EOC Week Ten: Unique Value Propostion

Phileas Fogg Snack Slogans, A Jamaican Experience:  Hot Caribbean Jerk Crackers


"One Bite Will Transport You To Paradise"
With one bite of the Hot Caribbean Jerk Cracker the customer can close their eyes and picture themselves beach side with a Red Stripe in their hand, and the smell of salt water in the air.

"Keep The Conversation Laid back"
In Jamaica they have a very laid back attitude, a "Hey Mon" attitude. I want the customer to pick up on that and just let the conversation flow with their fellow "islanders". No need to be nervous to talk to they girl next to you, you have Phileas Fogg on your side, with his stories printed on the container with a lot of material to use.

"A Red Stripe's Perfect Chaser"
Paired with a Red Stripe, the Hot Caribbean Jerk Crackers taste like Jamaica all squeezed together in one little cracker. You don't need to hop on a flight to get the feel that you are in The Land of Reggae.

EOC Week Nine: Creative Content

For my Phileas Fogg Snacks project, my creative content will be a full page advertisement for my snack in a well known Bar Magazine or Cooking Magazine. (The Magazines does not have a name yet). Since I am partnering up with Red Stripe I feel that the ad being run in a Bar Magazine would fit perfectly together. I am going to incorporate my photography into the ad layout. I will also incorporate the ads in the magazines  into my marketing plan under the promotion tab found in the Marketing Mix Element. I am thinking of having an image of friends having fun at a bar drinking a Red Stripe and enjoying my Jamaican snack.

EOC Week 8: The Adventure

Its Christmas Eve and I’m laying in my hotel room, in Jamaica, feeling sorry for myself.  I finally closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. I was startled by the sound of children laughing and music playing in the distance. I couldn’t fall back to sleep so I pulled myself out of bed, got dressed, and wandered outside to investigate where a the sound of fun was coming from.  After roaming the city of Kingston for a while I discovered where all the commotion was coming from. The whole downtown was transformed into the Christmas Market. The Christmas Market is a celebration of Christmas with local vendors selling toys for children, crafts, gifts, and food. There is also street dancing and music. I finally stopped feeling sorry for myself and joined the party! I met a local man named Barrington who was running a vendor booth selling Scotch Bonnets, Jamaica’s hottest peppers. Barrington could tell right away I wasn’t a local and he wanted everyone else to notice too. He proposed a bet. The bet was for me to eat one whole Scotch Bonnet! If I could eat the whole pepper without becoming sick he would invite me to his home with his family and friends for Christmas dinner. If I couldn’t finish the pepper or become sick right away I would have to buy Barrington’s Red Strips for the rest of the night. I was very nervous, I’ve heard about these Scotch Bonnets before and I know they’ve been known as the hottest peppers in the world! I also have to a strict budget to follow and I knew if I had to buy Barrington’s beers for the rest of the night, I would go broke, and really fast. He is drinking those Red Stripes like they’re water. I also really don’t want to spend Christmas by myself, I’ve been longing for some companionship during the holiday season. I grabbed the first pepper on the table and stuffed the whole thing into my mouth. I started to feel the hottest sensation that I’ve ever felt before through my whole body. I wanted to scream! I played it cool, after a couple minutes the sensation became worse. I grabbed Barrington’s beer and chugged the rest of it. The Red Stripe actually made me feel a lot better and it actually went very well along with the pepper. Barrington was so amazed that I actually won the bet. He gave me a hug and told me “Welcome to my family”.

I arrived about Barrington’s family’s house the next day around dinnertime. Barrington’s wife brought out some appetizers and of course, Red Stripe. My favorite appetizer was a salted cracker seasoned with jerk spices with a dot of a Scotch Bonnet in the center. After eating that cracker and chasing it with a Red Stripe I felt like I accomplished a full Jamaican experience. I wanted to share this adventure with the world, and the best way to do this was to package this cracker and sell to the whole world. It is highly recommended that you drink with a Red Stripe, but if that is not available any beer will do the trick. 

Implementation Evaluation Control

To Be Continued...

