Marketing Strategy

Target Market Strategy
"Sound marketing is critical to the success of every organization. Large for-profit firms such as Procter & Gamble, Google, Target, Toyota, and Marriott use marketing. But so do not-for-profit organizations such as colleges, hospitals, museums, symphony orchestras, and even churches." as it says in chapter 1. My strategy to get this product to our main target market is to creates friendships with the companies before hand. Knowing people can be extremely profitable. Making friends with the owner of a popular bar would be great. After you had made friends with your business, get them to hold your product for a week. After the week is over, you can get your stats needed to make changes to the product if needed. From there, you can move on to bigger fish once you get your product fine tuned.


Product
The product is fantastic. Wasabi Sunflower Seeds! I have seen Wasabi Peas and my mother enjoys them quite a bit. That is actually what moved me to create this product. Wasabi is a great pairing product. It has a great spiciness to itself that only lasts for a short time compared to salsa and peppers is general. What is even greater is that it is paired with sunflower seeds. The heat goes away from the wasabi to give you enough time to enjoy the taste of the seed. We could also partner up with companies such as Frito-Lay to provide different flavors as well. "Market segmentation involves dividing a market into smaller segments of buyers with distinct needs, characteristics, or behaviors that might require separate marketing strategies or mixes." as it says in chapter 6


Distribution
"Suppliers form an important link in the company’s overall customer value delivery system. They provide the resources needed by the company to produce its goods and services. Supplier problems can seriously affect marketing." as it says in chapter 3. Distribution would consist of companies such as local bars and liqueur stores. I would start off here in Vegas and if the product does well here, I can broaden my horizons. "The world is shrinking rapidly with the advent of faster communication, transportation, and financial flows. Products developed in one country have found enthusiastic acceptance in other countries." as it says in chapter 15. I would have to hire trucks at one point as the product gets more and more popular, but with sales doing well, I wouldn't have to worry about shipping costs.


Promotion
To promote the product, I would have a commercial. It would be a western theme with an addition of an inner monologue for the cowboy. The main character would walk into the bar and sit next to a Japanese man eating sushi. The cowboy would talk about how he has his sunflower seeds and one fell into his wasabi. After picking up the seeds from the wasabi and eating it, he would go on about how great it is. "Most companies still use direct marketing as a supplementary channel or medium. Thus, Lexus markets mostly through mass-media advertising and its high-quality dealer network but also supplements these channels with direct marketing." as it says in chapter 14. It doesn't make too much sense, but it gets the point across and would be a good laugh.


Price
"The American consumer market consists of more than 300 million people who consume more than $14 trillion worth of goods and services each year, making it one of the most attractive consumer markets in the world." as it says in chapter 5. As far as price is concerned, it wouldn't be too expensive. I have been thinking about prices and have come to a conclusion to about $1.37 with tax. It gives the customer enough money to buy 3 with a five dollar bill, most likely increasing sales. "Consumers have many concerns about how well the American marketing system serves their interests. Surveys usually show that consumers hold mixed or even slightly unfavorable attitudes toward marketing practices." as it says in chapter 16. My goal would be to fix this as much as possible. "Thanks to the weakened economy, the pricing power of the Internet, and value-driven retailers such as Wal-Mart, says one analyst. 'These days, we’re all cheapskates in search of a spend-less strategy.' In response, it seems that almost every company is looking for ways to slash prices." as it says in chapter 9. We could also have prices set to a lower price for promotional reasons.