EOC Week 10: What are the benefits vs the features?

Chocolate Impressions greeting cards are created using laser engraving technology. The benefits of using laser engraving is that the images and fonts created on the card can have far more detail then chocolate cards that are made in molds. Another benefit is that the engraving process is sanitary since nothing physically touches the surface of the card during the engraving process.

Chocolate Impressions greeting cards will feature fine artwork and messages. The customers will be able to, using the online, create their own card design using Chocolate Impressions database of images and message content. I the customer so desires they can provide their own content to be made into a greeting card making for a unique and special gift.

EOC: Week 9, 3 Great Mission Statements

Todd Cecil's mission statement talks about tasteful ways to gain energy and health. This is gives the impression that his company cares about it's customers and wants them to be healthy and happy.

Oscar Corral's mission statement speaks to their customers desire to indulge in chocolates without the embarrassment of bad breath giving the image that the company wants to help the customer.

Fernando Trueba's mission statement speaks to their customers desire to try new experiences and promises hugs and good feelings. Who doesn't need more hugs?

Final Project: Implementation Evaluation Control

"Through implementation, the company turns the plans into actions. Control consists of measuring and evaluating the results of marketing activities and taking corrective action where needed. Finally, marketing analysis provides information and evaluations needed for all of the other marketing activities." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 2, page 31.) Implementation of our plan will require acquiring the necessary equipment for laser engraving, melting and pouring the chocolate plus set up a supply chain for the ingredients and molds for the cards. The online store needs to be set up with a proper check-out and payment system. We will need to put controls in place to make sure that our marketing is getting good results and correct it need be. A SWOT analysis will be performed to evaluate all of our marketing activities.

"The company should analyze its markets and marketing environment to find attractive opportunities and identify environmental threats. It should analyze company strengths and weaknesses as well as current and possible marketing actions to determine which opportunities it can best pursue."  (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 2, page 32.) We will continue to analyze the market to identify new opportunities and threats. As new opportunities appear we will re-evaluate our strengths and weaknesses to determine if they should be pursued.

Final Project: Price

Chocolate Expressions products give the customer excellent value. They are unique in the marketplace and therefore can demand a higher price then the competition. "Customer perceptions of the product’s value set the ceiling for prices. If customers perceive that the price is greater than the product’s value, they will not buy the product." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 9, page 5.) We believe that the customer will agree that our products offer great value. The intricate detail of the greeting cards plus there value as a gift of chocolate will tell the customer that this is a must buy. "Like everything else in marketing, good pricing starts with customers and their perceptions of value." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 9, page 5.)

The 8oz Chocolate Expressions greeting cards will be offered at $24.95 plus shipping.

Final Project: Promotion

Promotion is a very important part of marketing. Not only to bump sells in a down market but as a way to get brand recognition when first introducing a product. "Personal selling and advertising often work closely with another promotion tool, sales promotion. Sales promotion consists of short-term incentives to encourage purchase or sales of a product or service. Whereas advertising offers reasons to buy a product or service, sales promotion offers reasons to buy now." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 36, page 49.)  Chocolate Expressions will have an initial promotion through Facebook and Twitter offering free shipping if the customer clicks through on the site. Additional promotions will be scheduled throughout the year with great emphasis placed on Valentines Day. "The growing use of sales promotion has resulted in promotion clutter, similar to advertising clutter. A given promotion runs the risk of being lost in a sea of other promotions, weakening its ability to trigger immediate purchase. Manufacturers are now searching for ways to rise above the clutter, such as offering larger coupon values, creating more dramatic point-of-purchase displays, or delivering promotions through new interactive media, such as the Internet or cell phones." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 37, page 49.) We believe that the use of the internet will increase the power of our promotions and we will also use direct cellphone promotions to further our market share.

Final Project: Distribution

Initially, Chocolate Expressions own online store will be the sole distributor of our products. "Between intensive and exclusive distribution lies selective distribution—the use of more than one, but fewer than all, of the intermediaries who are willing to carry a company’s products." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 10, page 26.) Since this is not the best distribution model we will begin working with greeting card companies and specialty chocolate outlets to carry our products in their stores. "The producer and intermediaries need to agree on the terms and responsibilities of each channel member. They should agree on price policies, conditions of sale, territory rights, and specific services to be performed by each party." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 10, page 26.) It is important that each channel member adhere our pricing polices so as not to weaken our position in the market. Also, any online promotions will be exclusive to our online store.

Final Project: Product

Chocolate Expressions will consist of laser engraved chocolate greeting cards. The base product will be a 5" x 7", 8oz chocolate card the will then be laser engraved with a picture and message suitable for birthdays, anniversaries or Valentine's Day. "Developing a product or service involves defining the benefits that it will offer. These benefits are communicated and delivered by product attributes such as quality, features, and style and design." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 7, page 13.) Chocolate Expression cards will be made from the finest chocolate available and will use the best greeting card designers in the business. "Quality has a direct impact on product or service performance; thus, it is closely linked to customer value and satisfaction. In the narrowest sense, quality can be defined as “freedom from defects.”" (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 7, page 13.) Every Chocolate Expressions greeting card will be thoroughly inspected for defects and sealed for freshness. Chocolate Expressions will also do periodic customer surveys to insure that we are maintaining our high standards.