Price

"Recent economic events have caused a fundamental shift in consumers attitudes towards price and quality. In response, many company's have changed their pricing approaches to bring them into line with changing economic conditions and consumers price perceptions. More and more marketers have adopted good value pricing strategies- offering just the right combination of quality and good service at a fair price."Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler- Pg277 

At Phileas Fogg Snacks; Hot Caribbean Jerk Crackers we have set our price at $1.99 per container. This price point gets up right above the break even mark. It also is very reasonable as a bar snack. It is a little bit more expensive that an ordinary bag of chips and keeper than an appetizer. There is 15 containers in one case of crackers. This would add up to almost $30 a case, retail. I will charge each customer the retail price until they are a regular customer that buys more than 10. This would equal out to $300 retail, I will charge $275, this is to encourage the customers to buy our crackers by the bulk.  

Distribution

"To a lot of managers, marketing logistics means only trucks and warehouses, but modern logistics is more than that." At Phileas Fogg Snacks; Hot Caribbean Jerk Crackers we understand this concept very well. We have implemented a Marketing Logistics method, also known as Physical Distribution. "Marketing Logistics is the planning, implementing, and controlling the physical flow of materials, final goods, and related information from points of origin to points of consumption to meet customer requirements at a profit." Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler- Pg328 By adopting the Physical Distribution Method, not only have we saved money, we get to over see the entire process of the actual baking of the crackers to delivering the orders directly to the customers.

At Phileas Fogg Snacks; Hot Caribbean Jerk Crackers we have also decided to completely make our company "Green" in every aspect of the company that we can. We decided to start with the distribution side of the company. We started with just some small change to begin with. Our first change was to have all the delivery drivers to participate in lowering the speed limit that they drive. It may seem that it would cost money because it would take longer for the deliveries to be made, but in the long run we save a tremendous amount of fuel charges, and at the same time we are reducing the amount of emissions that we are putting out into the atmosphere. Another change we made was to move our warehouse to a new location that is directly off of both main freeways in Las Vegas, the I-15 and the I-215. With this change we are able to travel more on the freeways, to save on fuel expense, this also picked up on our delivery times, as well. We have also installed a new inventory management program that can keep track of every single package of crackers. The second a customer signs for the delivery it is taken out of our inventory on hand. This inventory management system is very important, we will never run out of inventory and this cuts down on inventory waste. 

At Phileas Fogg Snacks; Hot Caribbean Jerk Cracker team work is very important. We have adopted the Integrated Logistics Management Method. "In this method the logistics emphasizes teamwork, both inside the company and among all the marketing channels, organizations, to maximize the performance of the entire distribution system." Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler- Pg355

Promotion

In today's market it is not wise to think that you can do everything yourself. Finding partners or other marketing channels that are willing to work together so both of you can gain something from the partnership. This way each partner or partners work on what they are best at. "When it comes to creating customer value and building strong customer relationships, today's marketers know that they can't go it alone. They must work closely with a variety of marketing partners. In addition to being good at customer relationship management, marketer must also be good at partner relationship management. Major changes are occurring in how marketers partner with others inside and outside the company to jointly  bring value to customers."Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler- Pg20. With partnering up with other channels not only does this brings value to customers, but also sets the foundation to do joint advertising, and cross promotions. At Phileas Fogg Snacks; Hot Caribbean Jerk Crackers we have teamed up with the Jamaican beer company that produces Red Stripe. In Phileas Fogg's Jamaican adventure he is challenged to eat a Scotch Bonnet Pepper, (Jamaica's hottest pepper, maybe even the world's hottest) and then chases it done with a Red Stripe. The Red Stripe beer completes the whole Jamaican experience the customer has when enjoying our cracker. After approaching Red Stripe with Phileas Fogg's adventure and the idea of always drinking Red Stripe with our crackers they were excited to work with us. Red Stripe agreed to print Phileas Fogg's adventure on their beer cases, with an advertisement for our crackers. They agreed to do this to help promote our new crackers and in return we always will have a Red Stripe beer in all of marketing material that is distributed. In a way we are also promoting the country itself, Jamaica! Jamaica is the land of white sandy beaches, reggae music and super hot peppers. Every time our customer take a bit of our cracker and then a gulp of Red Stripe they are transported to paradise! We always refer to the country as paradise, and this could help our customers decide where they want to head to for vacation this year. 

