Week 10 EOC: Benefits vs. Features

Webster dictionary defines benefits as, "an advantage to be gained or profited from" ( Webster pg. 93)I can confidently say that the brand and product is beneficial in many aspects. Our brand is very unique there is nothing that can come close to the quality product we produce. many are out there but they are clearly missing the bar but not using the real natural ingredients. Webster defines features as, "a distinctive attribute or aspect of something." (Webster 279)The features of our product is a natural sunscreen lip balm made from chocolate the benefits of protecting your skin can literally be life saving as skin cancer is on the rise across the globe.  We need proper protection and our product offers that while remaining 100% natural cruelty free and of course delicious! "A market-oriented organization recognizes that different customer groups want different features or benefits. It may therefore need to develop different goods, services, and promotional appeals."(MKTG, page 11) Another benefit of our lip balm is the most obvious, its a moisturizer and an alternative to the chemically filled lipsticks and lip glosses on the market today.

Week 9 EOC: Social Media

"Social media is the ultimate equalizer, it gives a voice to anyone willing to engage." (Social Branding,Martin pg 324) Our whole marketing strategy is heavily evolved around social media and using it to gain a following.  We will first send out our product to select fashion bloggers across the country as they post and share about the product it will begin to gain traction. "The most potentially transformative impact of social media is its ability to encourage brands to marry profit and purpose.  the reason brands participate is that such outreach earns those companies social currency enabling them to start or participate in conversations that connect them to consumers in meaningful ways." (Social Branding, Martin 64) While this is going on we will be building up our social media pages such as instagram, facebook, twitter, and snap chat.  we will share our satisfied customers content as well to show brand trust as people see repeat customers we will in turn gain new customers. We will also be creating how to videos on beauty regimes and how to create fun looks to match your choc lips. Social media overall is a great tool to utilize in the marketing and advertising world however you have to be aware of bought accounts and followers. Its important for brands to let their costumer get to know them, they don't want the usual business ad anymore they want customer business interaction.  Ashton Kutcher had stated in his TED talk on social media that, "one of the things I have grown immune to is the market crap on social platforms." What he is saying here is that people don't want company statistics they want to know WHO the brand is.

Week 8 EOC: Creative Content

For my creative content I created a magazine campaign ad for our pre orders.  I set up a shoot in Corona Del Mar, California with one model, one photographer, one make up artist, and one hair stylist.  I even created the prototype lip balm to use for the shoot . This ad would be used as a campaign and would be sent to various magazines.  we would also use this image for advertising on instagram and facebook. "A person's buying decisions are also influenced by personal characteristics that are unique to each individual, such as gender; age and life cycle stage; and personality, self-concept, and lifestyle. Individual characteristics are generally stable over the course of one's life" (MKTG, page 108) In this shoot i really wanted to capture who are target market was so we picked a young girl in her 20s to represent the brand so that our target market could relate. i also wanted to capture this outside in nature since the lip balms primary function is a sunblock, the beach was the perfect setting as it showed the product in its perfect use.

Implementation Evaluation Control

"Implementation is the process that turns a marketing plan into action assignments and ensures that these assignments are executed in a way that accomplishes the plan's objectives."(MKTG, pg 28)
As stated before in a previous post we have an entire launch plan ready to go as soon as product is produced.  We plan on harnessing social media and get the word out quickly about our new product that is unlike any other. By sticking to our main objectives I am confident the pre orders will roll in quickly and abundantly. "Implementation activities may involve detailed job assignments, activity descriptions, time lines, budgets, and lots of communication.Implementation requires delegating authority and responsibility, determining a time frame for completing tasks, and allocating resources."(MKTG, pg 29) We plan on continuously updating the product as needs are made brought to our attention from our customers. We will also continue to create new and creative marketing strategies partnering with clothing brands for fashion shows and pop up shops.

Marketing Mix: Price

"Successful marketing mixes have been carefully designed to satisfy target markets" (MKTG pg 27) Our target audience is more affluent so our product uses premium organic ingredients cost to make is a little higher than our competitors because we use the REAL ingredients not just flavorings and additives. Our price point is high for the beauty world putting us in the luxury brand category.  One tube of Choc lip balm retails for $18.99 and is the same size as a standard chapstick tube. "The price they set for each product depends mostly on two factors: the demand for the good or service and the cost to the seller for that good or service.

Marketing Mix: Distribution

When the product first launch we plan on giving out a few hundred samples to the top fashion bloggers across the country, we want to create a buzz on social media about the effects and benefits of our product.  We then will start to take pre orders until our first batch is ready.  Upon completion we will ship directly from our warehouse to the consumers home. This not only is more efficient but is also very cost effective, “Also, marketing costs may be lower when there is only one product to promote and a single channel of distribution.” (MKTG pg 27) Because of our target market we feel online sales driven from one location will not only be effective but quicker, we cut out the middle man and handle everything in house. “Place, or distribution, strategies are concerned with making products available when and where customers want them.” –MKTG Page 28.

Marketing Mix: Product

“Customer value is not simply a matter of high quality. A high-quality product that is available only at a high price will not be perceived as a good value, nor will bare-bones service or low-quality goods selling for a low price.” (MKTG Page 7) At Choc our price is not set high for just any reason, we use organic non GMO ingredients.  We pride are selves in the high quality standard each tube of Choc lip balm has. They are also not tested on animals and are vegan friendly.  We try to be as green as possible by doing so we do not cut corners and will pay a little extra to produce a better product. “The key to consumer purchasing lies beyond labels proclaiming sustainability, natural ingredients, or “being green.” Customers want sustainable products that perform better than their unsustainable counterparts.” (MKTG Page 6)  As stated before our product is as green as possible we only source from fair trade countries and manufacturers that are constantly innovating to be more sustainable to produce our product. We have even implemented a recycle that gives our consumers 1 free Choc Lip balm for every 5 containers returned empty. We want to reduce our waste so promoting the turn in program allows us to cut a huge source of waste that would end up in land fills.“Companies have set up online communities with the sole purpose of getting feedback and ideas from teens.” MKTG Page 55
As the product becomes more popular we plan to listen to customer feedback so we can take any of the criticisms and improve the product to better satisfy our customers which is ultimately our goal