CASE STUDY 1 (25 MARKS) Century Plywoods: Technical Connect - Business Level and Functional Strategies The major buyers of ply boards are typically carpenters and contractors who are traditionally fixated on water strength and pest resistance of the product. Plywood had been a low involvement category and direct sales promotion through tradesmen was the norm of product promotion. The carpenters or contractors who make the decisions advocate a product on technical characteristics. Moreover, plywood was seen and used mostly as a substitute for wood, where craftsmanship on it is not required. Century Plywoods became the first company in India to introduce borer proof plywood in 1997. They are the pioneers in boiling water- resistant decorative veneer, seven year powder proof PF plywood, and non-leachable fire safe plywood. Sajjan Bhajanka and Sanjay Agarwal started the company in 1986 in Kolkata. The firm grew and diversified into Century shipping, pest management, container freight station at Sonai, and cement business in Meghalaya (started in 2005 with brand name Star Cement). The century jetty at Falta handles 1,00,000 tonnes of timber a year. The company's vision is to remain the best plywood panel corporation in India with growth in allied areas. The company exports to 20 countries, and its product, Century Mica' is widely popular. It has earned ISO 9000:2000 and ISO 14001-1996 certification. Plywood, decorative laminates, decorative veneer, MDF (Medium density fibre boards). pre-laminated particle boards, and Nesta range of furniture are the Century Ply's current product range. From carpenters and contractors, Century Ply evolved to architects and interior designers along with efforts to getting noticed directly by the end consumers. The company observed that in the heavily commoditized market of plywood that competes in strength and pest control was a struggle to get noticed. Hence, it changed its promotional strategy to shift its focus from intermediaries such as carpenters and contractors to end consumer to build an emotional connect. The company decided to target the customer segment of 25-45 year old who are looking to build a welcoming pad to chill out with friends and family and highly visible interior spaces of offices, hotels, showrooms, and so on. Positioning at the premium end of the market with appropriate pricing, distribution channel, promotion and product features, its growth strategy is well laid out now chasing the consumers who will buy a product after a lot of research online. QUESTIONS 1. Assess the synergies in the vertical growth strategy followed by the company. 2. Identify the users and purchasers of the company's products and services. 3. Assess how sustainable the company is in its marketing strategy and suggest changes using the model of six P's to reach the 7th P. 4. Taking cues from the customer inclusive strategy, make a marketing strategy to acquire consumers who will buy a product after a lot of research on line