Questions/Tasks Will Dockers® be successful? Yes or No? Defend your answer. The Situation Dockers® is reporting how it is trying to respond to (1) the current recession and (2) inroads by compeitors by evaluating its (1) target market, (2) product assortment, (3) promotion, (4) distribution, and (5) pricing. Submit your 3 page paper Expectations: you are to define what is meant by being successful and analyze information about Dockers®, then defend your position in terms of: (1) shifts in the economy, (2) competition from Discounters, (3) competition from High End (Fashion) Retailers and (3) competition from new entrants a marketing strategy is defined in terms of 5 elements called the marketing mix: 1. Target Market or Mass Marketing 2. Product assortment (Is depth and width or assortment more or less than competitors?) 3. Promotion (Is the amount spent on promotion more or less than competitors? Is promotion mix different from competitors?) a. Advertising (Is the amount spent on advertising more or less than competitors? Is advertising mix different from competitors?) (1) Newspaper (Is the amount spent on newspaper advertising more or less than competitors? Is selection of newspapers different from competitors?) (2) Magazine (Is the amount spent on magazine advertising more or less than competitors? Is selection of magazines different from competitors?) (3) Radio (Is the amount spent on radio advertising more or less than competitors? Is selection of programs/stations different from competitors?) (4) TV (Is the amount spent on TV advertising more or less than competitors? Is selection of programs/stations different from competitors?) (5) Internet (Is the amount spent on Internet advertising more or less than competitors? Is selection of sites different from competitors?) b. Personal Selling (Is the amount spent on salespeople more or less than competitors? Is the method of paying salespeople different from competitors?) c. Sales Promotion (Is the amount spent on promotional material (brochures, flyers, in store signage) more or less than competitors? Is sales promotion mix different from competitors?) 4. Distribution (Is the location of the stores better or worse than the store locations of competitors? Is the location of the merchandise in those stores better or worse than the location of the merchandise of competitors) 5. Pricing (Are prices higher or lower than competitors?) Using the elements of the marketing mix; your job is to use and reference the case-related readings and the background material to present the marketing strategy for Dockers® and to explain why that strategy will or will not be successful. In preparing your CASE1, you need to consider 1. Consider the ways in which the market for pants is segmented. 2. In terms of the marketing environment for pants, you need to comment on the current socio-economic environment. 3. If you define the target market based on demographics, socio-psychographics, and/or geographics; be careful to cite substantial differences in behavior (store choice) of shoppers by age, income, gender, marital status, and family life style. If you don’t define the target market based on demographics, socio-psychographics, and/or geographics; you need to explain why those factors are not applicable for sellers of pants. 4. Also you need to consider the ease with which competitors can duplicate products, method and content of promotion, and prices. Note that this assignment does NOT require you to prepare a detailed essay. Instead use section headings for each of the topics you address in your paper followed by a discussion of each of those topics. Possible section/topic headings are: Introduce the issue – what chain of grocery stores are you analyzing, what are the problems that chain of grocery stores faces? (1) Analyze the issue (2) Target Market – current (3) Products – current (4) Promotion – current (5) Distribution – current (6) Pricing – current Evaluate the Alternatives (1) Target Market (2) Products (3) Promotion (4) Distribution (5) Pricing Come to a Conclusion (1) Target Market –recommended – defense of position (2) Products –recommended – defense of position (3) Promotion – recommended – defense of position (4) Distribution –recommended – defense of position (5) Pricing –recommended – defense of position Make sure that if you are recommend changes in the Target Market, Products, Promotion, Distribution, or Pricing for Dockers®, you defend those changes. References: Tschorn, Adam (2010, April 11) TRENDS; Really? $200 Dockers?; The ubiquitous brand is hardly casual about its bid for high-end business, hoping to wean consumers away from denim. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif. 5. Available on 11 May 2010 at http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=2006750431&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=29440&RQT=309&VName=PQD Grubb, Edward L & Grathwohl, Harrison L (1967, October 1). Consumer Self-Concept, Symbolism and Marketing Behavior: A Theoretical Approach. Journal of Marketing. 31(4). 22-28 and three others of your choice. All references should be in text as well as reference page.