117-1 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2003 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 217-2 PART FIVE LAUNCH 317-3 Launch Figure V.1 417-4 The Five Decision Sets that Lead to a Marketing Plan Figure V.2 517-5 Common Myths About Marketing Planning for New Products Figure V.3 • Marketing people make the decisions that constitute a marketing plan. • The technical work is complete when the new item hits the shipping dock. Marketing people take over. • The marketer’s task is to persuade the end user to use the new product. • The more sales potential there is in a market segment, the better that segment is as a target candidate. • The pioneer wins control of a new market. • As with Broadway shows, opening night is the culmination of everything we have been working for. 617-6 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN STRATEGIC LAUNCH PLANNING 717-7 Strategic Givens Corporate, some team decisions made earlier. Often found in the PIC Guidelines. • • • • • A specified gross margin: affects funding. Speed-to-market: affects promotional outlays and schedules. Commitment to a given channel: affects distribution plan. Advertising policy: affects promotion decisions. Pricing policy: affects decision to use penetration or skimming pricing (slide down demand curve). 817-8 Revision of PIC Goals • Customer Acceptance Goals – – – – Use Satisfaction Sales Market Share • Financial Performance Goals – Time to break even – Margins – IRR, ROI • Product Level Performance Goals – – – – Cost Time to Market Performance Quality • Other – Competitive Effect – Image Change – Morale Change 917-9 Strategic Platform Decisions • • • • • • • • Permanence Aggressiveness Type of Demand Sought Competitive Advantage Product Line Replacement Competitive Relationship Scope of Market Entry Image 17-10 10 Permanence • Permanent, stand-alone. • Permanent, but as a bridge to other items -e.g., platform strategy. • Temporary. Given firms’ tendency to develop streams of products, more and more new products are actually only temporary. 17-11 11 Some Other Strategic Platform Decisions • Aggressiveness (aggressive versus cautious attitude at entry) • Type of demand sought (primary versus selective) • Competitive advantage sought (differentiation, price leadership, or both) • Competitive relationship (aim at a competitor, avoid a competitor) • Image (create a new image, tweak an existing image, use the already-existing image) 17-12 12 Product Line Replacement Strategies Figure 17.1 Butt-on product replacement Low-season switch High-season switch Roll-in, roll-out Downgrading Splitting channels The existing one is simply dropped when the new one is announced. Example: Ford's marketing of Mondeo and dropping of Sierra. Same as butt-on, but arranging the switch at a low point between seasons. Tour companies use this switch when they develop their new catalogs. Same as butt-on, but arranging the new item at the top of a season. Example: Polaroid used this strategy often, putting new replacement items out during the Christmas season. Another version of butt-on, but arranged by a sequence of market segments. Mercedes introduced its C series country by country. Keeping the earlier product along side the new, but with decreased support. Example: The 386 chip stayed along side the 486, until the Pentium was introduced. Putting the new item in a different channel or diverting the existing product into another channel. Example: Old electronic products often end up in discounter channels. 17-13 13 Scope of Market Entry This is not test marketing. This is launch. All forces in place and working. • Roll out slowly -- checking product, trade and service capabilities, manufacturing fulfillment, promotion communication, etc. • Roll out moderately, but go to full market as soon as volume success seems assured. • Roll out rapidly -- full commitment to total market, restricted only by capacity. 17-14 14 The Target Market Decision • Alternative ways to segment a market – end-use, geographic/demographic, behavioral/psychographic, benefit segmentation • Micromarketing and mass customization • Also consider the diffusion of innovation Using the Joint Space Map to Identify Benefit Segments Aqualine Islands Comfort 17-15 15 3 2 1 Molokai Fashion Splash Sunflare Figure 17.2 17-16 16 Factors Affecting Diffusion of Innovation • • • • • Relative Advantage Compatibility Complexity Divisibility Communicability 17-17 17 Product Positioning • Who -- Why -- How • To whom are we marketing? • Why should they buy it? • How do we best make the claim? 17-18 18 To Whom Are We Marketing? • Users vs. non-users (primary vs. selective demand) • Target market criteria (demographic, geographic, psychographic, benefit segmentation) • Everybody -- no narrowing down (mass customization, Post-It notes) The real issue here is commitment -- by all NPD participants and by management 17-19 19 Why Should They Buy It? • This too we have been testing -- basic concept statement used for testing and for guiding technical (e.g., QFD “Whats”), and the key reason on the “How likely would you be to buy this if we marketed it?” (product use test) • Formatted in three ways: – Solves major problem current products do not. – Better meet needs and preferences. – Lower price than current items. 