Amazon/WholeFoods Merger Marketing Plan, writing homework help

Amazon/WholeFoods Merger Marketing Plan Outline

The marketing plan must contain but not limited to the following:

I. Executive Summary (10 points)-

Present a brief summary of the main goals and recommendations of the plan to assist top management to define the company quickly, and envision its projections for the future. A table of contents should follow the executive summary.

II. The Company Description (10 points)

In one- to three-page summary, describe the company’s products/services, their user benefits, and evidence of their acceptance by customers; management’s qualifications and major accomplishments; the amount of and uses for capital required; investor benefits; market size and growth rate; and the identity of the company’s market niche. Include recent history and successes.

III. Organization (5 points)

Outline the current organizational chart, including future positions that may be considered as a result of growth. Consider the following:

For each officer of the company, please provide the following information: name, years of experience in the company’s industry, responsibilities/functions of positions with company; salary, bonus, ownership interest in the company; relevant qualities, achievements, track record, and education.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the company’s management team and its board of directors, and how will they enhance the growth potential of the company?

Explain how the management team will grow and continually improve itself in conjunction with company growth projections.

IV. Strategic Focus and Plan (10 points)

Consists of the following: Mission, Goals (financial and non-financial), Core Competency and Sustainable Competitive Advantage.

V. Situation Analysis: (30 points)

This is a snapshot of where the current environment in which the company operates. This section should include 1) detailed SWOT analysis, 2) Industry Analysis (include trends), 3) Competitor Analysis, 4) Company Analysis, 5) Customer Analysis, and 6) Customer Characteristics.

Consider this approach, but do no limit the analysis to these alone : review the competitive forces that affect your industry and/or market segment (i.e., rivalry among existing firms, threat of new entrants, threat of substitute products, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of customers – Michael Porter’s 5 Forces Theory).

Define your major competitors’ future goals, current strategies, and assumptions about the industry.

Compare the company’s strengths and weaknesses with those of its major competitors.

Provide an analysis of how the company’s management plans to capitalize on competitors’ weaknesses and how it will counteract competitors’ strengths. Understand the competitions’ strengths and weaknesses, as well as your own, are key to defending your market share, uncovering market opportunities and developing an effective unique selling proposition.

VI. Market/Product Focus (35 points)

This section includes Marketing and Product Objectives as the main focus, under which the following information should be included:

Subheading #1: provide an analysis of the current market in which the company operates, new market opportunities, new product opportunities, and how the industry as it exists currently will support such initiatives.

Subheading #2: Target Market – Subheading #1 should help refine and define this market. A market-product grid may be useful to include to visualize (see Chapter 9).

Subheading #3: Points of Difference: What makes the product(s) unique, and why would the markets identified in Subheadings 1 and 2 would be attracted to, and attractive for the product?

Subheading #4: Positioning – identify the strategy that will be used to communicate Subheading #3 (Points of Difference). This is to be approached in relation to the competitive landscape as outlined in Section IV, Competitor Analysis.

VII. Marketing Programs (35 points)

This section is essentially a detailed analysis of the marketing mix factors (the 4 P’s) and should be fairly well defined in the previous sections. Subheadings are as follows:

Subheading #1 – Product Strategy – include description of the product line, the unique product quality packaging, etc.

Subheading #2 – Price Strategy – define the price, the rationale/justification for the price point, etc.

Subheading #3 – Promotion Strategy – outline how the product will be marketed to your target market.

Subheading #4 – Place (Distribution) Strategy – consider the current distribution and how changes may need to be made based on any projected increase in sales volume.

VIII. Financial Data and Projections (10 points)

Define the approximate size, in units and dollars, of the target market for each of the company’s products/services.

Provide management’s estimate of the company’s market share and associated industry rank for both the last three years (actual) and the next three years (projected).

What has been the growth and profitability history of the industry, the company specifically, and what are its future prospects? If the projected growth rate exceeds the historical growth rate, discuss the major factors behind the company’s assumptions (e.g., technological breakthroughs, lower production costs that can be passed on to customers, value chain benefits/competencies, etc.)

IX. Implementation Plan – how will the company turn its plan into action (10 points)

This section includes setting timeframes for the plan presented thus far, and the area responsible for its successful deployment.

X. Evaluation and Success Monitoring (5 points) – how will the company monitor industry changes, and what course of action will be taken if such changes are anticipated to impact the plan?