Marketing

In this Experiential Exercise, “BFF” is not the acronym for “Best Friends Forever.” BFF or Business Format Franchising is the most common type of franchising: it is the right to manage and market an entire branded retail offering. Such contractual vertical marketing systems must have strong brand/trademark, operations and perceived customer value. Please familiarize yourself with franchise systems, and understand the role of the “franchisor” and “franchisee.” To learn more, I recommend that you go to https://www.franchise.org the web site for the International Franchise Association, the most prominent trade association for franchise systems. All franchise systems are required (by U.S. law) to have a clear and fully articulated FDD (Franchise Disclosure Document) that provides transparency to prospective franchisees (see https://www.franchiseprep.com/docs/fdd/Sample%20Franchise%20Disclosure%20Document%20FDD.pdf). There is no doubt that you have consumed goods and/or services from a retail franchisee. Here are some of the hundreds of BFFs that predominate the global market place: There is no more timely nor unprecedented disruption in marketing than the extant Covid-19 public health and economic crisis. Think about how Covid-19 has impacted your fast-food and fast-casual dining purchases. You might enjoy this video: https://youtu.be/OjNDOqtPfrw Generally, our discussion of disruptive forces addresses innovation and technological innovations (i.e., AI, robotics), natural disasters (i.e., tornadoes, hurricanes), competitive forces (i.e., mergers and acquisitions) and economic fluctuations (i.e., pricing, financial market shifts). SARS (2002/2003) and H1N1 (2009/2010) were pandemics that disrupted markets and marketing; however, it appears that the present Covid-19 pandemic will be far more devastating at both a macro- and microeconomic level. In this Experiential Exercise, you will critically explore the impact of the Covid-19 on a business format franchise in either the fast-food or casual dining sectors. You likely know that many cities and state governments have forced closures of restaurants, except for delivery and take-out services. So, please use the following Discussion Platforms to articulate a well-integrated descriptive (situational analysis) and prescriptive (recommendations) for a focal business format franchise in one of these sectors. It may be a large franchise system like McDonald’s or Subway or a small system like Chicken Salad Chick or Nestles Tollhouse by Chip.

Similar to other marketing communications, public relations can be outsourced to agencies that specialize in this discipline. Public relations implementation methods have been changing as the Internet or online communication has started to play more of a role in marketing communication. Please visit Onclusive (https://onclusive.com) and then visit one of the well-known agencies from the list provided by O’Dwyer’s (https://www.odwyerpr.com/pr_firm_rankings/independents.htm). List and discuss potential strengths and weakness of selecting an established public relations agency to handle your company’s public relations activities versus a new company like AirPr.

Consider a current or recent job and your roles as a follower and leader/manager in the present coronavirus crisis. Focus on the interactions with your manager, and the motivating (or not) influence of your manager or leader. Was the leader effective and ethical? Did she or he truly motivate you? Honestly rate yourself in both of these roles. Did you need courage in your own role? Feel free to be as positive or skeptical (even cynical) as you like, but focus on the APPLICATION of the course content – the theories of leadership and ethics – in describing and analyzing the situation. Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and practice (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. ISBN: 978 -1 – 5063- 6231 – 1

Post a paper with with at least three references, that discusses the importance of understanding consumer behavior. Focus on a specific buying situation/type of retail firm for your posting. Discussion Criteria Grading Criteria Percentage Main posting a minimum of 500 words 20% At least two references cited in main posting 10% Addressed the assigned topic in a clear and thoughtful way to stimulate discussion 20% Minimum of two substantial responses to your classmates 50% Total 100%

Select two competing brands in one of these product categories: Airlines, telecommunications, cars, athletic shoes, financial institutes, fast food/coffee chains, mobile phones, grocery chains, computers, universities. Do the necessary research on these two brands and answer the following questions. 1. What are the value propositions (see p. 11 of the textbook) of each of the two brands? How do these value propositions compare? Explain your answer by relating the value propositions to the consumer needs that these two brands want to satisfy. 2. Describe how each of these two brands engages customers online. In your opinion, how successful are these two brands’ customer-engagement marketing efforts (see pp. 19 and 20 of the textbook)? 3. Question 3 (20 marks) Discuss the impact of the macroenvironment forces on the product category of these two brands, and identify four environmental developments that are, or can become, opportunities and threats for them in the next three years. Use facts to explain your response. How can each of the two brands deal with the opportunities and threats previously identified? Question 4 (15 marks) Describe an advertisement or provide a copy of an advertisement for each of the two brands, and use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (see pp. 209 and 210 of the textbook) to identify the consumer need that this advertisement wants to trigger. Explain your selection with facts. Question 5 The excerpts from the CMA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice in Table 3.2 (pp. 106 and 107 of the textbook) set some guidelines about ethical marketing principles, including the following: truthfulness, campaign limitations, and accuracy of representation. a. Provide an example of a company that has gone too far in its communications to the extent that one may believe that they do not comply with, at least, one of the above three principles or are just at the acceptable limit. Describe what you see as almost “unethical” in these communications. Note: The company you choose for this question does not need to be either of the two companies used in the previous questions. b. Explain the potential long run consequences of these communications for the company.

Refer to the case study “You Want Us to Work With Marketing?” at the end of Chapter 7 (pp. 320-321) in the textbook and answer the questions. Post both the questions and answers for the case study as a Word document. In addition, include at least three textbook citations from the chapter material (not from the case itself) that would be relevant to one of the questions and cite each using the proper in-text APA format, e.g. (Evans, 2017, p. xx) and also an end of paper reference, e.g. Evans, J. R. (2017). Quality and performance excellence. (8th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western-Cengage Learning.

