Capstone $1$: Building a Complete Marketing Strategy.

This Capstone is designed to test your understanding of core marketing concepts and your ability to apply them to a specific scenario. The Capstone projects needs to be completed and submitted for review within $14$ days and submitted via the google classroom.

Scenario:

Imagine you are the marketing manager for a new brand of sustainable athletic wear. The target audience is young adults $(18-25)$ who are environmentally conscious and lead active lifestyles. The company uses recycled materials and ethical labor practices to produce its clothing.

Assignment Tasks:

Target Market Analysis $(40$ points$)$:

Develop a detailed profile of your target market. This should include:

Demographics $($age$,$ gender, income, education level, location$)$

Psychographics $($personality traits, values, interests, lifestyle$)$

Media consumption habits $($preferred social media platforms, websites, magazines$)$

Conduct in$-$depth research to understand your target audience's:

Needs:

What are the functional and emotional needs they have for athletic wear?

Wants:

What features, styles, or benefits are they looking for?

Pain points:

What frustrations do they experience with current athletic wear options $($e$.$g$.,$ price, sustainability, quality$)?$

Marketing Mix $($The $4$ Ps$)(30$ points$)$:

Product:

Define the product line, including its unique selling proposition $($USP$)$ that emphasizes sustainability.

Price:

Determine an appropriate pricing strategy considering the target market and production costs.

Place:

Identify the distribution channels you will use to reach your target audience $($e$.$g$.,$ online store, pop$-$up shops, partnerships with fitness studios$).$

Promotion:

Develop a promotional strategy that utilizes a mix of traditional and digital marketing channels to reach your target market effectively.

Competitive Analysis $(30$ points$)$:

Identify your top $2-3$ competitors in the sustainable athletic wear market.

Conduct a SWOT analysis for each competitor, focusing on their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and

Threats.

Bonus:

Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning $($STP$)(10$ points$)$:

Based on your target market analysis, develop a simple STP framework:

Segmentation:

Briefly describe potential sub$-$groups within your target market based on demographics, interests, or activity levels.

Targeting:

Explain which sub$-$group$($s$)$ you will focus on for your marketing efforts.

Positioning:

How will you position your brand to appeal to your chosen target audience and differentiate yourself from competitors?

Consider how your brand aligns with their needs and values.

Deliverables:

A written report that addresses each of the assignment tasks.

You can include tables or charts to visualize your findings in the Target Market Analysis and potentially for segmentation $($optional$).$

Grading Rubric:

Target Market Analysis $(40$ points$)$:

Comprehensiveness and accuracy of the target market profile $(20$ points$).$

Deep understanding of the target audience's needs, wants, and pain points $(15$ points$).$

Segmentation analysis $($if applicable$)$ demonstrates understanding of sub$-$groups within the target market $(5$ points$).$

Marketing Mix $($The $4$ Ps$)(30$ points$)$:

Creativity and effectiveness of the product concept and USP $(10$ points$).$

Justification for the pricing strategy $(10$ points$).$

Suitability of the chosen distribution channels $(5$ points$).$

Comprehensiveness of the promotional strategy across different channels $(5$ points$).$

Competitive Analysis $(30$ points$)$:

Identification of key competitors and their strengths and weaknesses $(15$ points$).$

Analysis of opportunities and threats in the market $(15$ points$).$

Bonus: STP $(10$ points$)$:

Clear segmentation criteria and justification for chosen target audience $(5$ points$).$

Differentiated and relevant brand positioning based on target audience insights $(5$ points$).$