's big appetite for the stuff, [50% of world sales] followed by whiskey [2.1 billion litres]. The article entitled “Swings and Roundabouts – An Analysis of Consumption Trends”, further adds that vodka continues to experience runaway success, especially in the premium sector, which now accounts for 18% of world spirit consumption; there was a 19% increase in sales between 1999 and 2003. Euromonitor goes on to report that the international growth in spirits over the next four years is predicted to be around 12%, or twice the rate of growth of the previous years. The value growth is expected to be higher at 15%. Asia in particular is driving the spirit growth and is predicted to grow by 20% within the next year, as it already accounts for nearly 60% of the world’s spirits consumption. Euromonitor goes on to finally say that the Americas are expected to see steady if unspectacular growth, while Western Europe will generally decline. Pat McGauley, A-B’s vice president of new products reports within the article entitled “Spirits Imbibe a Bigger Share of Market,” that consumers are "thirsting for variety. They want more choices". Increasingly, those choices are liquor brands. After a decade of solid growth, beer market share has begun to decline, even though 2004 beer sales of $25.6billion were nearly double the size of the $13.1billion spirits market. Since 1999, beer sales as part of the alcohol beverage market fell to 52.9% from 56%. During the same time, Marketing Plan Background Continued spirits' share jumped to 31.2% from 28.2%, according to figures from the Distilled Spirits Council."Wine and spirits are outperforming beer," says Benj Steinman, editor of Beer Marketer's Insights, which monitors beer sales and trends. "It's been a reversal of a decade-long trend." The recession is affecting the alcohol market, thus creating a movement toward cooking at home to save money, which has renewed interest in alcohol as a culinary rather than just a mere intoxicator. Moreover, as consumers choose to cut costs and stay home, the importance of alcohol in the home is growing and opportunities abound to repackage and reposition this most widely used social lubricant, finds a Business Services Industry article. Mintel Oxygen’s website adds that although people are drinking less and staying home, there is opportunities for bars and restaurants to “lead patrons to the trough” by providing them with alternatives such as cocktails made from premium spirits with trendy flavouring and functionality enhancements, and craft brewed beer and wines that have shed the “stuffy” image. Bubble Tea Industry Analysis What's driving the bubble tea trend? In the article ‘Better for You Beverages Bubble Up,’ it states that people are not only looking for healthier alternatives and natural/organic products, they're expecting more out of a beverage than mere thirst quenching. "Consumers in general are lazy. We don't want to change our behaviour, which is why consumer behaviour takes so long to change and why we don't stick to diets," says Marion Chan, director of the food and beverage consumer research company, The NPD Group Inc. She later goes on to say that consumers are "buying food and beverages with extra benefits to them, give products that point of Marketing Plan Background Continued differentiation.” The health beverage industry is worth an estimated $7.6 billion, according to ACNielsen and the Tea Association of Canada. The growing beverage categories are characterized by innovation and health benefits (fruit and vegetable juices), flat and flavoured water, and specialty tea. Mintel International Ltd. states in the article ‘Better for You Beverages Bubble Up’, that they estimate the sales of functional beverages to reach US$12.8 billion in 2009. Other drink trends, according to the Market Research’s website, are that there are more consumers aware of food and dietary issues and that they are monitoring and adjusting what they eat and drink accordingly. They also find that the aging populations are showing a strong concern too and desire to improve their personal health. They go on to finally conclude that consumers are most influenced by the taste, enjoyment and quality of the food and the drinks they consume. Situational Analysis Internal Strengths: All members of our team are familiar with the variety of coolers on the market Half of our team members are familiar with the variety of bubble tea All members of our team work well at discussing ideas All team members are very task oriented, when working together they all get down to work in a timely fashion Marketing Plan Background Continued External Strengths: The target market is very health conscious, which is good because JellyFusion is made with real fruits (healthy), therefore there is an opportunity for promotion of “healthy alcohol” Opportunity for eco-friendly packaging, which is popular with the target market Opportunity for creation of new and exciting flavours (the target market likes innovation) Opportunity for partnership development (ex. With chains such as Starbucks or certain bars/clubs) Internal Weaknesses Which Have Been Improved On: Communication outside of team meetings was non existent, which lead to confusion and tasks not being completed to their full potential Discussion of initial research was minimal, which caused a problem since we counted on each other’s research to complete our own (this caused a domino effect) The lack of innovating ideas played an important role in major decisions, rather than trying a unique approach