DAILY ASSESSMENT $5$Case Study MekaMon Robots: Finding the Right Marketing MixMany young people play video games and dream about bringing characters from the virtual world into the physical world and vice versa. Augmented reality is beginning to make this happen. Increasingly, robotics education and robotics teams have emerged in schools. Yet the number of people who can merge virtual and physical worlds is relatively small. Nigerian$-$born Silas Adekunle and his Bristol, Englandbased Reach Robotics Limited co$-$founders John Rees and Chris Beck are rare exceptions. Adekunle is the CEO and is a top engineering graduate of the University of West England with a B$.$S$.$ degree in robotic technology, plus work experience at GE Aviation and Infineon. At age $26($in $2018),$ he was featured on Forbes $30$ under $30$ list for European Technology. MekaMonReach Robotics pioneered technology to create anthropomorphized robot$-$spiders with personalities that will be further developed to be touch sensitive with animal$-$type reactions. MekaMon robots can battle against real or virtual opponents and are essentially video game characters in real life. These nimble robots have four legs, are $11\mathrm{.}8"\backslash$times $11\mathrm{.}8"\backslash$times $5\mathrm{.}9",$ and are controlled by smartphones on iOS and Android platforms. Multiple players can battle simultaneously, and the robots can be connected through technology. Owners can $$program the robots using a code learning tool. In addition to custom programming, they can customize the robots with weapons and shields. MekaMon robots were developed by Adekunle and Beck $($the chief technology officer$)$ for male techies and parents who want to encourage their childrens interest in STEM $($science$,$ technology, engineering, and mathematics$)$ by providing education and entertainment. They believed there was a market for more complex robots than common motorized toys with five or fewer motors. In $2015,$ when Adekunle was accepted into the Techstars San DiegoQualcomm Robotics Accelerator, he and his team developed the $12-$motor complex MekaMon robots. They also raised approximately $$10$ million to support their efforts. In $2017,$ Reach Robotics struck an exclusive deal with Apple to sell MekaMon Robots in Apples flagship stores in the United States and United Kingdom. Sales began in November $2017,$ with MekaMon Robots retailing for $$299\mathrm{.}95.$ The real$-$life gaming robots are designed to work with iPhone compatibility, because infrared tracking capability and the iPhone camera are integral to operating the robots. In addition to selling through Apple stores, Reach Robotics sells directly to consumers via its website. Reach Robotics has relied primarily upon publicity, trade shows, technology conferences, viral marketing, and its channel partner, Apple, to promote MekaMons. They first caught Apples attention by participating in an industry conference where an Apple representative saw the fit with the companys emerging augmented reality $($AR$)$ work and retail customer base. The exclusive agreement with Apple and all the subsequent media coverage boosted the companys visibility among its customer base. Whats next for Reach Robotics? Perhaps it will be branded versions of the robots $($think Pok$$mon$),$ new characters, or licensed ones, as Adekunle suggests. The future plans include expansion into Asia. MekaMon robots are crossing between the physical and virtual worlds across the globe.Case Study Analysis$1.$ Identify the parts of the marketing mix for Reach Robotics using either the four Ps or the four Cs and give examples of each$\mathrm{.}2.$ What channel decision did the founders make to accelerate Reach Robotics speed to market?$3.$ Consider the two target markets that are noted above. What are the pros and cons of each? Suggest another target market$\mathrm{.}4.$ If you were going to meet with Silas Adekunle, what would you want to discuss and why?