GROUP PROJECT: MM 2

Working in your groups, select a brand which interests you and narrow down to
one product category where the brand is competing. For example you may
choose Dove and then focus on one of the categories where the brand is
represented, say shampoos. For this brand in this category develop a complete
assessment of the brand’s strategy covering the following areas. (You may add
to these areas but the list given is the minimum which must be addressed.)

1. The portfolio strategy of the brand and how the product lineup compares
with key competitors

2. At what stage of the product life cycle does the brand appear to be
operating? Explain your logic and provide supporting evidence. Review
the strategies being followed by the brand and comment on their
appropriateness for this PLC stage.

3. Evaluate the new products which have been launched by your chosen
brand in the last 18 to 24 months. What role do they play in the overall
strategy? Do they address specific consumer needs? Are they intended to
block a specific competitor? Explore this area thoroughly.

4. Are there any services the brand is offering? If you have chosen a durable
brand this could span from the search and buying stages to installation
and after sales service. In an FMCG brand it may include communities,
expert advice and How To videos. For industrial products it could be
delivery scheduling, training, etc.

5. Review the pricing strategy of the brand. Is it premium, mass, etc.? Are
there differential price strategies across the product lineup? How does it
compare with key competition? Are there opportunities to take price
increases? Would a price cut have a positive or negative outcome?
Explore different outcomes like sales volume, brand equity, trade power,
etc.

6. What communication strategy is the firm deploying? Comment on the

content of the communication (claims, imagery, celebrities, etc.) and the
choice of media. Is the brand presenting a consistent story to the
consumer across all media? What is competition doing?

7. Assess the channel strategy of the brand. Are there some channels where
the brand is either focusing or over / under performing? How does the
channel strategy compare with competition? Are there any unique
promotional programs being used in different channels? Evaluate the in-
store presence of the brand in relation to competition. Is it dominant or
having a negligible presence? What is the retailer’s opinion about the
brand and what do they say about the competition?

8. Is the brand using e-commerce? If so what is their strategy? How do they

compare with competition on price, presence, etc.?

 9. Based on this complete assessment of the brand across multiple areas

make 2 to 3 clear recommendations to drive sustained growth over the
next five years. While there are no boundaries to what you can propose,
bear in mind that the brand always has limited resources in terms of
promotional budget, R&D resources, sales force time and management
bandwidth. Your recommendations should therefore be well thought out
and create maximum impact. No more than 3 recommendations under
any circumstances. Extra recommendations will invite penalty marks.

Submissions should be in WORD document using a minimum font size of 12

and should not exceed 10 pages. The cover page must show the group number,
names of all group members and their roll numbers.

Last date for submission is October 25th.

Please submit the report to your class representative, who will send it to
the office for plagiarism checking. I will be evaluating the plagiarism
checked projects, and high levels of plagiarism will attract penalties.

For any clarifications please contact me jchangkakoti@imt.edu