to the market, as a team we originally based our discussions and decisions on the existing bubble tea and cooler market External Threats: With the growing recession bubble tea and alcohol could be considered a luxury product, decreasing opportunity for sales The Challenge of meeting the ever changing alcohol standards which the government puts through for each country Marketing Plan Background Continued The growing competition with bubble tea shops internationally that already offer a similar service The possibility of health research that is against the product (ex. Combination of products in our drinks is proven unhealthy) Competitor Analysis Mike’s Hard Lemonade As a company Mike’s offers Vodka coolers with a lemonade twist. It comes in 7 different flavours; lemonade, cranberry lemonade, lime, berry, light lemonade, light cranberry lemonade, pomegranate lemonade, tea, and light tea. They sell their product in bars, clubs, at special events and the LCBO. They offer their product in a 4 pack at the price point of $9.75 and in 12 packs at $26.15. Mike’s promotional campaign focuses on their interactive website. They also offer many ongoing sweepstakes, and they sponsor parties at bars and sporting events. Woody’s As a company Woody’s offers Sparkling, vodka coolers. It comes in 6 different fruity flavours; ice blueberry, ice orange, ice raspberry, Mexican lime, and pink grapefruit. They sell their product in select bars, and the LCBO. They offer their product in a 4 pack at the price point of $8.95, or just a single bottle at $2.25. They have just launched a new website, which only offers the basic information about their product. They have also recently redesigned the packaging to give the brand a new image. Marketing Plan Background Continued Smirnoff Ice As a company Smirnoff offers vodka malt beverages, that comes in 8 flavours; strawberry acai, watermelon, pomegranate fusion, triple black, wild grape, green apple bite, raspberry burst, and their original flavour. They sell their product in a large variety of bars, at special events and the LCBO. They offer their product in a 4 pack at the price point of $ 9.99 and a 6 pack at $14.95. Smirnoff Ice uses a full IMC strategy; print advertisement, television, etc. They offer prize giveaways and sponsor parties at bars. They also have an interactive website that offers sweepstakes and giveaways. In conclusion each brand has a unique quality that allows them to stand out from similar competitors. Mike’s has lemonade, Woody’s is fruit flavoured, and Smirnoff has its own custom flavours. All these brands excluding Woody’s promote the brand in bars and events selling liquor. Smirnoff has the most aggressive marketing strategy of all three brands. Smirnoff and Mike’s both have interactive websites that offer lots of information about the products as well as fun things for the consumer to participate in. Customer Analysis Through the last 5 years marketing for alcohol has evolved, originally spirits were targeted toward older women, now in particular alcoholic fruit drinks are seen as the new trend and a new target market is in mind, young women, who want to be sophisticated. The key market for this type of product is young females (ages 19-30; although appeal is there for some experienced drinkers), who have grown up with flavoured drinks available. With such shows as Sex and the City there has been a rise in the popularity of cocktail drinkers. Today’s Marketing Plan Background Continued focus is on spirits that are seen as “girlie” drinks (which are drinks that you drink casually), in particular vodka because it is the best to mix with fruit drinks without changing the taste. There are some women who are very health conscious, who are concerned about gaining weight from drinking, and who say they don’t want to worry about getting a “beer gut”, those are the women who tend to dink sparingly. Sweet drinks are considered a premium product in the alcohol market today. As a company we have chosen to market the new JellyFusion specifically in popular urban areas such as; College/university pubs and bars, Nightclubs (with promotional events with certain ones), LCBO, Regular bars and clubs. In particular based on our research below we have created a market breakdown of how we are going to initially focus our marketing. Break down of where the drinks are being bought : 1. Taverns -37% of market 2. Bars/lounges- 18.1% of market 3. Cocktail lounges-11.8% of market 4. Nightclubs-9.2% of market 5. LCBO made sales of 2.9 billion in 2003 Key learning (conclusions) After many hours of research, the below key conclusions we’re found, which helped us distinguish how to make this marketing plan successful. Vodka is one of the fastest growing sectors, which is a big opportunity for JellyFusion to target those purely vodka drinkers (ex. The idea of great vodka taken one step further to Marketing Plan Background Continued be healthier), as well as the cooler customers. Also it has been proven that vodka is the best spirit to mix with fruit drinks, in order to not change the taste. The target market is interested in being eco-friendly and healthy which give JellyFusion the opportunity for eco-friendly packaging and for the promotion of being the “healthy alcohol” on the market (JellyFusion is made with real fruits) The target market wants sophistication and innovation which gives JellyFusion the opportunity for innovating packaging development and new and exciting flavours (which could be developed into some type of contest or forum online, through