Please summarize!

CASE 5.2

Global Container Corporation: Creative Sales Forecasting

Global Container (GC) is a large manufacturer of plastic containers for a variety of liquids, from beverages to industrial fluids. GCs products are marketed worldwide through a wellestablished channel of distribution. Recently Maiko Sakane, Director of New Product Development for GC, returned from a vacation in the Bahamas with what she thought was a great new product idea. After a week of lying on the beach and watching the sights, Maiko discovered something interesting about snorkelers. Most of them bring their snorkeling equipment to the beach in a rather haphazard way. Either they attempt to carry their masks, fins, gauges, and so on loosely often dropping several of the items into the sand or they put everything into a mesh bag. The divers gear is a bit disorganized in the mesh bag, but the carrier appears to work well. The only problem is finding a place to put the bag once the gear is removed.

Maiko believes there is unfulfilled need in the marketplace for a product that will help snorkelers carry their gear onto the beach. Therefore, she created the SnorkAll, a lightweight plastic device that easily carries a divers fins, mask, knife, various gauges, an underwater camera, and related equipment. The SnorkAll could easily snap on to any belt or bathing suit the diver is wearing. Being an expert in plastics, Maiko believes this product represents an opportunity for GC to diversify its product line and expand into new markets.

Once back in the states, Maiko presented her new product idea to a somewhat disenchanted CEO and senior management team. Several of the management team liked the idea, and so did the sales manager and other salespeople. But management was uncertain about what action to take since the companys previous experience was in an entirely different industry. The major concerns of management were the potential sales of the proposed new product. Without any knowledge of total market potential, and ultimately a sales forecast for SnorkAll, GC management resisted backing the idea. While Maiko is a brilliant idea person, her expertise in marketing planning and forecasting is limited, particularly regarding the snorkel/scuba customer. She believes her SnorkAll concept has great potential, but she needs solid evidence so that she may approach GC management again with her idea. She knows she will need to contact various teams within the company to inquire if they can provide her with information regarding their customers. Much internal data has been collected, but with this new marketing venture, the team suggests that mining through big data (including inside and outside sources) would be appropriate to determine the demographics and psychographics of this new target market, as well as the preferences of the consumer in this market niche, and the potential for sales in this potential market.