Project #6:

Project Overview-Scope of the project:

• Conduct market research evaluating market opportunities for the introduction and launch of a high-end, full line brand of appliances that our company owns.
• Provide SWOT analysis for the company’s new product launch and competition. 
• Develop and recommend strategies for positioning, price point, and marketing (i.e. promotional and advertising) campaigns. 
• Provide market demographics and demand to substantiate product launch. 
• Assess competitor’s market share, brand awareness and effectiveness of advertising and marketing campaigns.

Background: 

This company is headquartered in Spain, and has been offering products in the US since 1992, with high-quality stainless steel cookware as the core product offering.  This company has been successful in creating a “better pressure cooker category” in the marketplace and has been largely responsible for the resurgence in pressure cooker sales in this country.  They are currently positioned as a top cookware brand name, sold at major retailers nationwide.

With the support of over 50 years of experience in the appliances market, the company launched their appliances division in 2005 to introduce a full line of appliances to the US market. They anticipated that US consumers would perceive the quality of products and category expertise that they have to offer. The company focuses on European design, technological innovation and energy efficiency to create high-end appliances that are extremely elegant, practical and eco-friendly.

Today, the appliance line consists of induction, gas & radiant cook tops, refrigerators, dishwashers, convection ovens & range hoods. The company’s products bring together efficient, eco-friendly European styling tailored to American consumer’s needs.

This company is based in Spain, is the fifth largest appliance manufacturer in Europe. It is currently present in 100 countries, employs more than 12,000 people in 17 countries and operates 16 factories in three continents.

Skills needed for this project team: 

Sales, marketing including advertising and brand marketing, team-building, project management, business plans, distribution management and internet research.

 

Project #7

OBJECTIVE: 

Create the Global Village 2008 Alumni Reference Book.

BACKGROUND: 

Each year Global Villagers have created a reference book to carry home.  It is a means for capturing the various facets of the Global Village experience.  The reference book should capture the essence of Global Village 2008 through pictorial and editorial documentation.  Although often viewed as a personal memento, the reference book is an official publication of the Iacocca Institute and is utilized by the Global Village staff as a recruiting tool, to build corporate relationships and to obtain scholarship funding.  As a consequence it needs to be consistent with the professional image of other Global Village and Iacocca Institute published materials. 

The software application used to develop the book will be that used by the Lehigh University Printing Services Department.  The design and layout of this book should be in keeping with the “identity” that has been created for and by the Iacocca Institute yet meets the needs of the Villagers and the staff.  Consequently, this document, when completed, will coordinate well with current marketing materials.

There is pressure to move quickly because the Reference book is published by the end of the Village.   Mr. Brandt will discuss with the team the basic needs of the publication from the Iacocca Institute’s perspective and how he intends to utilize after the Village close.  Your project Mentor will provide the timeline and the budget for the project as well as introductions to the staff which will be able to assist in the technical aspects of the project.

You will need to interact with the on-campus printer and review former reference book s to decide how yours will look.  Team members should be assigned to each part of the book; especially important is the collection and arrangement of photos of trips and events, which can begin as soon as you receive this assignment. Yours will be the only team that has an earlier deadline and who gives its final presentation to the entire Global Village at the close of the village.

SKILLS:

• Desktop Publishing, including layout design – ESSENTIAL!!!
• Creativity
• Managing people
• Strong communication with peer groups

 

Project #8

Project Overview:

The project team will be developing a marketing plan for the organization.  This project’s primary focus will be an overarching marketing program/plan.  The plan will provide a uniform format and criteria to market certain programs, regardless of location.  Unique to each program, the plan should be adaptable to the look, feel and country image of the location of the program and yet at the same time, the plan should be to not eliminate the brand image created for the organization.  The secondary focus of this project will be to implement as much as possible this marketing plan for the 2008 program.

Background: 

Empowering the leaders of today and tomorrow, the organization focuses on developing programs and activities critical to international leadership. We are dedicated to cultivating the potential of individuals and to increasing the global competitiveness of organizations. Our learning experiences are focused on our central mission that the knowledge of business and industry, skills of leadership and entrepreneurship, and the continuous development of a powerful global network are essential for today’s most successful professionals.

Project Need (How and Why):

This project has developed as the program offerings have increased over time.  Samples of past marketing tools will be provided.  Past attention to this on a uniform basis has not been done.  Each partner institution has dictated the look and feel of the program collateral and the organization would now like to provide a marketing package to be used for future programs. 