bars, etc.) Geographically North America and Asia are the biggest markets for development. The growing recession could affect the bubble tea and alcohol market as they could be considered a luxury product, thus decreasing opportunity for sales. However from further research by our team we have found that the market has developed into a movement towards cooking and drinking at home to save money, which has renewed interest in alcohol as a culinary enhancer rather than just used for getting intoxicated (This is a prime chance for JellyFusion to grow in products and distribution ex. Packages and positioning is key). Also our research stated that there is opportunity for bars and restaurants to “lead patrons to the trough” by providing them with trendy enhanced alternatives such as cocktails made from premium spirits, shedding the old “stuffy” image (this is an opportunity for JellyFusion to market to those restaurants and bars as the easy to serve and in a premium class of its own) A large challenge that our team found was that each country has their own alcohol standards set by their government and that they are constantly changing. In order to make Marketing Plan Background Continued sure that our product is up to standard, maybe even developed to a better quality then expected, JellyFusion will have to have a set team to work on this sector of development. Consumers are most influenced by the taste, enjoyment and quality of the food and drink they consume. There is a large opportunity for partnership development as proven from some of the above key conclusion, but with such movies as Sex and the City being produced, there is room for promotion through similar movies and T.V. shows. Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Marketing Objectives and Strategy To generate 50 percent awareness of JellyFusion within the target market Modern Socialiser by December 2009. For female socialites who seek out an alcoholic beverage that is both invigorating and healthy. JellyFusion provides a sophisticated intoxicating beverage with an added kick of flavour. Unlike Schirnoff Ice,JellyFusion is more health conscience with more flavour added, providing a more satisfying taste to the consumer. a) Modern Socialiser (The following chart was created based on the above research, please refer to the bibliography for sources) Demographic Females in mid to high income level, age not applicable Psychographic Stays in for at home parties, goes to university/college like parties, drinks at university/college events, drinks in urban social venues (clubs, bars, etc.) Geographic Developed urban communities in Canada, further developing into U.S. and Japan urban communities in future Consumer behaviour Like the versatility of finding at LCBO to take home and mix as a culinary enhancer (chance for JellyFusion to introduce tips on how to add to flavour at home) Like modern, youthful contemporary appeal and are turned on by new and exciting exotic flavours Growing fad in their market for cocktails (socializing drink, have whatever everyone else is having Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Continued Marketing Mix Strategies and Plans a) Product: The principal benefit that we offer is our mix of taste with alcohol. Developed by scientists in the hills of Morocco, we are the first on the market, combining alcoholic coolers with the intense fruit taste packets (bubbles) found in the popular beverage, Bubble Tea. The taste is innovative and exciting, compared to key competitors, like Smirnoff, whose brands and flavors have been on the market for years. Socialites seeking something new and exciting will want to try, JellyFusion. The drink itself will come in a variety of fruit flavors. Each flavor will have a different color with visible packets of flavor bubbles floating throughout the drink. The overall design of the JellyFusion bottle is simple and sleek. A clear glass bottle with a simple logo will make the colour of the drink and the bubbles within it stand out. The name JellyFusion brings to mind the fusion of the health, in the flavored fruit bubbles, with the vodka. The logo is simple with the colour pink added to attract our female target market. We want our brand to have a desired level of quality consistently. We also want to create brand loyalty by having our target market, the modern socialize; associate our simple JellyFusion logo, with quality as well as health benefits. There are two levels to our target market therefore there are two ways in which they will use JellyFusion: the older market will use it at house parties. Ex. when company is over, Tupperware parties and other social gatherings. The younger market will use it at bars, clubs, and drinking Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Continued with friends (possibly at house parties too). The drink will make the user more upbeat and sociable while they experience the healthiness from the natural blasts of fruit flavor. The components that go into getting JellyFusion onto the market; for the drink itself, there needs to be an efficient way in which a mix of vodka and fruit can be produced (ex. An efficient assembly line system). Similar to the assembly line for the production of the actual product there needs to be a packaging one. For JellyFusion’s packaging, we have chosen to use glass bottles. The process of making glass bottles includes a method of forming parisons in machines which includes introducing a gob of molten glass into a blank mold, moving a cavity plunger to form a parison cavity and