Most of our marketing and advertising budget will be going towards our magazine and newspaper, print and online, promotions. We are running a full page ad in the Bar ad Nightclub, Todays Cooking, and Travel magazines. Most bar and club owner read material like this to stay up on what the new trends are. We want to get our crackers into their establishment. Using the Red Stripe name also helps us gain customers that may not have contacted us without having that great relationship with Red Stripe. 

We are running a sales promotion in the beginning of the year that we will give each new establishment that is interested in our product a free case of crackers and we are asking them to give a free package of crackers to each customer that orders Red Stripe. (They can give to anyone that orders any beer.) This helps us get our product into places that may not have spent money on us with out knowing how it will do in their bar. This is also a good way to get feedback from our customer on what their customers think, what beer did most customers order along with our crackers, if they stayed longer than normal, etc. 

We will also be taking a page from TOMS Shoes marketing plan and incorporating a cause-related marketing strategy. "Cause-related marketing: TOMS pledges 'No complicated formula, its simple... you buy a pair of TOMS and we give a pair to a child on your behalf."Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler- Pg 87. No only is this strategy good for you company's overall appearance to your target market, but you can usually get free press out of it. We will pledge that each year we will take 10% of our profits and donate them to World Hunger, where no child should be hungry. "Cause-related marketing has become a primary form of corporate giving. It lets company's 'Do well by doing good' By linking purchases of a company's products or serves with a fund raising for worthwhile causes for charitable organizations"Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler- Pg88. 

Product

The next step in the Phileas Fogg Snacks; Hot Caribbean Jerk Cracker Marketing Plan is the Product segment in the Marketing Mix element. "Many sellers make the mistake of paying more attention to the specific products they offer than to the  benefits and experiences produced by these products."Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler-Pg 7 Though this is something to always keep in mind while creating your product, you should include the design of the product, features, brandname, packaging, and service. 

Phileas Fogg Snacks; Hot Caribbean Jerk Crackers are a savory, affordable adult snack. First, jerk seasoning is mixed into the dough before baking. After the dough is shaped, and before entering the oven a small dot of the Scotch Bonnet Pepper is placed directly in the middle of the rounded dough. The Scotch Bonnet Pepper is the Caribbean's chili of choice, the official pepper of the Caribbean. If you think you could eat a whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper, you are considered a "badass", the pepper is approximately 140 times hotter than a mild jalapeño! After the dough enters the oven it is then baked until golden brown and then coated with the same jerk seasoning that is baked into it. The finished cracker is a golden brown round cracker with the jerk seasoning visible throughout the cracker and a small round circle in the middle, the Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Once the crackers are cooled they are ready for packaging. Each bag of Hot Caribbean Jerk Cracker contain 2 serving each. One serving is about 6 crackers, their size is comparable to a Ritz cracker. The container will hold approximately 12 crackers each. The container is a 100% recycled paper, the side rip easily down to the bottom, which then opens up, as if you had you own plate of crackers. The crackers are commercially made and packaged, we give a freshness guarantee per bag up-to 9 months after purchased if stored in a pantry and a 12 month freshness guarantee if stored in the freezer.

Phileas Fogg Snacks wants to ensure that the customer receives a premium product, aa well as, all the features the snack itself offers. We don't just put all our attention on one element. "Today as products and services become  commoditized, many companies are moving to a new level in creating value for their customers. To Differentiate their offers, beyond simply making products and delivering services. They are creating and managing customer experience with their brands or company."Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler-Pg 209 At Phileas Fogg Snacks we take this quote very seriously and this is exactly what we are aiming for with our Hot Caribbean Jerk Crackers. 

