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.

 

Final Project: Target Market Strategy

Chocolate Expressions will use the internet to market its products. This will include but is not limited to a dedicated chocolate blog, Facebook and Twitter. We will target young to middle age males as they are to most likely to see the value of our products. We will accomplish this by placing ads on technology and gaming web sites. "A marketing strategy consists of specific strategies for target markets, positioning, the marketing mix, and marketing expenditure levels." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 2, page 33.)

"Planning good strategies is only a start toward successful marketing. A brilliant marketing strategy counts for little if the company fails to implement it properly. (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 2, page 33.) In addition to placing web site ads, we will use Google AdSense on our online store. The use of web advertising and AdSense will allow us to track the effectiveness of our marketing.

 

Final Project: SWOT

"Strengths include internal capabilities, resources, positive situational factors that may help the company to serve its customers and achieve its objectives." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 2, page 31.) Chocolate Expressions strengths lie in our ability to innovate new ways to bring confections to the market. The use of laser engraving will bring a new standard to chocolate greeting cards and in the future we will be utilizing 3D printing to craft confections before impossible create.

"Weaknesses include internal limitations and negative situational factors that may interfere with the company’s performance." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 2, page 31.) Our inability to anticipate initial demand for our products can cause a problem in ordering supplies and determining time requirements to market. Determining internet marketing strategies can also be difficult.

"Opportunities are favorable factors or trends in the external environment that the company may be able to exploit to its advantage." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 2, page 31.)The trend in today's greeting card market is to find new and exciting ways to send your message. 

the fact that Chocolate Expressions cards are both a greeting card and a gift of chocolate speaks to this trend.

"And threats are unfavorable external factors or trends that may present challenges to performance." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 2, page 31.) The main threat to Chocolate Expressions is maintaining a sufficient supply of materials for our products.