MARKETING CASE PROJECT
General Instructions
Case studies and reports must be typed, double spaced, 12 pt. type, Times Roman font and be a minimum of 10 typewritten pages (excluding cover page, works cited page, and any exhibit pages). A cover page should be provided as well as a works cited page. The report should have page numbers, not including the cover page. All reports are due on the date assigned (last class). Cases turned in late will result in zero points for the assignment, no exceptions.
The report should be prepared in a professional manner and should not look or be written as traditional “academic” work. You are encouraged to make use of the Internet and library resources as appropriate.
I look for organization, understanding, originality, breadth, depth of coverage, and clarity of exposition. All reports should be neatly typed, legible, and free of errors in grammar and spelling. This is graduate level work and the reports should reflect a high degree of professionalism. Please follow all instructions listed below. Failure to follow these instructions, for example not using headings, will result in significant points deducted.
Specific Instructions
To provide a marketing analysis of a product or service of the company you are currently employed with, or if not currently employed a company of your choosing from the list attached at the end of these instructions, or one of your choosing (approved by the instructor).
The following questions are to be answered in your paper. Please use topic headings in your paper for organization. I don’t want to see subject matter jumping back and forth within the paper. Your paper should be titled “ Marketing Analysis For________________ .” The purpose of this assignment is to apply concepts discussed in class to the practical application in the workplace.
Please structure your paper using the following headings :
Company Background (Type of Business, Products, etc.)
The Market (Who are your customers, how do they buy, etc.? I want as much detail as possible)
Environmental Factors (The factors, beyond your business control that effect the way you do business)
Distribution (Distribution Channels used)
Pricing (General concept on how your product is priced, not looking for proprietary information)
Promotion
General Observations
It is required that you use these headings. You may add sub-headings as you feel appropriate in your analysis. Keep in mind this analysis is to provide a comprehensive view of marketing in your company or the company of your choosing. It will provide a guide to determining if marketing principles and concepts are being used.
The following are some of the questions that should be answered in preparation of your analysis. Please keep in mind that your analysis is to make use of the marketing concepts that we have been studying in class. The purpose of this assignment is to merge concepts with applications.
- What type of product/service does your company market? Explain? Consumer or Business-to-Business?
- Who are your target markets? Is the market segmented? How?
- How do your customers buy your product? What is the buying decision process?
- Classification of your product?
- Is branding involved?
- What stage of the product life cycle is your product/service?
- What type of market research does your company perform? Do you have a marketing intelligence system, and/or database?
- What environmental factors affect your business? Explain in detail all that are
- Explain your marketing channels.
- Explain your promotional mix. Advertising, Public Relations, Sales, etc.
- Explain your pricing mix. What concepts are being used?
- Do you have a formal marketing department? How is it structured?
Based upon our discussions of concepts and principals of marketing, cite one area of your companies marketing program that you feel is very successful. Cite one area that you feel could be improved upon.
Keep in mind that I am not asking for you to reveal any proprietary information about the company that you work for. The information should be the type that could be found by anyone doing research and interpretation of their findings. Places to look for information include the Internet, company brochures and literature, annual reports, web sites, SEC, trade magazines, etc.
If you have any questions, need clarification or direction, please contact me and we can discuss them further. This paper is worth 150 points and is critical in determining your final grade.
This is graduate level work and the reports should reflect a high degree of professionalism. GRADUATE LEVEL WORK IS EXPECTED.
Companies and Products for those currently not working.
- Apple iPad
- Apple iPhone
- Asics Athletic Shoes
- Bluenile.com
- Cabela’s
- Canon Digital Cameras
- Captain Morgan’s Rum
- Carnival Cruises
- Chevrolet Malibu
- Clorox Wipes
- Coach
- Culver’s Restaurant
- Disney World
- Dollar General
- Doritos’
- Dyson Vacuums
- Eveready Batteries
- IAMS Dog Food
- Ikea
- Kellogg’s Special K
- Kindle
- LaZBoy Furniture
- Little Debbie Snack Cakes
- lululemon athletica
- Maytag Washers & Dryers
- Microsoft Xbox
- NetFlix
- New Balance Athletic Shoes
- Nintendo Wii
- Purina One Dog Food
- Ralph Lauren Clothing
- Red Bull
- Redbox
- Scion Automobiles
- Sephora
- Smith & Wesson
- Starbucks
- Steak n Shake
- Swiffers
- Tesla
- TGI Friday’s Restaurant
- Travelocity
- Uber
- White Castle
- Zappos.com
If you want to choose another company and product it must be approved by the instructor.