subjecting the gob to a predetermined pressure separate from the cavity plunger to apply pressure urging the molten glass into conformity with the mold. And finally the production of product labels and cardboard carrying cases for JellyFusion’s multi pack is a simple task for a printing house. The cardboard carrying cases will be similar sizing to our competitors; therefore it is assumed that it will cost us roughly the same to have our cardboard die cut to our specifications, as they pay for theirs. The only need for changes to the packaging will come when we introduce a new flavor, which depending on the response to our product, may occur within six months to a year from the initial introduction into the market. b) Packaging: The key impression and benefit to be conveyed by the packaging of JellyFusion is the sophistication and high class of the drink itself. It’s simple and sleek and easily assessable to our target market. The clear bottles will let the colour of the drink and the drink flavour packet Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Continued (bubbles) stand out. We want to communicate, through our packaging, that our brand is of a higher quality than competitors, as well as a healthier choice, with the fruit flavours visible. c) Pricing: JellyFusion is being marketed as a premium product, although it will positioned as a leader in a new type of market, behind the scenes we have chosen to shadow or follow our competitors when looking at product, price, place and promotion, thus making it easier for us to estimate how much profit is to be made. We are promoting JellyFusion as almost two products in one therefore we are basing our pricing on the theory that alcohol consumers are willing to pay more for our product because it’s perceived as a good value (healthy factor worth that extra couple of bucks). Alcohol in general is an inelastic product therefore we don’t feel it necessary to have a discount or sale price, within the first year (possibly in years to come though), as the cchange in price does not have significant impact on the volume. Although through promotion at events we will have coupons for dollars off, free samples etc. Top competitor prices vary between $9.75 – 9.95 plus taxes for a four pack, therefore we are assuming that they are profiting approximately 25% profit from each case, which is approximately $2.50 per case. In JellyFusion’s case we have added extra jellies to the already existing vodka cooler formula presented by the above competitors and have promoted ourselves as being high end quality. Therefore our marketing team has come to the conclusion that by marketing a four pack of JellyFusion at $12 plus taxes we are still maintaining that 25% profit Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Continued that our competitors are receiving without demoting any quality or healthiness (ex. Still premium vodka and still real fruit jellies). * The extra $2 added to the price of our competitors’ price points is allocated to an approximate value of the real fruit jellies added. Profit may fluctuate depending on fruit prices. If prices fluctuate substantially reassessment and control can be taken to use less expensive materials (ex. Lower in cost packaging, new vodka providers offering less expensive product, etc.) d) Place: Based on the break down that can be found in the customer analysis our marketing team has come to the following conclusions on the key areas of the distribution of JellyFusion: To be sold in Canadian College/university pubs and bars To be sold in Canadian urban Nightclubs with promotional events (see below promotion section) LCBO (for those of the target market who take products home) Regular bars and clubs (bars and nightclubs as a whole are 64.3 of the market as proven by research) College/university pubs, select urban nightclubs and the LCBO are JellyFusion’s are the main focus, as the below promotional report is targeted towards these main retailers. As a marketing team we feel by focusing on these three select retailers that the promotion aspect will prove to be more profitable than our competitors, affect more sales volume wise than our competitors. The only changes that would be made in place distribution will be the increase and decrease of certain focus markets. Ex. Newer popular clubs open up, increase in distribution to them and/or Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Continued if certain aspect of our target isn’t doing too well sales wise at the end of the year period then a reassessment of retailers needs to be done. e) Promotion: A budget of approximately 1.6 million has been allocated for media advertising to cover a oneyear period from January 2009 to December 2009. Who- As described earlier, the primary target is women who have like to be social at home and out on the town, and they reside in urban areas. What- The message to be communicated will focus on the combination of a vodka beverage with a fresh fruit taste that is healthy alternative to other vodka coolers on the market. When- JellyFusion will be launched in January 2009 and have a steady campaign thought the year. Spending will be higher at the beginning of the summer months and in September when colleges and universities resume the school year. Where- The campaign will be national in scope with additional emphasis placed on key urban markets. Creative Strategy The tone in JellyFusion's advertisements is fun and flirty, and the style is sophisticated and contemporary. The creative strategy that we will use for