Marketing In Your Country

Once the decision is made to launch a marketing campaign for increasing domestic coffee consumption in your country, the first step is to create a marketing plan. The plan must be well structured, based on credible research and driven by attainable outcomes. Once developed, an iterative approached must be taken to its implementation allowing for evaluation and adjustments to ensure alignment with the stated objectives and desired goals.

A well structured marketing plan should contain the following elements

01

Market Research

02

Target Market

03

Product Definition

04

Competitive Analysis

05

Marketing Strategies

06

Pricing Positioning & Branding

07

Budget

08

Marketing Goals

09

Monitoring & Evaluation

Market Research

This section of the plan provides data on the market from creditable sources. Considerations for the information to be presented include

Market dynamics, patterns, and trends
Customers – demographics, market segment, target markets, needs, wants, buying drivers
Product – products presently in the market, competitive offerings
Current industry sales
Current Industry benchmarks
Supply chain and distribution channels

Target Market

The target market is the set of consumers identified for the selling of a particular product. This can be segmented into different target audiences for which targeted programs can be created. Target audiences center around specific people groups who generally have shared interests. They may be men, women, millennials, parents, or movie lovers. The list of course is endless. Defining the target audience is vital to the success of any marketing program. This definition sits at the root of strategy determination and messaging design. Correct target audience definition maximizes marketing ROI.

Product Definition

The product definition goes beyond describing the physical attributes of the product and considers defining the solution the product brings to the market. It makes comparisons with competing products and identifies the differentiators that makes the product superior.

Competitive Analysis

A competitive analysis identifies competitors in an industry and assesses their marketing strategies. Understanding how the competition works can help in a myriad of ways. These include

Identifying opportunities for outperforming the competition.
Enabling the creation of a value proposition that differentiates the product form the competition
Identify what the competitor is doing right, providing benchmarks to be superseded in the campaigns launched
Identify through customer reviews, gaps in the competitor’s product delivery which can be addressed by the product.
Provides a benchmark against which growth can be measured

Marketing Strategies

The marketing strategies to be employed will be driven by the considerations above. A good understanding of the market conditions arising from the market research, coupled with an understanding of the target market and the audiences within that market, and knowledge of the competitive landscape will provide a significant determinant for marketing strategy choice. The content on promotional tools in this section, examines different strategies that can be employed in the marketing mix and how they can be applied.

Pricing Positioning & Branding

Price, positioning, and branding are intricately linked. When determining the price of a product there is more to consider than just costs. The perception of the product by the consumer is also a relevant consideration. Price can determine a customer’s perception of the product. In determining product price, it is instructive to decide where in the price quality matrix the product should sit.
The position of the product within the matrix is a function of the brand proposition, the competition, and the pricing objectives. For a campaign to increase coffee consumption, the preferred quadrants to occupy would be either low price/ high quality (penetration) or high cost/ high quality (premium).

Budget

Casting a budget will show what can be afforded. It is important however to ensure that a campaign is not rendered ineffective due to insufficient budgetary allocation. Budgeting involves not only identifying the amount to be spent but also the means of financing. Financing can be derived from several sources explored in the section on Financial Considerations.

Marketing Goals

Goals should be set for the marketing plan against which measurements can be made. These goals should be quantifiable and cascade down from the overall objectives set for the program of increasing consumption.

Monitoring & Evaluation

A monitoring and evaluation program should define when and how evaluations will be conducted. Mechanisms for evaluation should also be defined and resources for its implementation accommodated in the budget. Review periods should be carefully planned to ensure ample time for activities to have the desired effect. Where desired outcomes are not being realized, the monitoring and evaluation program provides the basis for adjusting the program for better results.

Marketing In Your Country

A well structured marketing plan should contain the following elements

01

Market Research

02

Target Market

03

Product Definition

04

Competitive Analysis

05

Marketing Strategies

06

Pricing Positioning & Branding

07

Budget

08

Marketing Goals

09

Monitoring & Evaluation

Market Research

Target Market

Product Definition

Competitive Analysis

Marketing Strategies

Pricing Positioning & Branding

Budget

Marketing Goals

Monitoring & Evaluation

Financial Considerations

Special Markets

Delivery Modalities

Coffee Considerations

Country Experiences