Marketing Plan Part C

Introduction

Understanding customers’ needs and wants is essential in the success of branding a company. This can be achieved by contacting the public in the process of integrating the brand strategies. The brand of a company exists within the potential prospects, the hearts, and minds of the customers. The perception and experiences are sometimes dynamic; though some perceptions are static. It’s important for the company to invest its time in building and defining its brand. Branding ensures the company achieves its mission and philosophy when it comes to customer purchases. Generally, a brand is not only designed to reach a target market or gain a competitive advantage but also its designed to influence and attain potential customers by availing a solution to their problems. Using the Kokemuller rule of thumb in business, an individual alone cannot beat their competitors, but a group of people can collaborate to achieve income goals (Wabuyele, 2017). 

The marketing strategy in Cucumber Organic Tea is strategic and specialized in its segment. This paper describes the marketing plan for Cucumber Organic Tea by defining the branding, distribution strategy and pricing, as well as, developing a differentiation strategy for the company’s competitor. Cucumber Organic Tea’s marketing plan presents our intention in social media marketing and also establish marketing communications that aid the company’s success. 

 Branding, Pricing, and Distribution Strategy

The branding, pricing, and distribution strategies for Cucumber Organic Tea product relatively support one another. Pricing is dependent on the price sensitivities of consumers and the brand’s awareness (Carraher & VanAuken, 2013). Likewise, factors such as shipment, manufacturing, and promotion costs are used to determine the pricing (Shang et al., 2009). As stated earlier, Cucumber Organic Tea adopts dynamic and static pricing strategies. Dynamic pricing strategy is highly influenced by the market force, thus, the company uses the strategy to maintain profitability in any market segment leading to an increase in turnover. Competitive price tracking ensures the company is able to venture in new markets and retain the existing ones. The company adopts a penetration pricing strategy with an aim to attract customers by providing low price products. This results in gaining a bigger market share.

To begin branding the Cucumber Organic Tea company, the following should be reviewed; product and services the company offers, the target market of its products, and lastly present research on our customer’s desire. The company’s main goal in branding is to create a connection with potential customers and promoting professionally the business. A promise to the customer is based on the company’s brand. The expectation from products and services makes a part of the promise and it differentiates the firm from its competitors. According to Williams (2016), “your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be, and who people perceive you to be”. The branding strategies for Cucumber Organic Tea are listed below:

1. Defining the brand. Visualizing and defining products and services the company offers to the market is very important. A good connection with customers should exist so as to acquire information on what they need.
2. Purpose and belief. “customers look for original and authentic products that relate to how they feel about themselves” (Morhat et al., 2015). The key driver in establishing the brand for Cucumber Organic Tea is the philosophy it works under and its purpose. Choosing the identity of the product and what is expected of the product establishes the brand. The brand success is experienced when life, values, and beliefs connect to consumers emotionally.
3. Consistency. Product branding should remain relevant and the same no matter where you go. Once Cucumber Organic Tea offers a product in the market, the consumers should have the ability to know what to expect, which indicates that the existence of a consistent brand is essential. 
4. Creativity. Cucumber Organic Tea has come up with new innovative marketing strategies that win the customers’ hearts by creating beverages of different flavors, prices, and packaging sizes giving a variety of taste and preferences for consumers. Improving on brand is highly determined by the innovative ideas that normally send unique messages to the customers.

Distribution Strategy

In marketing, distribution channels make part of the 4Ps (product, promotion, price, placement) (Akgun et al., 2017). The channels are key in ensuring the business expansion and growth of revenue. Single and multiple channels are used in Cucumber Organic Tea distribution strategy. These include using a wholesaler, retailers, dealers, sales team, internet, and Value-Added Reseller (VAR). Advertising through internet platforms such as social media together with other traditional media assists the company in creating a product’s brand awareness and connecting to the consumers on an emotional level. Cucumber Organic Tea logo’s tag line “Refreshing healthy tea” will be evident and emphasized during this campaign. The product’s unique flavor, health benefits, and affordable packages will be showcased on platforms such as online and retail locations. Brand effectiveness will be normally monitored by such advertising efforts.

Strategies in Creating Value for Customers

When creating value for customers, Cucumber Organic Tea uses the Customer Success Managers (CSM) to offer leadership assets and best practice materials with the objective of maximizing value and adoption of Cucumber Organic Tea Houses. The tea houses will be situated in strategic locations to ensure it offers the local upper-middle-class community a socializing area where they can indulge in cucumber non-alcoholic organic tea. The teahouse will include delicious pastries, as well as, unique chocolates as accompaniments for the customers. For tourists, the teahouse will be situated as a destination for their tour where they can enjoy cucumber non-alcoholic organic tea.

Investing in Cucumber Organic Tea beverages will lead to achieving its business value in providing customer success services. For instance, teahouses and tourist hubs who decide to be using Cucumber Organic Tea will be introduced to our success plan experience. As such, they will experience an increase in multiple brands and flavors that they sell due to increased awareness. This will lead to an increased demand for additional Cucumber Organic Tea brewing and blending training, increased targets for conversion to Cucumber Organic Tea hub, improved user experiences and ability to manage predictably business growth. 