Target Market Strategy

"Each company must find the game plan for long-run survival and growth that makes the most sense given its specific situation, opportunities, objectives, and resources. This is the focus of the strategic planning, the process of developing and maintaining, the process of developing and maintaining a strategic fit between the organization's goals and capabilities and its changing marketing opportunities." Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler- pg39

When your creating a Marketing Plan, The Marketing Strategy is the largest of out of the elements. There is two sections and five segments to the Marketing Strategy, the first section is the Target Market Strategy. The second section is the Marketing Mix with includes four segments. These four segments are referred to the four P's, product, distribution, promotion, and price. I am going to the begin the Target Market Strategy.

At Phileas Fogg Snacks and Hot Caribbean Jerk Crackers our primary target market is adults from the ages of 21-64. These adults take up almost 59% of the population of Las Vegas, NV. Las Vegas currently has 594,294 residents. The locations that we will be targeting will include dive bars, local gaming bars, lounges, pool/dart halls, and pool bars/clubs. I believe the wide range of locations that we will reach will include every age group that we are targeting. The locations we aim to have our snacks in need to have an inviting environment that someone by themselves would feel comfortable at, as well as a group of people. Our snacks are meant to start the conversation, and meant to be shared among your new and old friends. The adventure listed on the package gives everyone something to talk about. You can discuss what was going through Phileas Fogg's head when he bit right into that Scotch Bonnet pepper, or his adventure could trigger a memory of your own from your own travels. And there you go, the conversation is well on its way, no awkward silences. Something this simple is what is going to keep our customers happy. When the customer is happy and enjoying themselves they will order more drinks with more snacks. Our target market is also always on the go. Some people like to stop off at their favorite water hole on their way home from work to grab a "quick" drink. This customer would love the our crackers. The crackers will hold him over until he sits down to dinner, and he doesn't have to dig into the community peanut bowl or order something off the menu that could take a lot longer than they plan on staying.

We are partnering  up with The Red Stripe Beer company to do a dual marketing campaign together and this will also help us target the beer drinking segment of the market. We will have the Red Stripe drinkers try our cracker to experience the taste Jamaica and the other beer drinkers try Red Strip because they will want to experience what Phileas Fogg did on his adventure.

We understand that our crackers will be characterized as a speciality product. "a specialty products are consumer products or services with unique characteristics or brand identification for which a significant group of buyers is willing to make a special purchase effort."Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler- pg211 But we feel that this is a speciality product that will never make the customer ever regret ordering our snacks. We have a specialty product that is fun and affordable. 

Situation or SWOT Analysis

 Managing the marketing function begins with a complete analysis of the company’s situation. The marketer should conduct a SWOT analysis, by which it evaluates the company’s overall strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T). Strengths include internal capabilities, resources, positive situational factors that may help the company to serve its customers and achieve its objectives. Weaknesses include internal limitations and negative situational factors that may interfere with the company’s performance. Opportunities are favorable factors or trends in the external environment that the company may be able to exploit to its advantage. And threats are unfavorable external factors or trends that may present challenges to performance. Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler- Pg55

Objective

Kohler’s overall objective is to build profitable customer relationships by developing efficient yet beautiful products that embrace the “essence of gracious living.”Marketing strategies and programs must be developed to support these marketing objectives. Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler- Pg43

Phileas Fogg Snacks wants to create savory snacks that encourage the customer to drink more. We want the customer to order a Red Stripe, or their drink or choice and automatically order the Hot Caribbean Jerk Crackers, or their favorite Phileas Fogg snack. We want the two to go hand-in-hand. We at Phileas Fogg Snacks also want our snack to bring people closer together. The engaging stories on the back of each snack are great conversation starters for the people that have trouble meeting new people, or are just awkward at starting up that initial "ice-breaker".

Because many surprises occur during the implementation of marketing plans, marketers must practice constant marketing control—evaluating the results of marketing strategies and plans and taking corrective action to ensure that objectives are attained. Marketing: An Introduction/Armstrong, Kotler- Pg56

 Surprise and setbacks are a given, and knowing this Phileas Fogg Snacks will always stay true to our objectives. If the environment changes then we will re-evaluate our objectives and change them accordingly, but will always aim make sure our products stay affordable, savory, and always transport our customer to paradise without leaving their barstool.