Minute Maid Product

Minute Maid is a product line of beverages, usually associated with lemonade or orange juice, but now extends to soft drinks of many kinds, including Hi-C. Minute Maid used to be sold under Capp brand in Central Europe and under Fruitopia in Germany. However these brands were discontinued after minute maid’s merger with Coca-Cola. Minute Maid was the first company to market orange juice concentrate, allowing it to be distributed throughout the United States and served year-round.

The Minute Maid Company is now owned by The Coca-Cola Company, and is the world’s largest marketer of fruit juices and drinks. It is headquartered in Houston, Texas, and employs 2,200 people. Thanks to this merger minute maid has access to an excellent system of distribution, production, research and development and marketing. Their beverages are of superior value and taste and delight customers throughout the world. The minute maid company was worth around $11.9 million this year, growing at 33.6%. After its merger with Coca-Cola its annual revenues have been on a rise.

The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company was incorporated in September 1919 under the laws of the State of Delaware and succeeded to the business of a Georgia corporation with the same name that had been organized in 1892. The Company is the manufacturer, distributor and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups in the world. Finished beverage products bearing its trademarks, sold in the United States since 1886, are now sold in more than 200 countries. Along with Coca-Cola, the Company markets non-alcoholic sparkling brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite. It manufacture beverage concentrates and syrups, which the Company sells to bottling and canning operations, fountain wholesalers and some fountain retailers, as well as finished beverages, which the Company sells to distributors. The Company owns or licenses more than 450 brands, including diet and light beverages, waters, enhanced waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees, and energy and sports drinks. In addition, it has ownership interests in numerous beverage joint ventures, bottling and canning operations, although most of these operations are independently owned and managed. The Company is one of numerous competitors in the commercial beverages market. Of the approximately 53 billion beverage servings of all types consumed worldwide every day, beverages bearing trademarks owned by or licensed to the Company account for approximately 1.5 billion. Its operating structure is the basis for its internal financial reporting. The Company sells the concentrates and syrups for bottled and canned beverages to authorized bottling and canning operations. In addition to concentrates and syrups for sparkling beverages and flavored still beverages, it also sells concentrates for purified water products such as Dasani to authorized bottling operations. Most of its products are manufactured and sold by its bottling partners. The Company typically sells concentrates and syrups to its bottling partners, who convert them into finished packaged products which they sell to distributors and other customers. The raw materials used by its business are nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners. The nutritive sweetener used by its business outside the United States is sucrose, another form of sugar, which is also available from numerous sources and is historically subject to fluctuations in its market price. In 2007, concentrates and syrups for beverages bearing the trademark “Coca-Cola” or any trademark that includes “Coca-Cola” or “Coke “accounted for approximately 53 percent of the Company’s total concentrate sales

USP

“Refreshingly smooth”

Slurp is a health drink for everyone. With the fact that it is healthy and fresh, it helps in building energy. It is appealing to children as we have an attractive packaging for the smoothie.

The 4 P’s

Product

Minute maid is launching a new product SLURP! This is in the smoothies segment. SLURP will penetrate the market with three different categories of smoothies. These varieties will cater to the different needs and desires of consumers. India is a large country with diversified consumers and each consumer has different wants. To fulfill their different desires, we have introduced different kinds of smoothies with different packaging.

Our product smoothie, comes in a variety of flavours such as

• Mango madness
• Lime and starburst melon
• Chocolate chip concoction
• Litchi Dip

Comes in two different types; namely the

1. Shelf Stable: – This is a type in which the smoothie which has been packaged in a container and can be purchased in retail outlets and can be had right out of the bottle.
2. Fresh: – This smoothie is prepared freshly in front of the customer. This method is used in kiosks and smoothie outlets located in the country.

In the Shelf stable method we also have a “kid’s smoothie” option. It is basically a smaller 150ml version of the regular 330ml smoothie can

SMOOTHIE

Shelf stable Fresh

Regular Kid’s

Price

We will be pricing our products under two categories mainly shelf stable and fresh.

Shelf stable Fresh

	Shelf stable	Fresh
General	45	45
Children	30	30

This price has been fixed keeping the current inflation rate in mind and the competitor’s prices as well. This is also subject to change depending on changing market scenario and market demands.

Place

The initial establishment of minute maid SLURPS would begin at metropolitan and cosmopolitan cities including Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. These two cities show the highest degree of acceptability to a new brand and would thus contribute to the success of the venture.