Each partner for the programs has created a unique look at feel to the marketing materials for their program but little to no uniformity in collateral material has left the branding and image of the organization a bit less than desired in terms of recognition for these programs over time.  Types of marketing tools – such as looks and feels for sample web pages, advertisements and other that would keep the Iacocca Image and yet capture the host country image – are a next step in the continuation of these programs.  In addition, recommendations specifically for effective tools for the upcoming programs would also be most helpful and if possible, cost structures for those tools would be welcome.  Web sites created by partners were created at the partner locations and no longer exist but closely mirrored the brochure images.  Uniformity in these items will result in a web page to be used over time but also allow Iacocca to maintain its look and feel with each program, and potentially build the web pages for each of these programs. 

Additionally, each partner has identified the program target markets and approaches to those markets have been uniquely different in each historical case.  A target list of audiences for these programs, that may be built upon with each new program would be very helpful – including recognized past groups and other recommended groups as identified by the project team.

Skills needed for this team project:

Team-building, project management, focus groups, advertising, brand marketing, product design, graphic arts, photography, web design, programming and internet research 

 

Project #9

Project Description:

With the goals specified below, collect and analyze market research information from a variety of sources, such as internet, library, survey, or focus group (optional). Use all information to enable decision-making in how to launch new product in European countries.

Goals & Objectives: (All researches pertain to European market)

Understand potential customers including demographical statistics, gender roles, cultural values, social networks and consumer behavior.

Understand competitors including major/local players in child tracking industry, market share, target group, successes and failures. Answer the following questions:

Understand the company (both child-tracking and socialization) --- value proposition and differentiations.

Understand potential distributors including major players in mobile phone retailing industry, market share, target group and marketing campaigns.

How-to-go market:

What should the company’s position be in European market?

How to create demand the drive potential customers into the distribution channel? (Such as through advertising, public relations, retail store promotions, web site, word of mouth, seminars, telemarketing, partners, etc. Combine with the knowledge of customer influence map to best utilize those influences)

What are the key themes and messages that the marketing should convey? How to educate different market segments?

How much financing will it take to soldier on while educating and growing the market?
What types of strategic partners will be needed? Specify suggested tactics

Identify pertained international trading regulations.

Design process flow.

Background:

As a newly established company provides cutting-edge technology and services for mobile devices to allow users to socialize, communicate, interact, navigate and locate objects within their physical surroundings.

Through a free local wireless network, the company’s technology empowers mobile users either to have a location awareness of high-value assets or capitalizes on existing social networks’ information to facilitate socialization. The company’s technology works indoors and outdoors without the need for the internet or cell service or GPS.   

Initial sales will be generated by targeting parents and vertical markets such as child care providers.  This market comprises care givers with children under 9 years old.  This company alleviates parental anxiety by providing awareness and monitoring of a child‘s location, particularly important in busy indoor locations such as malls, amusement parks and while traveling.  Long term strategy includes a low cost version allowing social interaction, relationships and sales/trade capability designed for mass markets capitalizing on current social networking growth. 

European countries are believed to be significant market considering their economic abundance, high adult-children ratio and intensive social connections. Understanding customers, competitors and distributors is essential for this company to win initial market share on that continent.

Skills needed for this project team: 

Finance cost estimation, supply chain management, distribution management, focus groups, advertising, brand marketing, new market development, strategic planning and international trade

Project #10

Project Overview:

This company is a worldwide leader in lighting controls, and has been in business in Japan since 1992.  The wholly-owned Japanese subsidiary is based in Tokyo and has established a reputation among industry professionals as a manufacturer of innovative, high quality and aesthetically designed products.  Examples of recent company projects in Japan include: Louis Vuitton and Apple (computer) shops nationwide; recently opened Ritz Carlton, Mandarin Oriental and Peninsula hotels; Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, JP Morgan, Barclays, BNP Paribas offices; and countless restaurant, bar, and museum projects throughout the country.

While the company’s presence in the commercial construction markets is fairly strong (particularly with foreign owners and operators), they only have a small business in residential new construction market (condo and detached home) and is not well known among homeowners and key players in residential -- architects, designers and builders.  For a typical higher-end consumer to build a new home, they will contract with a home builder (which there are major, minor and niche companies) in Japan, or hire an architect and construction company directly to design and build their home.

This company plans to start investing in a marketing program that promotes the benefits of its products, and raises its brand profile.  The goal is to make the brand a viable option for home builders, designers and owners.  Marketing budgets in industries like lighting controls preclude broad marketing activities such as television advertising. What the company needs from the Global Village Team is an INNOVATIVE PLAN TO DELIVER THE COMPANY STORY WHERE THESE DESIGNERS AND CONSUMERS ARE GETTING THEIR INFORMATION AND WHEN THEY ARE LOOKING FOR LIGHTING INFORMATION. We anticipate that the web will be a key part of this strategy.

