Appendix A – Building an Effective Marketing Plan
• Is to take full advantage of its brand potential while…
• Building a base from which other revenue sources can be mined…
• Both in and out of the retail grocery business.
e. These markets and products are detailed in four areas below:
* Be expanded to a total of 20 metropolitan areas.
* Represent 53 percent of the 38 major U.S. metropolitan markets.
– This will represent 70 percent of U.S. food store sales.
• Food service.
– Will include chili products and smothering sauces.
• Target Markets
a. This section identifies the specific niches or target markets toward which the
company’s products are directed.
b. When appropriate and when space permits, this section often includes a
market-product grid. See Chapter 9.
Appendix A – Building an Effective Marketing Plan
c. The primary target market for Howlin’ Coyote products is households:
• Points of Difference
a. An organization cannot grow by offering only “me–too products.”
b. The greatest single factor in a new product’s failure is the lack of significant
“points of difference” that set it apart from competitors’ substitutes.
c. This section makes these points of difference explicit. See Chapter 10.
d. The “points of difference”— characteristics that make Howlin’ Coyote chilies
unique relative to competitors—fall into three important areas:
– Howlin’ Coyote’s packaging graphics convey the unique, high-quality
product contained inside and…
– The product’s nontraditional positioning.
• Positioning
a. A positioning strategy helps communicate the unique points of difference of a
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6. Marketing Program
• Everything that has gone before in the marketing plan sets the stage for the
• Product Strategy
a. This section describes in detail three key elements of the company’s product
strategy:
b. After first summarizing the product line, the approach to product quality and
packaging is covered.
c. Product Line. Howlin’ Coyote chili:
• Retails for $3.99 for an 11-ounce serving.
• Is available in five flavors:
d. Unique Product Quality.
• The flavoring systems of the Howlin’ Coyote chilies are proprietary.
• The ingredients used are of unusually high quality.
• To preserve cell structure and moistness, meats are…
• Chilies are fire-roasted for fresher taste.
Appendix A – Building an Effective Marketing Plan
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e. Packaging. Howlin’ Coyote:
• Price Strategy
a. This section makes the company’s price point very clear, along with its price
position relative to potential substitutes:
c. See Chapter 11.
d. Howlin’ Coyote Chili’s price:
• Is $3.99 for an 11-ounce package.
e. Howlin’ Coyote Chili’s price is justified because of:
• Promotion Strategy
a. Three key promotional activities are emphasized:
• In-store demonstrations.
• Recipes.
– Are offered to consumers to stimulate use.
Appendix A – Building an Effective Marketing Plan
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• Cents-off coupons. Are distributed in four ways to generate trial and
repeat-purchase of Howlin’ Coyote products:
– In Sunday newspaper inserts. These inserts:
– In-pack coupons. To encourage repeat purchases by new buyers:
– Direct-mail chili coupons. Those households that fit the Howlin’
Coyote demographics described previously will be mailed coupons.
• Place (Distribution) Strategy
a. Described in this section are:
• The present method of distribution.
b. Howlin’ Coyote is distributed in its present markets through a food distributor.
• The distributor:
– Buys the product.
c. As sales grow, we will shift to a more efficient system using a broker who
sells the products to retail chains and grocery wholesalers.
7. Financial Data and Projections
Appendix A – Building an Effective Marketing Plan
• All the marketing mix decisions covered in the marketing program have both
revenue and expense effects.
• These are summarized in this section of the marketing plan.
• Five-Year Projections
a. The Five-Year Projections section starts with the judgment forecast of cases
sold and the resulting net sales.
b. Gross profit and then operating profit—critical for the company’s survival—
are projected.
c. An actual plan often contains many pages of computer-generated spreadsheet
projections, usually shown in an appendix to the plan.
8. Organization
• [Figure 3] The organization chart and staffing plan for Paradise Kitchens appears
here.
• It reflects the barebones organizational structure of successful small businesses.
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9. Implementation Plan
• The Implementation Plan shows how the company will turn its plan into results.
• Charts are often used to set deadlines and assign responsibilities for the many
tactical marketing decisions needed to enter a new market.
• [Figure 4] Introducing Howlin’ Coyote chilies to 17 new metropolitan markets:
10. Evaluation Plan
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• The essence of evaluation is:
a. Comparing actual sales with the targeted values set in the plan.
Appendix A. Biographical Sketches of Key Personnel
Appendix B. Detailed Financial Projections
• Various appendices may appear at the end of the plan, depending on the plan’s
purpose and audience.
Appendix A – Building an Effective Marketing Plan
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Connect Exercises
Exercise 1: Situation Analysis
Activity Summary: In this click and drag activity, students perform an environmental scan for
Paradise Kitchens Inc. Students are provided with the company history for Paradise Kitchens as
Tagging (Topic, Learning Objectives, AACSB, Bloom’s, Difficulty)
Topic: Elements of the Marketing Plan
Learning Objective: Appendix A
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty Level: 2 Medium
Follow-Up Activity: Instructors could use this activity as preparation for students working on a
situation analysis for their own Marketing Plan or as preparation for students drafting a
Exercise 2: Consumer Analysis
Activity Summary: In this click and drag activity, students perform consumer analysis for
Paradise Kitchens Inc., focusing on psychological, sociocultural, and situational influences.