Promotion

With a company like Coco Cola and Minute maid, we are financially secure and hence can carry out extensive marketing and promotional activities. At first we will make people aware about Smoothies with the use of the following promotional tools:

• NEWSPAPERS: We first plan to advertise Smoothies in the national newspapers and magazines as their reach is widespread. We will also start advertising in the regional newspapers of various places. The advertisements would cover a full page in the initial stages and half a page thereafter. They would appear once in two days initially and then take on a bi-weekly schedule.
• BILLBOARDS: We are planning to put up interactive advertisements on billboards in busy streets, shopping malls busy streets and crowded areas so that our message can be delivered easily to pedestrians and traveling public.
• RADIO: Radio, once thought outdated has now slowly crept back and found itself a place in the ear of most listeners around the world, thus its massive popularity today. We plan to advertise our club in regional stations like RADIOCITY, BIG FM .Maximum coverage will thus be ensured.
• MAGAZINES: We would be publicizing our club through magazines extensively because magazines have a widespread reach. We will be mainly advertising in all the health and fitness magazines and lifestyle magazines like FEMINA, HEALTH AND FITNESS etc. This way we can get to the prospective customers.
• TELEVISION: We will also be having video advertisements to gain the attention of a wide range of audience. We cannot ignore the fact that there are a lot of people who are not active radio listeners and by advertising on other sources of media we are attempting to target that specific portion of the audience which will help our customer base to grow in due course of time. Most of the leading Indian channels such as ZEE TV, STAR PLUS, and SONY etc will carry our ads during their commercial breaks
• MASCOT MADNESS: – We will use our mascot widely in our viral marketing campaign which will consist f a variety of teasers set up in public places or malls to generate hype or interest on the selected topic.
• FREE SAMPLES: – we will provide free samples of smoothies with pulpy orange, another product from minute maid; in malls and in gyms to encourage the health oriented public to have the smoothies

Non Conventional Methods:

Along with the above mentioned strategies we will also implement some other non conventional methods of marketing

SLURP! Van’s:- We will purchase vans and design them with our logos. These vans will travel the neighborhood selling smoothies to the public.

Flavor tasting: We will have strips of our various flavors which are to attract children where they can have an idea as to how the final smoothie will taste.

STP ANALYSIS

SEGMENTATION:

Market Segmentation is undertaken in order to focus on the subset of the prospects that are most likely purchase our offering. This will in turn help us get the best returns from our marketing and broadcasting expenditures. Based on the need MINUTE MAID satisfies, the market is segmented into diverse sections. They are:

• DEMOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATION: These include factors like Age, sex, social class and occupation which purely satisfies the emotional want of an individual to remain at par with the society. It also comprises of the functional wants of a consumer.
• PSYCHOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATION: These include the living habits, skills and mind-set of the individual. Many of them are very influenced by Brand Image which serves as a great advantage for minute maid as it is being carried out by Mc Donald.
• BEHAVIORAL SEGMENTATION: This is depending on the attitude of the consumers towards minute maid’s smoothies and the physical interests of the people. The benefits that the consumers derive from the service as well as the prospect’s preferences determine the acceptance and complete incorporation of the service.
• GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTATION: This takes into consideration the region to which the prospective consumers belong to. The geographical area that we are going to cover with our kiosks and the kind of people that we are targeting.

TARGET

Targeting the right people is one of the most important criteria that need to be looked at in order to provide the society with skilled sportsmen .The major sectors that we would be targeting are:

• AGE GROUP OF 3-10 YEARS: We are targeting children within the age group 3 TO 10 years who will love the different flavored smoothies provided by us.
• YOUNGSTERS: We will target the youth who spend most of their time outside. According to research youngsters spend most of their money on food and beverages; they constitute a great proportion of the market. As they love to try new things, this will attract them and in turn help us get our position in the market.
• AGE GROUP OF 35-50 YEARS: We provide diet smoothies for the older section of the society where we use ingredients which are fat free. Thus they enjoy smoothies without making themselves unhealthy
• ALL INCOME GROUPS: We are targeting all income groups. We believe that we will have consumers from different income groups as we have reasonable pricing.
• TRAVELLERS: Due to its mini-form factor, slurp is highly convenient to carry along during journeys or trips. This is why it will be targeted at travelers as well.

POSITIONING

We will position smoothies as a lifestyle drink for the masses. Through extensive advertising we will be able to establish smoothie as a way of life. Smoothie will represent vibrancy and seek to promote a new zest for life, a break from the routine, excitement and exhilaration.

SWOT ANALYSIS

STRNGTHS:

First mover’s advantage: We possess an undeniable first mover advantage. Innovation has always been credited for and we believe in setting a benchmark for further innovations. This helps us reach out to our target markets more effectively and help us establish a strong foothold over them. In India there is no company which provides smoothies in such an extensive scale. Also the concept of the packaging is very different and has not been seen in the Indian food and beverages industry, so we have the first mover’s advantage.

Brand image and fan following: As COCA COLA and MINUTE MAID already has an existing brand image; the acceptance of smoothies will be more as the people will be assured high class quality and taste. It is a premier organization with several well renowned names associated with it. This would prove as an added bonus to the launch of smoothies and gain consumer acceptance.