Cucumber Organic Tea uses two distinct plans in creating the Customer Success plan. In the first success plan, customers are provided with access through the adoption of a framework of business reviews, workshops, assets, and using interactivity (onsite and offsite) engagements. The framework adopted applies to all consumers and can be used to establish targets for adoption and measure progress towards the adoption. The second success plan provides a prescriptive adoption framework, which offers a specific stage and lifecycle of the customers through interactivity. Such customers are assigned to an executive sponsor with the goal of building a beneficial partnership between the two parties. This results in business value realization. 

Cucumber Organic Tea New Product and Service Development

Product development is the lifeblood of Cucumber Organic Tea. It is the approach that is being used to develop an established product range to develop an entirely new product line. The process of product development is risky and uncertain but when done successfully, the benefits are immense. The Cucumber Tea will be unveiled to the market but continuous changes are necessary to ensure that the product does not become obsolete in the market. Further, the development of highly effective products in the market will require feedback from the market. The company must, therefore, develop easy to use feedback lines, which will capture important information, feelings, and aspirations of the clients. Incorporating such feedback in the service delivery and product development is the company. 

Competitive Dynamics

Competitive conditions have totally changed in the past years due to the increasing globalization of industries and markets. Globalization has paced up foreign competitions, as well as, increased firm relationships in different nations, thus, strategic global linkages have been formed (Namkung & Sarkar, 2016). In this case, new paradigms and analytic tools need to be adopted in the strategic management of the company. Indeed, firms are now obliged to ensure success in this context by creating global relation alliances and networks. Cucumber Organic Tea business-level strategies contain a comprehensive analysis of strategic development, countering the effect of globalization. 

The current tea consumer is bombarded with products of different designs, characteristics, and capabilities. To curve a niche in such a highly competitive industry, it is necessary to have a value proposition that sits well with the clientele. In this sense, Cucumber Tea will choose to address competition by offering a health value proposition. The current consumer is highly knowledgeable and also very interested in healthy products. As such, Cucumber Tea has important health benefits, which have been packaged in an appealing way to ensure that customers can identify with the products as it addresses their needs. Information about the existence of the product is very vital. Enhanced marketing campaigns are vital to breaking the defenses set by competition. Information to be passed on to the consumers need to be designed to reflect the needs and wants and at the same time deliver a high impact value proposition. Product development and market research will be critical in developing core competencies, which will be critical to gaining a competitive edge. 

Cucumber Organic Tea Integrated Marketing Communication

In today’s Modern Marketing, company marketers strive to present concise messages using various platforms and mediums (Belasen, 2018). Strategies used in marketing ensures components such as uniformity and continuity are well integrated. The company gains a competitive advantage through the implementation of integrated marketing communication. Moreover, most companies in the food and beverage industry in which products are developed adopt a linear direct marketing process, add incentives and create messages for effective marketing. For these products and services to get to the consumer, Cucumber Organic Tea uses media and sales force. A dynamic consumer learning process is used to control the communication setting. Cucumber Organic Tea incorporates traditional media, PR, affiliate partnerships, products, and social networks in communicating to potential and existing customers so as to achieve success in marketing.

 The coordination of different promotion methods in marketing campaigns forms the basis of the Integrated Marketing communication of Cucumber Organic Tea. The company’s marketers should have a full understanding of the brand and should be well connected to seize more market opportunities. Enhancing the brand equity is the main objective of marketing communication. This is due to customer purchases and experiences that lead to the advocacy for the brand. Integrated marketing communication for the Cucumber Organic Tea brand aims at delivering the right message to the right audience at the right place and time. Extensive data and analytics should be acquired in order for the company to understand the target segment.

Recommendations on Market Analysis and Strategy

The beverage industry has remained competitive and dynamic over the years. However, no company in this industry has maintained stability and managed control of the brands in the face of challenges in a manner that Cucumber Organic Tea is preparing to be doing. Over the years, dominant companies in the beverage processing,  such as Unilever and Nestle have dominated the industry and their products have consistently been industrialized and as such, of uniform flavors.  Cucumber Organic Tea has identified a strong approach in the market that will allow it to scoop an economical market share sufficient to sustain the business. Enacting new strategies in marketing to face out the tough competitors in the industry would lead to success in getting an expanded market share. If well implemented, Cucumber Organic Tea, will be in line to deliver high-value products whose quality is unmatched. Diversification of the product to catch a wide clientele will be the end game. Further, appealing to the health needs of the clientele will be used as a value proposition. The company will be positioned as a conscious manufacturer and supplier of high-end healthy beverage. 

Tea as a beverage has its own competition from coffee, soft juices, and chocolate among others. When the same tea is value added with cucumber, as this company is doing, then it follows that competition will be intense, as the market is not expanding at the same rate as the products. To ensure that business operations are sustained, this company must engage in aggressive and value-based marketing efforts. Marketing in this sense must be authentic and within the parameters of what can be described as genuine information. Product development must ensure that every need the clients have concerning refreshments and health is considered. Such efforts will require to be sustained and improved to ensure that the company appeals to a wide clientele without compromising on the value and quality being delivered to them. The pricing mechanisms should reflect what competition is offering, as well as, the positioning that the company wants to achieve with the same. Distribution channels should reflect the sense of efficiency in terms of time and costs to ensure that being perishable products, there is no loss of value across the entire value chain. The cost factor across the distribution channel needs to be minimized to keep costs lean and have the same reflected on the prices.  

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