Marketing Mini-Cases Analysis
Mini-Case I – Antipreneurs
Antipreneurs are commerce-mind professionals endearing to market with a mission. One thing with antipreneurs is that they are anti-big-company and anti-advertising who prefer local sustainable ventures that demonstrate equity of work-home life. In other words, the antipreneurs are against advertising, corporate America and Globalization and use the word-of-mouth and selling on brand characteristics usually entailing a strong message that is at times political. Radioparadise.com is a commercial-free listener radio sponsored site and the MooShoes is a vegan shoe store that sells eco-friendly leather-free shoes.
The target market for antipreneurs are customers, termed as dark greens, who are exceedingly concern with environmental issues, reasonable business practices and avoidance of animal meanness. In order to manage the public’s perception about themselves, radioparadise could take the opportunity to host several programs that would involve the public in discussions focusing on the need to stop commercial advertising and provide the listener with more time for their views and opinions instead while the MooShoes could step up environment friendly campaigns, a move that would make more customers purchase their product for being associated to cause-related marketing (Mickelsen 2008).
With the rise in the internet and streaming media era, all organizations need to include internet in their marketing plan. In this case, the two companies need to include the 11Ps of e-marketing: People, Productivity, Partnership, Personalization, Protocol, Physical Image, and Privacy. Two examples of such would be the use of blogs and forums as well as social websites where people can present their views and listen to the contribution from others on the same.
Mini-Case II: Unique Vacation Policy
With unlimited vacations, it means that employees of the Bluewolf Company can spend as much time as they want outside office, but of course not without getting all their work done. This means that, besides the salary and the casual Fridays in the work place, employees have more benefits and freedom and experience more value. The management of the Bluewolf Company believes this is crucial in retaining strong employees to facilitate further expansion and sustainability of the organization by creating a culture that permits the employee the liberty and autonomy of flexible hours while satisfying goals and objectives.
Such a move increases productivity and retention in that a reward as unlimited paid vacations comes with responsibility such as individuals psychological health, persons clients and colleagues a move that alleviates the load in high-demands, top-notch, High-quality consultancy environments such as Bluewolf (Fox 2010). In addition, employees feel as valued, contributors towards business success which results to increase in business productivity. On the contrary, such a move would encourage laxity where an individual takes a vacation but since they know their work is done; they tend to extend their vacations which means loss of profitable business hours. Another drawback extends down the managerial hierarchy where the top management will benefit from the vacations while the same would be limited to low level managers and employees.
For small businesses, unlimited benefits in place of high salaries may at first work in recruiting good employees but in their retention this may not work employees are also interested in nice pays at the end of the day. Take for instance sick leaves and family emergencies, a good salary will go a long way in bills payment and other needs compared to the unlimited benefits.
Mini-Case III: Craft Beer Boom
Craft Beer is the beer that brewers used to make in the old world way with the brewers main concern being the taste, texture and aroma unlike huge production. Some of the giants in the Craft Beer segment of the beer market are Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada, and Anchor Steam Brewery. Though the overall sales of the target market are tiny as compared to the overall sales in beer, the mass production brewers are also indulging in the Craft Beers as this segment is one of the fastest growing in the beer industry.
Branding is the value of perception of a given product in the mind of prospectus customers and it places a product in a specific class or market segment (Clifton and Ahmed 2009). Captain Lawrence and Samuel Adams need to brand for the simple reasons of positioning them in the royal niche segment based on taste, texture and aroma, ascribed to it by consumers. One importance of branding of craft beers would be enhancement the self-image to the two organizations. With the current speed of growth in the craft beer market segment, there is need for these two giants to properly define their position in the market as the oldest and the best among all other upcoming ones. In addition, since the target market is tiny, there is need for the two giants to bring out the sense of belonging and social meaningfulness (Clifton and Ahmed 2009).
On the product life cycle, beer would be on the maturity stage where strong sales diminishes due to increased competition while Craft Beer is in the decline stage, since it has only been left to a loyal segment and that’s why this is the fastest growing segment of beer industry due to additional features and new uses (Gorchels 2000).
Reference
Clifton R. and Ahmed S., (2009), Brands and Branding. Bloomberg Press. United States of America.
Gorchels L., (2000). The Product Manager’s Handbook: Complete Product Management Resource. NTC Business books. Illinois: USA.
Mickelsen K., (2008). Defining the Antipreneur. Retrieved on 05-04-2011 from http://www.bozell.com/thinking/issues/2008-issue-3/defining-the-antipreneur/ last updated on 03-12-2008
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