Financial backup: Both COCA COLA and MC DONALD are very financially secure and can carry out aggressive marketing strategies and can provide the best of facilities and infrastructure.

Large target market: As India is a densely populated country, there are many perspective buyers. People have varied tastes and thus it a larger scope for the company.

Unique concept: we have our own unique packaging concept. We have different styles of packaging our product where we attract our consumers at the first instance.

Energy meter: This is a concept adopted by our company where we attach LED on the cap of the bottle. The cover of the bottle will have an energy meter. The top will be marked as low energy and the lower part will be marked as high energy. The more the smoothie reduces, the energy level will increase.

WEAKNESS

Acceptance:

We are initially wary of the acceptance of the product as it’s not a very common choice of consumers. But with the promotional activities and spread of a good word-of-mouth we expect a good turn of events.

OPPORTUNITIES

Rise in the standard of living: The standard of living of India has been improving from years and this is a great opportunity for the establishment of the company and thus has perspective buyers.

Growth in corporate sector: India has seen a tremendous growth in the corporate sector over the past few years including the number of consumers which would serve as an opportunity to capitalize upon.

Research and development: A new product design and development is more than often a crucial factor in the survival of a company. In an industry that is fast moving, the company must always revise their design and range of products. Coca cola has an adverse research and development centre for product improvisation.

THREATS

Further innovators: Being innovators ourselves, we cannot ignore the possibility of further innovations that may grab our market share including.

Change in market trends: Any change in market trends and preferences of the consumers may pose a threat to the company. This can be overcome by innovations made by the company.

DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL

Intensive distribution aims to provide saturation coverage of the market by using all available outlets. For many products, total sales are directly linked to the number of outlets used. Intensive distribution is usually required where customers have a range of acceptable brands to choose from. In other words, if one brand is not available, a customer will simply choose another.

LAUNCH STRATEGY

The SLURP! Van:

We will have vans moving around all the metros distributing flyers on the concept of Slurp. The vans will have a smoothie fountain for appeal.

TEASER CAMPAIGN:

We will have teaser flyers attached with newspapers. There will also be teaser banners close to schools, colleges, malls, parks, entertainment & health centers to target the youth and health conscious consumers in different cities.

LAUNCH PARTY:

7up Pop would hold a launch party to celebrate its arrival, where the top celebrities and the who’s who of the city will be invited to celebrate the arrival of the lifestyle drink. There will be press coverage of the party.

TIE UP WITH MC DONALD:

We will be tying-up with Mc Donald, leading chain of restaurants in India. Mc Donald will promote our drink in their outlets. As coca cola already has a tie up with Mc Donald, it will be an easy way to promote SLURP!

INTERNET 2:

With the emergence of the sequel to the Internet, communication and advertising has undergone a complete face-lift. Internet 2 has a larger user network and higher bandwidth capabilities than the previous version of the Internet, which makes it the most accessible and preferred medium for the promotion of slurp.

PROMOTION AND MARKETING STRATEGY

Concrete marketing strategies were developed by us in order to achieve its marketing objectives which are as follows: An effective marketing Strategy will give our Service a competitive edge over the others. Marketing strategy is most effective when it is a vital component of corporate strategy, defining how the organization will engage customers, prospects and the competition in the market arena for consistent success. The Marketing strategies devised by Coca Cola Minute Maid for its launch are to attain the following objectives:

• Providing SLURP of high quality to the expectation of the consumers.
• Brand building.
• Increasing the Market Boundaries of a company.
• Increasing the company’s annual turnover.
• Providing SLURP with a reasonable price
• Provide accurate and speedy distribution of SLURP where demand is more.

PLANNING AND COMMUNICATION PROCESS

5 M’S OF ADVERTISING

SETTING UP THE SYSTEM

We intend to design a “Competitive Intelligence System”.

Identifying vital competitive information:

The first step calls for identifying vital types of competitive information and consumer preferences, identifying the best sources of this information, and assigning people who will manage the system and is services.

Collecting the data:

The data is collected on a continuous basis from the field, from people who do business with competitors, from observing competitors and from published data.

Evaluating and analyzing the data:

The data is checked for validity and reliability, interpreted and organized.

Disseminating information and responding:

Key information is sent to relevant decision makers, and managers’ inquiries are answered. With a well-designed system, company managers receive timely information about competitors via e-mail, phone calls, bulletins, newsletters, and reports.

The marketing strategies have been developed after studying the product life-cycle. The various stages were:

Stage 1

Market research:

We conduct a market survey and analyze various aspects of the industry. This is done by studying all the three aspects of the industry which are mainly the consumers and competitors.

Stage 2

A complete attacking strategy:

In order to launch the product we use extensive advertising and promotional strategies already mentioned in the marketing mix.

Stage 3

Maturity stage:

Once the brand image is created, the advertising and the promotional campaigns will be slowed down according to the market needs. Sudden reminders would appear and seasonal push strategy will be followed.