Assignment A$3\mathrm{.}1-$ Creating the Marketing Strategy, Marketing Mix, and Customer Journey for a Brand

$$

Select a company of your choice.$$If you are completing this course as part of a company program, we encourage you to select your OWN company to analyze one of your company$$s brands.$$Then$,$ select a brand within the company of your choice and complete the following$3$ tasks$$for that brand according to the directions provided:

$1.$ Briefly define$$the$$brand$(10\%$ of grade$)$

$2.$ Create part of the$$marketing strategy$$for$$the brand $(30\%$ of grade$)$

$3.$ Create part of the$$marketing mix$$for the brand $(60\%$ of grade$)$

$$

TASK $1$: The$$Brand

In this section, you will analyze EXISTING elements of the brand's identity.$$

A$.$Analyze the name of the brand:$$Analyze the current name of the brand you've chosen. Consider the reasoning and nature of the name of the brand, the origins of the name, and the name's relation to the company and its goods or services.$$

B$.$ Analyze the brand's logo and colors:$$Analyze the current logo and colors of the brand you've chosen. Explain the shape and colors of the logo and the reasoning behind them.$$

C$.$ Analyze the portfolio of products or services as well as the specific benefits they offer to customers:$$Analyze the brand's existing product$/$service portfolio. Explain whether the brand offers a product, service, or experience. Clearly define the type of product, the type of service, or the type of experience and what benefits that product, service, or experience offers. Also, are the products$/$services for personal consumption, for the use of one or more individuals, or does it vary $-$ in other words, B$2$C$,$ B$2$B$,$ or B$2$B$2$C$?$

$$

TASK $2$: The Marketing Strategy

In this section, you will develop your OWN ideas for the brand's marketing strategy rather than analyzing the brand's existing marketing strategy. For the purpose of this exercise, we will only address segmentation, the buyer persona, targeting, and the value proposition.$$

A$.$ Segmentation strategy:$$What criteria and variables will you use to segment the market to develop a segmentation strategy for the brand? In this case, you will develop your OWN segmentation strategy for the brand $-$ not analyze the brand's existing segmentation strategy. Remember to consider whether the brand operates in B$2$C$,$ B$2$B$,$ or international markets. See the segmentation criteria for different markets below and choose criteria accordingly. Be sure to explain your chosen criteria as specifically as possible.$$

$$

$$

$$

$$

$$

$$

B$2$C Segmentation Criteria

$$

B$2$B Segmentation Criteria

$$

$$

$$

$$

$$

$$

$$

Segmentation Criteria for International Markets

$$

B$.$Define the buyer persona:$$Once you finish the segmentation exercise, use the information you've gathered to choose one segment and develop the brand's buyer persona, using one of the templates provided below. Remember that you should develop your OWN buyer persona for the brand based on the segmentation exercise that you've completed.

$$

B$2$C Buyer Persona Template

$$

$$

B$2$B Buyer Persona Template

C$.$ Targeting:$$How do you plan to create the brand's targeting strategy to address your chosen segment$($s$)?$ Remember that you should propose your OWN targeting strategy for the brand rather than analyze the brand's existing targeting strategy. In one paragraph, explain whether you would use undifferentiated, differentiated, concentrated, or micro$-$marketing as a targeting strategy. Be sure to explain the reasoning behind your approach.

D$.$ Value proposition:$$In $3-4$ sentences, offer your OWN proposal for the brand's value proposition based on your answers in the previous exercises. Remember that the value proposition you propose must address the following: $1)$ The problem the customer has, $2)$ the solution$($s$)$ the brand will deliver to solve that problem, and $3)$ how that solution$($s$)$ makes your brand unique in the market.