17-20 20 How Do We Make the Claim? • Product positioning statement is a strategic driver --a core item -- not a list of advantages. Some new products get one short sentence -- technical items more. • Can be stated as one or more features (what it is). • Can be stated as a function (how it works). • Can be stated as one or more benefits (how the user gains). • Can be stated as a surrogate (no features, functions, benefits). 17-21 21 Product Positioning Options Position to an Attribute • Feature • Function • Benefit (direct or followon) Figure 17.2 Position on a Surrogate • Nonpareil • Parentage • Manufacture • Target • Rank • Endorsement • Experience • Competitor • Predecessor 17-22 22 Branding Decisions • What is the brand’s role or purpose? • Are you planning a line of products? • Do you expect a long-term position in the market? • How good is your budget? • Physical/sensory qualities of brand considered? • Message clear and relevant? • Insulting or irritating to anyone? 17-23 23 Questions and Guidelines in Brand Name Selection Figure 17.8 Question What is the brand's role or purpose? Will this product be a bridgehead to a line of products? Do you expect a long-term position in the market? Is the name irritating or insulting to any market segment? Guideline If the brand is to aid in positioning, choose a brand name with meaning (DieHard, Holiday Inn). If purely for identification, a neologism (made-up word) such as Kodak or Exxon will work. If so, choose carefully so as not to be a limitation in the future (Western Hotels changed name to Western International, then finally to Westin.) If not, a dramatic, novelty name might be useful (such as Screaming Yellow Zonkers). Women found Bic's Fannyhose to be objectionable. 17-24 24 Some Brand Names That Didn’t Work Crapsy Fruit Fduhy Sesane Mukk Pschitt Atum Bom Happy End Pocari Sweat Zit Creap I'm Dripper Polio Sit & Smile Barf French cereal China Airlines snack food Italian yogurt French lemonade Portuguese tuna German toilet paper Japanese sport drink German lemonade Japanese coffee creamer Japanese instant coffee Czech laundry detergent Thai toilet paper Iranian laundry detergent Figure 17-9 17-25 25 Figure 17-10 How Brand Equity Provides Value High Brand Loyalty Reduced marketing costs Increased trade leverage High Brand Awareness High Perceived Quality Easier to make brand associations Supports quality positioning Creates positive image Patents or trademarks Supports higher-price strategy Helps customer process information Strong channel relationships Increased liking and familiarity More/Better Brand Associations Other Brand Assets Provides value to customer: Provides value to firm: Assists in customer information processing Increases confidence in purchase Increases satisfaction in product use Increases effectiveness of marketing programs Increases customer loyalty and trade leverage Facilitates brand extensions Is a source of competitive advantage 17-26 26 Building Brand Equity • Getting awareness of the brand and the meaning. • Making brand associations -- even the factory location in Saturn’s case. • Building perceived quality • Loyalty in repurchase -- locking them in • Getting reseller support 17-27 27 A Brand Report Card Characteristic Delivers benefits desired by customers. Stays relevant. Prices are based on value. Well positioned relative to competitors. Is consistent. The brand portfolio makes sense. Marketing activities are coordinated. What the brand means to customers is well understood. Is supported over the long run. Sources of brand equity are monitored. Figure 17.11 Examples Starbucks offers “coffee house experience,” not just coffee beans, and monitors bean selection and roasting to preserve quality. Gillette continuously invests in major product improvements (MACH3), while using consistent slogan “The best a man can get.” P&G reduced operating costs and passed on savings as “everyday low pricing,” thus growing margins. Saturn competes on excellent customer service, Mercedes on product superiority. Visa stresses being “everywhere you want to be.” Michelob tried several different positionings and campaigns between 1970 and 1995, while watching sales slip. The Gap has Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy stores for different market segments; BMW has the 3-, 5-, and 7-series. Coca-Cola uses ads, promotions, catalogs, sponsorships, and interactive media. Bic couldn’t sell perfume in lighter-shaped bottles; Gillette uses different brand names such as Oral-B for toothbrushes to avoid this problem. Coors cut back promotional support in favor of Coors Light and Zima, and lost about 50% of its sales over a four-year period. Disney studies revealed that its characters were becoming “overexposed” and sometimes used inappropriately. They cut back on licensing and other promotional activity as a result. 17-28 28 Profitable Brand Strategies Low Relative Market Share Value Brand Category Premium Brand Category Figure 17.12 High Relative Market Share Dead End Low Road Example: Nine Lives Optimum strategies: Slash costs and prices “Trump” market leader with superpremium brand Example: Oscar Meyer Optimum strategies: Cut costs and reduce prices Build brand equity Hitchhikers High Road Example: Neutrogena, Post Optimum strategies: “Don’t rock the boat” Innovate Find a niche market Example: Gillette, Clorox Optimum strategies: Value-improving innovations Premium prices Source: Adapted from Vijay Vishwanath and Jonathan Mark, “Your Brand’s Best Strategy,” Harvard Business Review, May-June 1997, pp. 123-129.