Students are provided with the company history for Paradise Kitchens as well as its plans for
Tagging (Topic, Learning Objectives, AACSB, Bloom’s, Difficulty)
Topic: Elements of the Marketing Plan
Learning Objective: Appendix A
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty Level: 2 Medium
Appendix A – Building an Effective Marketing Plan
AppA-25
Exercise 3: Information Sources and Priority
Activity Summary: In this mini-case, students analyze the data needs for Paradise Kitchens’
Tagging (Topic, Learning Objectives, AACSB, Bloom’s, Difficulty)
Topic: Elements of the Marketing Plan
Learning Objective: Appendix A
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty Level: 2 Medium
Follow-Up Activity: Instructors could use this activity as preparation for students working on
collecting data for the Situation Analysis section of their own Marketing Plan or as preparation
Exercise 4: Market-Product Grid
Activity Summary: In this mini-case, students analyze market-product grid for Paradise
Kitchens’ introduction of Earth Coyote Organics. After reviewing the history of Paradise
Kitchens and a market-product grid which includes the Hispanic and non-Hispanic markets and
Exercise 5: Fine Tuning the Product Strategy
Appendix A – Building an Effective Marketing Plan
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Activity Summary: In this click and drag activity, students reviewing the history of Paradise
Kitchens, focusing on the product marketing tactic. Students evaluate three new product ideas
Tagging (Topic, Learning Objectives, AACSB, Bloom’s, Difficulty)
Topic: Elements of the Marketing Plan
Learning Objective: Appendix A
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty Level: 2 Medium
Follow-Up Activity: Instructors could use this activity as preparation for students working on
the Market-Product Focus section of their own Marketing Plan or as preparation for students
Exercise 6: Stage of the PLC
Activity Summary: In this mini-case, students analyze the product life cycle for organic foods.
Tagging (Topic, Learning Objectives, AACSB, Bloom’s, Difficulty)
Topic: Elements of the Marketing Plan
Learning Objective: Appendix A
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty Level: 2 Medium
Follow-Up Activity: Instructors could use this activity as preparation for students working on
the Market-Product Focus and Marketing Program sections of their own Marketing Plan or as
Exercise 7: Working Towards a Final Price
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Activity Summary: In this mini-case, students analyze the pricing decision for the Earth Coyote
Organics frozen dinner line. After reviewing the history of Paradise Kitchens, students are
Tagging (Topic, Learning Objectives, AACSB, Bloom’s, Difficulty)
Topic: Elements of the Marketing Plan
Learning Objective: Appendix A
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty Level: 2 Medium, 3 Hard
Follow-Up Activity: Instructors could use this activity as preparation for students working on
the Price Strategy section of their own Marketing Plan or as preparation for students drafting a
Exercise 8: Selecting Channels and Intermediaries
Activity Summary: In this mini-case, students analyze the place decision for the Earth Coyote
Organics frozen dinner line. After reviewing the history of Paradise Kitchens, students review
Tagging (Topic, Learning Objectives, AACSB, Bloom’s, Difficulty)
Topic: Elements of the Marketing Plan
Learning Objective: Appendix A
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty Level: 2 Medium
Follow-Up Activity: Instructors could use this activity as preparation for students working on
Exercise 9: Developing an IMC Program
Activity Summary: In this click and drag activity, students analyze an IMC decision for the
Earth Coyote Organics frozen dinner line. After reviewing the history of Paradise Kitchens,
students are asked to consider the promotional element to support Paradise Kitchens’ launch of
Appendix A – Building an Effective Marketing Plan
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Tagging (Topic, Learning Objectives, AACSB, Bloom’s, Difficulty)
Topic: Elements of the Marketing Plan
Learning Objective: Appendix A
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty Level: 2 Medium
Exercise 10: Choosing a Retailer
Activity Summary: In this mini-case, students analyze the place decision, specifically retailer
selection, for the Earth Coyote Organics frozen dinner line. After reviewing the history of
Tagging (Topic, Learning Objectives, AACSB, Bloom’s, Difficulty)
Topic: Elements of the Marketing Plan
Learning Objective: Appendix A
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty Level: 2 Medium
Follow-Up Activity: Instructors could use this activity as preparation for students working on
the Place Strategy section of their own Marketing Plan or as preparation for students drafting a
Exercise 11: Prioritizing Media
Activity Summary: In this mini-case, students analyze the promotion decision, specifically
Appendix A – Building an Effective Marketing Plan
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answer five questions related to the media type’s metrics, budget, and wasted coverage. This
activity requires students to calculate CPM.
Tagging (Topic, Learning Objectives, AACSB, Bloom’s, Difficulty)
Topic: Elements of the Marketing Plan
Learning Objective: Appendix A