1. what do you think are the positive effects of social media on your generation and for marketers? What do you think negative effects of social media might be? 2. Covid-19 has disrupted professional and personal life around the world. What are the most significant ways you think Covid-19 has impacted consumer behavior in the US? What are the most significant ways you think Covid-19 has impacted your own personal consumption behavior? What industries have thrived in the pandemic? Which industries (or even individual companies within an industry) demonstrated an awareness of consumer wants and have been able to adapt to serve consumers well given new rules and restrictions on everyday life? Which industries (or companies) have struggled to serve their consumers? 3. Go through the additional information here: https://prezi.com/view/tFCdQeul68quLZLA1a5e/) What examples of creative marketing tactics can you find that would likely increase attention to a message? What gets your attention online, on billboards, or in traditional media such as radio/television/print media. What information can you find (apart from the examples in the presentation) about how marketers creatively use sensory information to get your attention? 4. The trend of online shopping. How do you think marketers will account for these trends in the products they offer, the communications they create, the price/availability of their products, etc.? As an alternative to the trends in the chapter, are there other consumer trends you notice (or can find articles discussing) that merit mentioning, and if so, how will marketers respond to these changes?

What impact (if any) could Wendy’s prior failures in international markets have on its current expansion effort? What challenges or issues might Wendy’s face in making a significant expansion into Africa? Using the marketing mix (i.e., product, price, place, promotion), determine what changes Wendy’s might have to make to its operations if it opens restaurants in the foreign markets highlighted in the case. Imagine that Wendy’s will open 1000 restaurants in a foreign market(s). Which foreign market(s) would you suggest it enter, and how many restaurants would you suggest it open in each market?

Premise –You are an entrepreneur looking to open a restaurant in your hometown. Step 1: The Research What is your local community look like?(Choose where you live now and/or where you grew up) First, do some secondary research… First, go online to https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045217and look up the demographic information for your hometown. This site is maintained by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Then, go online to http://www.cerc.com/TownProfiles/default.asp Look up the demographic information for your town in Connecticut (see me if the town is in another state). Finally, check out another source on https://claritas360.claritas.com/mybestsegments/#zipLookup. You will only have access to certain information on this site for free, but this is a great site for information to cross reference the information you have already gathered. Some other options: your town’s chamber of commerce or town hall (either online or in person) often has great information. Another good site: http://www.city-data.com/city/Connecticut.html The City that I live in is New britain, Connecticut Then, do a bit of primary research… What do you observe of your own town that matches or does not match the secondary data gathered? When you drive around, what do you observe about people and restaurants already in town? What types of restaurants are successful or have been successful? What have you or your family/friends longed for as consumers to frequent as customers? Step 2: The Paper Part 1: Summarize the secondary data (published) research found and contrast that with your primary data (observation) research. Describe a snapshot of the town you live in using by statistics you have found and be sure to cite. Compare that with your own observations and be sure to explain/describe how and when you carried out the observations. Do the numbers concur with your experience? How does it support or differ from your viewpoint, based on your personal knowledge? How accurate or inaccurate was the information? Part 2: Develop the retail mix you will use as an entrepreneur opening a new restaurant in the town you researched. How might you use the info you found in deciding the type of restaurant to open? Be specific in showing how the data you found led you to make the decision you made. Conclusion: Make additional business recommendations that may have come about from the market research you conducted and summarize the project. Retail Mix – Be sure to describe all of the following in great detail Product (type of cuisine/offerings) Price (range of prices on the menu) Place (description of marketplace and traffic sought) Promotion (method of marketing) Presentation (décor of restaurant/ambiance and style) Personnel (experience/knowledge/ appearance employees) Final paper should be no less than 1000 words.

nvent a new product (good, service, or idea) to market and a marketing plan to discuss all key elements to have a successful product. You may modify an existing product or invent a new product. You will need to plan the marketing of this product using all of the items covered in the text including: market studies, target market, pricing, test marketing, focus groups, packaging, promotional material, distribution plan, etc. You will need to present a “pitch” to the class as a focus group, online classes will post their pitch in the Discussion Board. You will need to gather survey information from the class (Survey Monkey is a great website to help develop a survey – http://www.surveymonkey.com). Your presentation should include a prototype of the product/or mock representation, slogan if applicable, and a marketing plan discussing the target market, pricing, how you arrived at the target group, price, etc. Organization a. The structure of the plan is clear and easy to follow. b. Ideas flow in a logical sequence. c. The introduction provides sufficient background on the topic and previews major points. e. Paragraph transitions are logical and reinforce the flow of thought throughout the pitch. f. The conclusion reviews the major points. Format a. The plan, including citations and the reference page. b. The plan is laid out effectively and uses reader friendly aids (e.g., sections, summaries, table of contents, indices, and appendices) when appropriate. c. The plan utilizes references appropriately. d. Features such as headings and italics aid in the readability of the plan and are not overused. e. The plan is neat, with attention given to format requirements. Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling a. Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed. b. Spelling is correct. Readability and Style a. Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. b. Sentences are well constructed, with consistently strong, varied structure. c. Sentence transitions reinforce the flow of thought. d. Words used are precise and unambiguous. e. The tone is appropriate to the content and assignment. MLA format, minimum 7 pages including title and reference page. Again, there are 3 parts to this project – pitch, presentation (PPT for online classes), and marketing plan. Your pitch is NOT part of the minimum 5 pages as that is a separate document. If you have any questions please let me know.