JellyFusion is to show a certain lifestyle that is appealing to women who like to socialize at home or out on the town. The ads will be sophisticated and contemporary portraying a socialite lifestyle. This lifestyle consists of being fashionable, going out to clubs or bars, having parties in their homes and hanging out with their Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Continued friends. The message of these ads should reflect the attitude of the socialite, and make her want to be apart of the fun. Creative Execution The advertisements will be presented using black and white photography. A full colour picture of the product will be shown in the ads. The product should stand out as the main focus and the photograph will portray an image of the socialite lifestyle for example; a bunch of women dancing in a bar, or two women having a drink as they get ready for a night out. Media Planning and Strategy JellyFusion will be seen in a variety of ways; an interactive and informative website, school and bar washroom posters, indoor billboards and female targeted magazines. Ads will be placed in urban areas, and university and colleges in North America. The media campaign will take place from January 2009 to December 2009. Profile matching is an appropriate way to reach JellyFusion’s target market; ads will be placed where the socialites will see them; such as changing rooms and resto-bars. It is important for our target market to be exposed to JellyFusion ads, so reach and frequency are important. Various media sources will be implemented to reach the target market in places that they would be exposed to. The frequency of JellyFusion ads and promotions will be consistent over the 2009 year; it will slightly increase before the summer and in September when colleges and universities start the school year. A build-up strategy would be appropriate for JellyFusion so that awareness of the brand grows and spreads. Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Continued Product placement in The Sex and the City Movie sequel will bring a lot of awareness to the JellyFusion brand. Our target market would be interested in this kind of movie, and placing our product in a scene or having the characters talk about the drink would boost brand awareness. Media Execution Magazines: Glow- Glow's total circulation in Canada is 401,117; JellyFusion will have a full page advertisement, and will be seen in 6 issues in 2009 costing a total of $124,080. (CARD, Glow) Ads will be in Glow magazine every other month starting Jan 2009. More- More's total circulation in Canada is 140,768, JellyFusion’s full page advertisement will be seen in 6 issues in 2009 costing a total of $ 71,130. (CARD, More) Ads will be in More magazine every other month starting Jan 2009. Chatelaine- Chatelaine’s total circulation in Canada is 579,920, in Chatelaine JellyFusion will use half page advertisements due to ad rates. It will be seen in 6 issues in 2009 costing a total of $209,190. (CARD, Chatelaine) Ads will be in Chatelaine magazine every other month starting Feb 2009. Cosmopolitan- Cosmopolitan’s total circulation is 684,000; JellyFusion will be shown in a full page advertisement and will be in 6 issues in 2009 costing a total of $110,280. (acp magazines) Ads will be in Cosmo magazine every other month starting Feb 2009. Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Continued Magazine # Inserts Cost/Insert Total Cost Glow 6 $20,680 $124,080 More 6 $11,855 $71,130 Chatelaine 6 $34,865 $209,190 Cosmopolitan 6 $18,380 $110,280 Total 24 $514,680 Billboards: Through Zoom Media 13"x17" posters will be displayed digitally across Canada in Resto-bars, school campuses, and changing rooms. Ads are displayed for 15 seconds; Markets where these ads will be displayed are; Toronto, Vancouver, London, Montreal, and Calgary. Ads will be shown twice a week in each location. Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Continued # of ads shown per # of Cost per locations showing 15 $175 $273 000 15 $225 $351 000 7 $175 $127 400 Reach Total Cost year 4 million Resto-bars 104 weekly 12 million Campuses 104 weekly Change 3 million 104 Rooms weekly Total $751 400 Miniboards: Through NewAd 13"x17" posters will displayed in various washrooms in Canada's major urban areas including; Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. The ads will be displayed for two weeks, three times a year in each city. Marketing Plan Marketing Plan Continued GRP’s Weeks Total Cost Vancouver 240 6 $300 Calgary 240 6 $318 Toronto 240 6 $282 Montreal 240 6 $300 Halifax 240 6 $336 Market Total $1536 University campus tour: A JellyFusion team will travel across Canada visiting 20 university campuses. JellyFusion will sponsor parties at these schools to create more awareness of the brand. The parties will have a JellyFusion theme and offer free samples of the beverage. The parties could be promoted as theme parties where girls are encouraged to dress up and be like socialites. The budget for one party is $12 500 and the total budget for the tour is $250 000. Online: JellyFusion will have an interactive website that will offer information and details about the product and the company; it will also offer other creative ways to make your JellyFusion drink even tastier. A customer feedback section will be included on the website so we can make our product better, and for the consumers to get some input on the product; for example, a new flavour that we don't currently offer. A budget of approximately $5000 will be used to create the website.