Assignment #1: New Product Development - Product Rationale

Purpose and Introduction

The purpose is for you to suggest a new product idea to Big Rock Brewery that can be added to their current product line.

One way for a company to remain competitive today is to make changes to its product offering. This can be achieved by either adding a new products or making modifications to current products. As a small Calgary-based brewery, the focus of Big Rock Brewery is simply making good beer. They are not currently expanding into non-beverage related products. For this activity, you will try to achieve an objective of increasing sales revenue through the addition of a new beverage product.

Instructions

To help you determine a new beverage product for Big Rock Brewery, the following activities can help shape your thinking.

1. Here, you might want to make sure you know about the different types of beer. Check out this Beer 101 website:https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/. On the right side-bar you can see the two main categories of beer: ale and lager. Know the difference. You might want to check out some of the different types of ales and lagers as well. Dark beers, light beers, etc. An option to beer might be cider.
2. Here is a Cider 101 site as well:http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail/national/18243/Cider_101_Your_Ultimate_CiderCheat_Sheet.htm
3. These two sites are for your benefit. You don't need to incorporate this into your term project.
4. Review Chapter 9: Branding. What is the Big Rock Brewery's brand image? What is Big Rock Brewery all about? What are their beliefs and values?
5. Review Chapter 8: Market Segmentation. Describe Big Rock Brewery's customer archetype. Who do they currently target?
6. Take a global look at the craft beer industry. Examples:
   1. Australia: https://craftypint.com/beers
   2. Japan: http://japanbeertimes.com/category/beer-styles/
   3. Germany: http://theculturetrip.com/europe/germany/articles/10-best-independent-craft-breweries-in-germany/
7. Look at some of the flavor combinations in different countries - please find additional sites that may be more relevant for you. List some of the flavor combinations for later consideration.
8. Go to the Resources > Inspiration Beer Profile (Big Rock) PowerPoint presentation in your online course and start to consider a style and flavor of beer that you believe would appeal to Big Rock's current target market.
9. Based on what you know about Big Rock Brewery, the macro/micro beer industry, and what you have learned in this activity, what new product would you recommend for Big Rock Brewery?

For this assignment:

1. Prepare one to two page description of your suggested new product idea, and the rationale for your choice of new product. A rationale means to explain why you believe your suggested new produce idea would be a good fit with Big Rock's current product line. Use facts and research to support your rationale.
2. Create a Brewmaster's Notes of your product that looks similar to the actual Brewmaster's Notes of a Big Rock product (http://bigrockbeer.com/beer/golden-ale).
3. Provide citations and references