Background:

The company’s world headquarters in Pennsylvania, USA.  The company has expanded internationally into Europe, Latin America and Asia. The Japanese market for electrical devices is dominated by the Matsushita Electric Co of Osaka, which is better known by its Panasonic and National brands. Matsushita has major strength in Japan in PRODUCT PUSH through its extensive distribution networks, scale and product line up. This company is a premium brand that delivers superior performance and design but needs the benefit of BRAND PULL to penetrate the residential market.

 Skills needed for this project team:

The Global Village Team will draw mainly from their knowledge of marketing and the Internet.  The project mainly requires innovative, out of the box thinking.  It would be a major benefit to have at least two members with Japanese market and/or language capability. At project launch the company will bring the GV Team to its headquarters to see these lighting control products and better understand their benefits and of the company and the key contacts will be available for consultation during the project.

 

Project #11

Market entry analysis for spackle product

Project Overview:

The team will perform the USA spackle market analysis to identify opportunities and conditions for potential market entry by the company, including the following tasks:

• Understand market structure and major distribution channel (DIY shops, supermarket chains, professional shops, wholesalers, etc).
• Define major market players and their niche specialization, if any.
• For main market players, perform comparative price analysis (the team will have to map prices offered by companies in different distribution channels to the end customers).
• Identify US-specific regulatory requirements for products offered by governmental authorities (i.e. customer regulations, special instructions to be included on the label, etc) as well as major distribution channel requirements (certifications, deposit, other terms and conditions).
• Perform SWOT analysis for the company for market entry.

Additionally, depending on time availability, project scope should include the following items:

• Identify a list of potential clients for our products in eastern US.
• Prepare a presentation letter and make a first contact with potential clients.
• Pass the contact over to the company President who will follow up and, if the contact becomes a client, the company will pay to the team a commission of 5% for the next 3 years.

Background: 

This company has been the leading spackle producer in Italy and Spain for over 50 years. Its product is of so high quality that it is supplied to the British Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Art to restore antique heritage. They are currently considering market expansion in the US, for which the company seeks assistance from the GV team.

Skills needed for this project team: 

Cost estimation, team-building, project management, business plans, supply chain management, distribution management, focus groups, advertising, brand marketing, international trade and internet research    

 

Project #12

Global Market Analysis and Sales Plan

Project Overview:

This company is looking to develop a comprehensive sales and marketing strategy to include national and international partners and customers. The project is to help define necessary objectives and milestones to develop sales channels globally. We would like to understand achievable and realistic growth in markets with which we are not familiar, including necessary funding to do so. We also need to create a product positioning statement as it relates to how our products to generate a strong return on investment for our customers.

Background:

This company is a software development firm founded in 2006. They have developed a superior web/content management product that will be very competitive in the global marketplace, but we need to investigate the requirements to understand and prepare for the global marketplace. The product is a web-management platform that enables an organization to control content and data, including video and other multimedia files, from various sources and distribute that content into portals, applications, websites, and devices. It empowers all permitted employees with basic word processing skills the ability to promote organizational content through any channel management requires. Built on .NET framework, the platform is fully extendible through the use of widget controls and .NET assemblies via the API. Organizations can fully adapt the platform to their application needs.

Skills needed for this project team:

Venture capital, asset valuation, business plans, supply chain management, distribution management, human resources, risk management, international trade, intellectual property, focus groups, advertising, brand marketing, web design and programming

Project #13

Auto Shopping Center Market Entry Project
(From Spain into France and USA)

Background: 

The company’s marketing plan for the 2008-2010 period has just been completed and one of the new fields in which they plan to prospect for new clients is the Mall/Shopping Centers developers. Last year this company was hired by ING Real Estate ( a large Dutch shopping mall developer) to create the concept design for a mall devoted solely to the car and motorcycle industries and now, once the concept design has been approved, now this company is doing all of the construction plans. This first exposure to the shopping mall industry has been very successful and they would like to progress further.

In Spain most of the shopping mall developers are either French or from the USA, so these are these are the two natural markets where research would be valuable to learn future trends and identify potential clients for the company. 

Project Overview:

The project should cover the following goals:

• Explain the current trends in the shopping mall industry. Trends including: what type of shopping mall is most commonly built, catering to which type of client, including what type of stores, how shopping malls can be classified, what’s the future of the “outlet mall” concept?
• Identify the largest shopping mall developers in the US, especially those with interests abroad, not necessarily in Spain.
• Decide how the developers could be approached by this company.

Skills needed for this project team:

Management, design, marketing, identifying trends, focus groups, internet research, design and brand marketing        

 

Project #14

The foldable bicycle – marketing strategies for entry into the USA market

Project Overview:

Objective:

The objective of this project is to assist the company with the development of several marketing strategies for the entry of a product to the US market. The goal of the project is to find various innovative marketing approaches for the successful launch and selling of the product in the US.

