User:Theaperitif

The Aperitif MARKETING PROJECT

Group Members: Matias Costa, Natalie Vaccaro, Jeff Hoyt

Current Marketing Situation Analysis
"Page 3: Market Description" Market Description:

•	Target market: environmentally conscious post-college consumers ages 22 to 30.

•	Protecting the environment = growing fad “tree-huggers”

•	Recycled materials, price is not to high

•	Consumers: educated and will have higher forms of income.

•	Filling the “greener clothes” gap that exists in markets these days.

•	Few apparel companies that are environmentally friendly.

•	The Aperitif’s benefit = lower carbon footprint+ high quality material+ durable.

Product Review:

The Simple Shoe Company is based on a large degree of products that may range from eco-friendly shoes to other accessories like eco friendly backpacks. The Simple Shoes company has product lines that are segmented depending on the age and gender, for example we have the shoes for women, men and children. The variety of product lines within our company vary, some examples are: slippers, casuals, sneakers, and vegan friendly shoes. On both the men and the women section we have two product lines which are known as Eco Sneaks, and Green Toe. Eco Sneaks are a line of sustainable sneakers that aside from looking good they are made of a series of recycled materials such as: Organic cotton, recycled tires, hemp, and recycled plastic bottles. The Green Toe product line consists of casuals and slipper lines. Some of our bags product line consists of a variety of bags which range from feedbags for women to single sleeved bags for men, backpacks and even sleeves for cell phones or mp3’s. Our product is a high top shoe, which fits as part of the New-arrivals section, particularly because it is a more unique style that does not fit into any of the existing product lines. The Aperitif is a product which also brings in diversity In design to our shoe line yet it maintains the same structure of eco-friendliness that all other product lines contain. Most of the products are made out of organic cotton, recycled tires and eco certified leather, hemp, or suede. The quality for all of these materials is high due to the higher cost in processing these materials. For example the cotton is processed without the use of toxic chemicals that affect the water supply and contaminate food. On the other hand the suede, leather and hemp are all processed with the use of ISO 140001, which are factories who reduce on their impact on the environment. With the motto of less is more, Simple shoes attempts to attract the daily customers who seek sustainable options that have high quality and durability.

Competitive Review

Three major competitors:

1. Patagonia - Patrol Leather-Hemp Shoes

"Position" : Established, worldwide market presence.

"Strategies" : 1. Market to environmentally minded individuals who spend a lot of time doing outdoor activities. 2. "The Footprint Chronicles" - interactive website which allows user to track carbon footprint of specific items. 3. Mission Statement - To build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

2. IPaths - Hemp IPaths

"Position" : Cater towards the skater market and the environmentally conscious.

"Strategies" : 1. "Humbly" Green since 1999 2. Offering products made with sustainable fabrics 3. Attempting to regain its foothold on its market share by focusing on proven winners from its past. 4. Unveiling six new models for 2010.

3. Rawganique.com - Hemp boots for either sex

"Position" : 1. Cater towards environmentally conscious people seeking sustainable living and healthier, less stressful, lifestyles. 2. Achieved near worldwide distribution through word of mouth and internet campaigns.

"Strategies" : 1. Offer products made of organic cotton, hemp, and linen. 2. To not damage the planet any further through the creation of their products 3. Avoid any products that use chemical processing including: a. Soy b. Bamboo c. Tencil Fabric

--Theaperitif 02:24, November 5, 2009 (UTC)

SWOT Analysis
SWOT Analysis

Strength: recycled materials used, “green” product

Weakness: inexperience as a company

Opportunities:

1.	“Going Green” is a growing lifestyle.

2.	Extend line of different styles.

3.	Can become leader in a niche market of environmentally friendly and charitable footwear.

Threats:

1.	Differentiate from our already established competitors. We will meet this by telling our customers how our product is better and why they should buy it.

2.	Timing the launch of our product. We will meet this by researching current events related.

3.	Increasing cost of materials to make the shoes. We will meet this by having the competitive advantage on the producers.

Objectives and Issues
Objectives and Issues

1. Objective:  To capture 10% of the sustainable shoe market by end of first year of operation.

Issue: How do we create customer value and capture a loyal customer base?

2. Objective:  Donate 10% of profits to charity.

Issue: How do we keep costs as low as possible and still accomplish this goal?

3. Objective:  To launch our product successfully into the marketplace and to create a permanent place in that market for our product.

Issue: How do we time this to capitalize on the current market?

Marketing Strategy
Positioning

In an increasingly globalized world, people are becoming more socially aware. By purchasing our shoe, customers would be able to help those who do not have the opportunities that we have in the United States. They will also know that they are buying a product that is as environmentally friendly as possible while not sacrificing on quality or consumer value.

Marketing Research

•	What would be the right time to launch our product?

•	From whom would we get our raw materials from to keep costs as constant as possible?

•	How are we going to communicate our product to the customer effectively?

Marketing Organization

Our organization will focus on both the product and the customer. For the customer we will have a limited warranty on the sole of the shoes. We will provide a free sole replacement within a year of the purchase. We will also provide free shipping during holiday seasons. We will be emphasizing the durability and sustainability of the shoe itself and the charity that a portion of profits will be donated to.

Product:

Since our product is a shopping product we want to deliver the customers quality and durability that cannot be compared to all other products in the market. Our product attributes are based on the following: Hemp is used due to its durability and because it is one of the strongest most durable and breathable fibers available. Aside from this we also use recyclable material as stated before to develop an environmentally conscious product, like car tires for the soles of the shoe. Luckily the costs of these materials is low due to their ease of production, on one side hemp is a plant that takes little to grow, while used car tires are plentiful. Our product’s style will differ from other products in the uniqueness of its design. We will offer a high-top shoe which is very fashionable and high in demand due to its old-school and new wave design. The packaging of our shoes will be based on a sleek box made from 100% post recycled cardboard, while the shoes will be wrapped with white paper. Our marketing tactic would be based on offering a shoe that is sustainable and at the same time 10% of our proceeds would go towards charity. Aside from this, our tactic would also involve offering an extended warranty of one year that gives the option of changing the sole during this one year period.

Price:

The price of a pair of our shoes would be based on cost plus pricing which would allow us to earn a reasonable amount of revenue during the beginning stages of the product life cycle. Since the product also dedicates 10% of the revenue obtained to charity within a U.S. or worldwide community, it is important to state that the price will be initially a little higher than expected. Once the product is in the market for a couple of weeks we will add product line extensions including new styles, colors, and sizes. Following the line extension we would keep costs high to offer value added pricing.

Distribution:

Our distribution tactic would be based on using direct and indirect marketing channels. The indirect marketing channels will offer our product online on our Simple Shoes company website. This way the product would be delivered to the customers at lower prices than those found in retail stores. The direct marketing channel will deliver the products to select retail stores that sell similar products.

Marketing Communications Strategy:

Our marketing communications strategy is based on two forms of marketing: psychographic segmentation and buzz marketing. Once target markets are defined, we can communicate our product to the public based on their lifestyles by using word of mouth. Through our website we would enlist opinion leaders within communities and cultivate them to spread the information about our product to others within their community. We would also establish web forums through commonly used P2P networks such as groups on Facebook.com, or web blogs on Twitter. We not only want our customers to buy the product because it is green but we also want them to change their lifestyles and become more green-oriented.