Case Study Analysis of Pillsbury Cookie Challenge
Task: Analysis and recommendation report
Scope: Written report – individual or pair team
The Canadian Pillsbury ready baked goods RBG cookie line is experiencing less than stellar performance. The marketing manager, Ivan Guillen, is under pressure to make strategic decisions that will help turn around the segment. The marketing manager engages the help of the consumer insights team to conduct market research studies that will shed light on consumers and their attitudes, behaviors and preferences towards the products. The results from the market research studies are in and the marketing manager must filter through them to determine how this information can be used to improve the performance of the cookie segment. As the marketing manager, you should consider:
- Where the greatest opportunities lie
- Who the marketing strategy should target
- What brand messaging is the most relevant
- What type of communication plan would be most effective
The following questions address specific issues faced by Ivan Guillen and the marketing team at Pillsbury. Your analysis should address these points specifically:
1. What are the key challenges that Ivan Guillen faces in his role as the marketing manager of the RBG business?
2. What are the key consumer insights available to the marketing team? What types / which business challenges can be addressed based on the consumer insights available?
3. Given the key learnings from the usage and attitude study on p. 6 of the case, what key implications and what actions should the marketing team take?
4. Why did Ivan Guillen and his team conduct the in-home discovery workshops? What purpose did they serve?
5. Develop perceptual maps for the potential target segments – users, lapsed-users and non-users. What are the interpretations and implications from these maps?
6. What action/s should Ivan Guillen and his team take?
Your submission should address each topic. However, this task is not just a Q&A exercise … think strategically.
Your report should adopt the structure and style of a consultative review … a professional report addressing these topics in a comprehensive, consultative format. Offer advice about what was and what should be done.
Assessment criteria:
- Depth of insights about key issues and challenges, supported with detailed information.
- Discussion of relevant reasoning to support action taken.
- Critical thinking and creativity in the analysis and application of marketing tools; e.g. perceptual mapping.
- Rationale in recommendations.
Reports should be submitted via email attachment by the nominated due date.