Instructions:

This text$-$based application exercise should take you no longer than one hour to complete. You may NOT use artificial intelligence to complete this assignment.

As you will learn in this course, marketing is managing exchanges between the company and the customer. The TBSL $($This Bar Saves Lives$)$ case we watched in class introduced you to the founders of TBSL and the motivation for their company. In each chapter and throughout this semester, you will learn a little more about the company and its marketing, but to get started, let$$s follow in their footsteps by learning a little about the bar market and try to uncover some general information about both customers and the products. In other words, we will initially focus on trying to find out what is being exchanged and what each party in the exchange hopes to get from the other.

Here are two brief exercises to get you started. Note there are no wrong answers for this exercise. You are simply doing a little investigating to get an idea about the bar market products and customers. We will build on this exercise in each chapter to dig a little deeper into the TBSL marketing.

For this text$-$based application exercise, you should create a document that contains images and short answers for Step One, and a comparison chart for the three comparisons required in Step Two.

Step One: Go to a Grocery Store

A good place to start for understanding a market is to visit the market, in this case literally. Go to a local grocery store $($or you can try an online market if necessary$)$ and find the aisle that has snack bars, granola bars, and the like. Take a few pictures so you can document what the customer sees when walking down the aisle. Now take a few notes about what products are in the aisle together. Try to answer the following questions:

What basic categories of bars are there?

How many brands are there?

Which brands have the most options and take up most of the shelf space?

Which products draw your attention the most and why?

What else did you notice that you thought was interesting?

Can you identify different value propositions among the different bar options?

Be sure to save your notes, as we will refer back to them later.

Step Two: Consult with Friends and Family

Here is where you can bring in the knowledge and opinions of others in your effort to find out what customers want in this market. Talk to some of your friends and family $-$ the more opinions you can get $-$ the better. A minimum of three consultations are required. Ask them the following questions:

Do you eat any kinds of snack bars? If so$,$ which ones?

What do you look for when you buy bars?

Where do you typically buy them?

How often do you eat them?

How much would you normally pay for them?

Which is your favourite bar and why?

Compare the answers from different customers. Can you identify any common patterns in their answers? If so$,$ what are they? Again, keep your notes, as we will refer back to them later.

The following grading scheme will be used to evaluate your contribution using a pass$/$fail method:

$$ Student submits text$-$based application activity requirements by assigned deadline and in a complete and professional manner.

$$ Student attends class $($in$-$person or virtually$)$ in a punctual and professional manner, ensuring that they remain distraction$-$free and$/$or that camera is on throughout the entire class.

$$ Student willingly shares the findings of their application activity when called upon and is prepared to do so by being available at all times to share $($does not leave class frequently, camera on$,$ stays for entire class, etc.$)$

$$ Student actively seeks help when required $($emails prior to class, or questions in class leading up to assigned learning outcome presentation$)$

$$ Student demonstrates professionalism by enunciating while communicating clearly and confidently.

$$ Student attempts to answer all questions while clearly communicating thoughts and processes $($even if incorrect$)$

$$ Student demonstrates expert$/$advanced knowledge of the chapter content assigned by providing answers to follow$-$up questions not listed in the assignment outline and in a way that demonstrates comprehension.