Reference no: EM133651513
Assignment
How to analyze a case (Note, this is for your preparation of a case for class discussion; for Assignments you only need to answer the assignment questions that have been provided to you as they will be used as the basis for case discussion):
What's the problem? (Common marketing problems include: Should the firm enter or not enter a business area [go-no go decisions], choice of entering one area or another area (product decisions; market decisions), which (and how many) customer group(s) to target, how to retaliate against or attack competition (proactively/ defensively), how to position a brand, whether to conduct market research, and if so what type of research to conduct, how to allocate the budget between various promotional media or sales, decisions regarding changes or continuation in distribution channels, brand names, what price(s) to charge, what type of advertising to run, media decisions, etc.).
What are the decision alternatives? (These are usually implicitly or explicitly provided in the case, but you should feel free to go beyond those given).
What are the company's strengths and weaknesses? (Examples of areas that could be strengths or weaknesses include: brand name, customer franchise, costs of production, experience, suppliers, distribution channels, financials, technology, operations, etc.)
What are the environmental opportunities and threats? (These include changes in the overall environment, such as changes in the economy, socio-political climate, customer demographics, government regulations, consumer attitudes, competitive environment, technology, globalization, etc.).
How can one assess the pros and cons of each decision alternative against the backdrop of company strengths/ environmental opportunities, keeping competitive considerations in mind? These include quantitative analyses such as short-term and long-term breakeven analysis, the profitability of different decisions, and sensitivity of profitability to alternate scenarios depending on assumptions about unknown variables (e.g., market size); as well as qualitative analyses such as fit with the company strengths, fit with existing opportunities, the likelihood of competitive retaliation etc.
THEN make a decision. (Justify it in terms of the analysis above - NOT the other way round). Ideally, a chosen decision should be justified in terms of whether (and how) it leverages the company's strengths and environmental opportunities better than the other options available.
There are no right or wrong decisions, just incomplete or complete analyses.
Be prepared to discuss and participate in the class discussion of this case.
A. What overall trends were taking place at the time that affected this category? How might these trends affect marketing decisions?
B. How do wine brands in this category typically communicate with their target audience? Give examples of two of Franzia's competitors in your answer.
C. Which, if any, of the storyboards represents the best path forward for Franzia? Provide evidence for your choice.
D. Should TWG executives request Mekanism to make additional options? Why or why not? What option(s) would you recommend?
E. Depending on the creative direction ultimately selected, how should Mekanism propose to allocate the 2.0 marketing budget across media options? Justify your answer.
F. More broadly, could Mekanism and the "Franz for Life" campaign help Franzia become an iconic brand? What supports your perspective?