Offering. Student can describe an offering based on features, benefits, price, and costs of ownership
Type of consumer offerings. Student can suggest marketing strategy implications based on the type of consumer offering under examination.
Product line extensions or new product development. Student can suggest possible product line extensions or related product or service offerings based on the student's chosen product or service offering.
Product lifecycle. Student can suggest potential marketing strategies based on the product or service's lifecycle stage.
Directions
Your job in Writing Assignment 5 and beyond is to develop marketing mix strategies to ensure a value offering for the target market you identified in Week 4. We begin with the value offering this week.
Again please note we don't expect you to develop strategies based on a total knowledge of the product or service since you are not, or most likely not, employed by your product or service's company. We will be looking to see if you can apply the marketing concepts to the real world situation.
Again, do not fall into the trap of reporting on the product or service. This is obvious because your assignment will look like a rewrite of the company's website. Don't be afraid to make strategy recommendations based on what you have discovered about the product or service, and how you think it can move forward. Be creative, be reasoned, take risks.
Remember your product's target market from last week. Always keep them in mind when making your recommendations. You now work for the company and your goal it to help them grow sales.
Prepare your assignment beginning with a title page including your name, your product or service, and the name of your target market. The answer each of the following four questions in order and number the beginning of each question. There is no need to repeat the question text.
Offering. Describe your product or service offering as it is currently n terms of features and benefits, price and the total cost of ownership as discussed in the week's readings. Is it more product dominant or service dominant. What are the tangible and intangible aspects?
Type of consumer offering. Based on the four categories of type of offerings discussed in course content, describe in which category your product or service offering belongs. Based on your new target market, would that category of the offering change and if so, how? How would it change marketing strategy?
Product line extensions or new product development. Should the current product or service be modified to more fully meet the needs of your new target market? Would the changes constitute a new product line, a product line extension or a new product? If no product changes are needed, how does the same product or service meet the need of your target market differently than current customers? Would the product line extension or new product allow the offering to occupy uncontested space in the perceptual map for the target market as covered in Week 4?
Product lifecycle. In which stage of the product lifecycle is your product or service offering now? Would the changes described in number 3 above change the lifecycle stage and if so how? What would this mean to the lifecycle marketing strategy?
Be sure to follow all of the submission requirements outlined in the syllabus and provided below again for your easy reference:
• Prepare as a word processed document (such as Microsoft Word).
• Your assignment should be the equivalent of two pages of double-spaced text, approximately 1/2 page for each of the four questions.
• Be sure your name, writing assignment number, and the name of your product or service and new target market are on the first page of your writing assignment.
• Use a simple 12-point font such as Times New Roman. Use black ink for majority of your work and only use colors if it enhances your ability to communicate your thoughts.
• If the writing assignment requires external research, be sure to use footnotes and include a bibliography. You may use MLA or APA style, or any other college-level style guide. More information about using a style guide can be found in the UMUC's virtual library accessible from your LEO classroom or at umuc.edu/library.