Assignment 1: Distribution
Context/overview: This week you will describe the channels of distribution structure you will use to get your product or into the market.
Write a 3-5 page paper that addresses:
• The rationale for the structure you have selected.
• How you will work with your channel members to help them promote your product to the ultimate consumer. This may include push and pull promotional strategies. How will you manufacture your product, warehouse it, and move the product to the next channel level?
• What should your channel members expect from you, the manufacturer (marketer) of your product? How will your organization be structured to accomplish this?
Assignment 2: IMC
Context/overview: Your marketing plan should demonstrate a promotional approach that embraces integrated marketing communications (IMC). This includes a clearly-stated message that is consistently communicated to your stakeholders.
Write a 3-5 page paper addressing your IMC promotional efforts that include:
• An appropriate mix of advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, and personal selling. You should include the internet and social media, too, as appropriate to your promotional effort.
• A primary objective for your promotional approach. Outline this in terms of measurable tasks that you want to accomplish. What is the advertising goal to which you will measure success for your advertising expenditures? This is a complete description of your proposed promotion plan.
• Description of each of your promotional activities to ensure an integrated approach to promoting your product or your service.
If you plan to use personal selling or direct marketing and have previously discussed these in your distribution section, reference that here and be sure you have fully covered the communication aspects of these tools.
You must show a clear understanding of what you want your IMC promotional strategy to do for you in terms of measurable outcomes. Ensure your IMC approach makes sense, given that you could easily spend millions of dollars (in theory) to promote your product or service.
When all is done, your IMC strategy will provide an executable promotional plan that indicates the what, where, when, and how much.
Assignment 3: Focus Groups
Context/overview: This week, we looked briefly at marketing research tools. One popular tool is the focus group. In your assignment this week, you will read more about conducting and analyzing focus groups, before conducting your own sample focus group.
First, locate the following articles through EBSCOhost:
1. Mcquarrie, E. F. (1989). The practical handbook and guide to focus group research/focus groups: A guide for marketing and advertising professionals. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), 26(1), 121-125.
2. Herich, D. (2015). 7 reasons to add focus groups to your marketing mix. Global Cosmetic Industry, 183(4), 50-51.
3. Ingram, W. C., & Steger, R. A. (2015). Comparing the quality and quantity of information received from traditional, webcam and board chat focus groups. Business Studies Journal, 7(1), 33-45.
Second, document the steps you will take to organize a "focus group" for the product you are developing for this course.
Write 2-3 pages that include a discussion on:
• Who you would invite (if this were a "real" focus group)
• What questions you would ask (provide 5 sample questions)
• What information you hope to gain
• How you would compensate the participants for their time (if this were a "real" focus group)
• The logistics of conducting the focus group (refer to the assigned articles for ideas)
• How you plan to record the proceedings of the focus group
Third, conduct the focus group with family or friends to obtain some sample data for analysis. Upon completing the focus group, discuss the process of conducting the focus group along with your findings in approximately 2-3 pages.
• What issues arose during your sample focus group with family/friends
• How did the focus group participants interact with each other?
• What challenges did you face regarding data collection and analysis?
• What insights did you gain upon analyzing the results of the focus group?
Assignment 4: Submitting Your Marketing Plan
You have been building pieces of your Marketing Plan each week throughout this course. This week it is time to put all the pieces together and add the "executive summary". The executive summary is a brief overview of your plan, usually 1 - 2 pages long, and is placed at the beginning section of the Marketing Plan.
You will use your assignments from the previous weeks to complete your Marketing Plan. Additional information may also be used/required. Be sure to incorporate any feedback you may have received from your instructor when submitting your final Marketing Plan.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also Include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.