STRATEGIC MARKETING

Strategic Marketing

Strategic Marketing

Introduction

Ice Creams

Frozen desserts including ice cream are manufactured from dairy products. It is most often combined with other ingredients including fruits, nuts or flavorings. Almost all varieities contain sugar proponent, though recent inclination towards health products has led to creation of sugar-free ice creams as well.

The term ice cream, has different meaning, which vary from country to country. Terms like frozen yogurt, frozen custard, gela, sorbet and similar other such terms are used to differentiate between the array of varitiesprovided by ice-cream manufacturers. USA, uses the term 'ice cream' for only specific varities due to governmental regulations that enforce proper and accurate description for product and its constituent ingredients (Jacobson, 1963).

Objectives

The main aim of this paper is to undertake a mini research project. The project is synthesized with subject interviews and focus groups to analyze the primary drivers that lead to purchase of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream relative to other similar competition products.

Research

The research conducted to determine the primary drivers that lead to purchase of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream involved interviews conducted with ice cream consumers. 10 subjects were interviewed and questioned with regards to their: choice of ice creams, last purchase of ice creams, type of brands considered before purchase and reasons behind the final purchase decision. The final strategic assessment is made to observe perceptions and attributional factors associated with different brands of ice creams. Based on level of interaction, further questions were also asked from respondents to better understand and gain insight on purchase decisions regarding ice cream brands with special focus on Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream.

Following table illustrates the demographics of the subjects interviewed.

Age

20-24

25-29

30-39

40+

# of Respondents

5

3

2

0

Sex

M

F

# of Respondents

4

6

All the respondents were university students.

Ben & Jerry's SWOT Analysis

Strength

Prestigious, established, successful global operations

Extensive social responsibility programs

750 Scoop shops worldwide

Owned by parent company - Unilever

Second highest market share, after Haagen Dazs

High Quality Image

Premium price points

Weaknesses

Previous association with egg supplier, Michael Foods. Claims about supplier using inhumane practices on chickens

Lack of professionalism in management in the past

Focus on CSR can shift the overall corporate focus to non-business related matters

Opportunities

Health conscious society has altered demands for fat-free and other healthier ingredients

Provide allergen free ice-creams

Expand existing product-lines

Increase penetration in emerging markets

Threats

Target markets constantly changing product preferences

Any contamination of perishable ice-cream supply

Global food companies competition

Expectations of price increases in milk and related products

Response to Questions

What Brands ...