The product has a worldwide pending patent for folding technology, handlebar joint and rear fork joint.  There is no hinge in the frame. Its frame is therefore more rigid, stable, stronger and better to ride.  Bigfish offers riding characteristics similar to an ordinary city bike, it may be easily folded with no force or any extra tools to the size that can be stored in any car trunk. All this gives the product uniqueness and competitive advantages.

Strategies prepared do not necessarily have to follow traditional marketing and sales channels for bicycles (selling through specialized bike dealers or large retail chains) but should incorporate more non-traditional approaches such multi channel strategies including infomercial spots, B2B etc; as up-sell products that car dealers sell together with a new car (as bike fits comfortably into the trunk of the car).

What will you do:

The main task is to determine several (3-5) different approaches of marketing strategies for product launch, where all have to be substantiated with a concrete action plan. The suggestions of your marketing plan should incorporate multi channel approaches (sales via distributors, infomercials, supermarkets, internet…) or any other innovative approach with the clear time line when to start with what channel/approach.  You will be also asked:

• To identify main sales attributes, analyze local customer behavior, sales and distribution system in the industry;
• To identify pre-launch activities;
• To suggest possible cooperation with specific partners on a B2B basis, or partners from industries e.g. bicycle; car, fitness etc. where Bigfish bike could be produced or sold under their brand name to extend their existing product lines. Specific alliances or partners should be also suggested.

Appendix:

• BF presentation;
• BF detailed description with SWOT analysis, Competitor analysis (aggregation of internet research and reviews), and Target groups.

Skills needed for this project team:

Business plans, focus groups, advertising, brand marketing, supply chain management and distribution management.

Project #15

Project Overview:

The project’s objective is to research metropolitan areas to propose the company’s products: handmade and hand sewn Italian shoes made to measure at a distance, entirely handicraft and dedicated to a very high target market.

There’s a big difference between our company and its competitors: This Company is the only company all over the world that produces high quality elegant shoes on measure at a distance, perfectly suited to the customer’s feet. Before the company started to make elegant shoes to compliment one’s feet, only the producers of orthopedic shoes reached this objective.
Starting by the scanning of customer’s feet, made in the customer’s home town (everywhere in the world where there’s a boutique which sells these shoes and that owns a foot scanner), the image of the geometry of a customer’s foot, obtained in only 6 seconds, is transmitted to the company by email in real time. Immediately the production process is activated so resulting in a highly crafted, made to measure, hand sewn, finished product within a particularly short time (for the Night of the Oscars 2008  in L.A., George Clooney and other stars wanted to wear these shoes. The company made the shoes for Mr. Clooney in only six hours and sent them quickly. Mr. Clooney received his shoes in just 5 days).

Considering all of this information, the main team project’s objective is to understand if there’s a definite market’s segment interested in this kind of made to measure at a distance Italian product, which kind of people is part of this segment, how to conquest it and which product line, among the 5 shoe lines, is more appreciated by this market’s segment. The company needs a detailed marketing plan to understand how to reach all these objectives.

Background: 

This company was born in 2000, but the tradition tells that in 18th century in Florence, was the art of making handmade, hand sewn handicraft shoes. The founder dedicated himself to it to the point of becoming one of the most highly appreciated artisan shoemaker of that time. Emilio became so good in making his work that was called to serve Napoleon Bonaparte who was as enthusiastic about the young man’s skills as to entrust him with the task of preparing the imperial footwear for each battle.

Today in Calabria (in the sunny south of Italy, in the middle of Mediterranean sea), another member of  the founding family, heir of this family tradition, created this shoe company which produces handmade and hand sewn Italian shoes made to measure at a distance, entirely handicrafts.

Today the brand is a modern company where tradition lives near innovation and that can be considered a true laboratory where young shoemakers learn how to work from old masters.
The company produces handmade and hand sewn Italian shoes made to measure at a distance, entirely handicraft divided in 5 product lines: Classic for the men in career’s request of elegance and comfort, Luxury including shoes for very important events, Kronos dedicated to people who want to be elegant even in informal situations, Yacht that includes tubular shoes, Golf that is dedicated to the lovers of the greens, Woman dedicated to women in career.

All the lines are made in very high quality leathers such as calf, python, crocodile, anaconda, cordovan, and all the products are hand sewn by masters with particular old techniques.
This company invested financial resources in research and technologies to be the first company in the world to produce handmade and hand sewn Italian shoes made to measure at a distance (with the foot scanner), paying attention to research and technologies compatible with entirely handicraft productions.

Skills needed for this project team: 

Cost estimation, project management, business plans, distribution management, focus groups, advertising, brand marketing, international trade and internet research