Implementation Evaluation Control

Enclosing, Black Forlorn Vodka’s implementation is crucial to our success. Our sharpshooter approach to things gives us an edge over the competition. We do recognize our strength as well as our weakness as being critical perfectionists. Thus, “the process that turns marketing strategies and plans into marketing actions in order to accomplish strategic marketing objectives” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 57). These Actions are often easier to think up, than to execute them.

Through extraneous advertising campaigns the ignition point for Black Forlorn Vodka will trigger, and the results will be evident thoroughly with an evaluation of “the communication and sales effects of advertising before, during, and after the advertising is placed and measuring advertising return on investment” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 406). Through this we will ask ourselves: Did the promotion attract new customers or more purchasing from current customers?

In this current era we are conscious of the greater consumer power and control. This realization is the basis for our specifically targeted adds, full of creativity and truly ground breaking. Because “Greater consumer control means that, in building customer relationships, companies can no longer rely on marketing by intrusion. Instead, marketers must practice marketing by attraction—creating market offerings and messages that involve consumers rather than interrupt them” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 18).

Click here for the commercial.

Price

Black Forlorn Vodka is made out the prestigious black cumin seed, and the addition of Dead Sea salts. These ingredients are not easy to come by; therefore a fair price must be achieved. Not only for the customer to recognize the quality for a fair price, but also for the company to make a substantial profit.

This is because “rather than slashing prices, many marketers are holding the line on prices and instead explaining why their brands are worth it...The goal is to build market share and strengthen customer relationships at the expense of competitors who are cutting back.” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 27). Black Forlorn Vodka is a specialty product, considered of brand preference and loyalty. Its purchase is an effort, for there is little comparison of brands. It is considered as a high price product, for its exclusivity and more carefully targeted promotion.

The problems that many companies face are countless, but it can be confidently said that “pricing is the number-one problem facing many marketing executives, and many companies do not handle pricing well” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 275).  Black Forlorn Vodka is s luxury vodka and is priced at $29.95 for a 750ml with an alcoholic volume of 40%.

Distribution

Dictated in our objectives is the purpose of flooding the airwaves hand in hand with massive distribution mediums. Due to the scale of this campaign, the use of marketing intermediaries is key to the success of Black Forlorn Vodka. “Marketing intermediaries are Firms that help the company to promote, sell, and distribute its goods to final buyers” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 59).

Partnering with such massive entities is no longer child’s play, for they can have the power to dictate their own terms and conditions and in certain occasions, completely shut you down from the partnership; such reasons cannot stress enough the importance of distributing to companies such as Whole Foods or Trader Joes. To become the brand of prestige that Black Forlorn Vodka aspires to be, optimizing our own performance is not enough.

Therefore the implementation of “marketing services agencies, including advertising agencies, media firms, and marketing consulting firms that help the company target and promote its products to the right markets” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 59). In today’s world, we recognized the importance of working with intermediaries as partners rather than as simple channels through which we sell our products.

Promotion

Another part of the market mix concepts that foresee that the brand is relevant to the media, to the consumer, and to other businesses is selling concept: “The idea that consumers will not buy enough of the firm’s products unless it undertakes a large-scale selling and promotion effort” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 11).

Perfectly complementing our aggressive selling practices, due to the nature of this procedure. Often carrying high risks such as focusing on a successful sales transaction rather than on a long lasting customer relationship, assuming that customers will eventually like the product, and/or will forget about their disappointment and buy it again -obviously poor assumptions. The careful balancing of this practice along with our customer quality oriented practices is what defines Black Forlorn Vodka.

Our implementation of the marketing concept which “holds that achieving organizational goals depends on knowing the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfactions better than competitors do” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 11). In other words we specialize in keeping just the right balance between finding the right customers for our product, and finding the right product for our costumers.

Product

There are several approaches to the manufacturing. The oldest one is the Production concept, or “the idea that consumers will favor products that are available and highly affordable and that the organization should therefore focus on improving production and distribution efficiency” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 10).

However narrowing duties to this extent sidetracked us from the real objective, -satisfying customer needs, and building customer relationships, part of our marketing strategies to adapt to the ever-changing customer driven market. Therefore the adoption of a more sophisticated approach was a must. The discovery that a loyal customer line willing to pay a little more looking for quality rather than for value sparked the process for the manufacture of Black Forlorn Vodka: The Product Concept, or “the idea that consumers will favor products that offer the most quality, performance, and features and that the organization should therefore devote its energy to making continuous improvements” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 10).

By successfully designing, packaging, and attractively pricing, Black Forlorn Vodka is able to preserve a loyal customer following. Our black vodka is beautifully designed in a slightly tinted red glass, with a purple label that has an intricate darker purple tribal design throughout. The brand name Black Forlorn Vodka can be read black through the words being cut into the purple label. The bottle comes in a 750 ml and as 40 proof. To save on hassle and for earth conscious purposes there is no packaging other than the bottle itself.

Target Market Strategy

In the broad sense of the word, our targeted market is the most profitable and sought for. The young adult age group, ranging from 21 to 32 constitutes a third part of the Millennials, a group of approximately 83 million. Successfully appealing to this market through the weaving of traditional and modern vodka is our strategic planning; in other words, it is our "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, 39).

Since this age group is too often bombarded with marketing coming from all dimensions, the one and most successful method of reaching them is a two-way conversation. However, the fast paced world we live in makes that process obsolete, and calls for very creative marketing approaches. Using every possible resource in our hands to keep embedded our signature vodka in the media is achieved through our healthy competitive attitude induced within our marketing department, giving them an edge in the work place because "the strategic plan involves adapting the firm to take advantage of opportunities in its constantly changing environment" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 39).

SWOT Analysis

Part of the process for the development of the company, is a complete analysis of the company’s situation through a SWOT analysis, or "an overall evaluation of the company’s strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T)" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 55).

Black Forlorn Vodka’s strengths lie in its alluring appeal to the most heavily targeted young adults. The unique resources used to produce our vodka are of the highest quality, there is no other competitor that uses them, and are beneficially groundbreaking; all of the "strengths mentioned include internal capabilities, resources, positive situational factors that may help the company to serve its customers and achieve its objectives" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 55).

It is wise and perhaps profitable to recognize that "weaknesses include internal limitations and negative situational factors that may interfere with the company’s performance" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 55); such limiting factors are the employment of somewhat costly ingredients, reducing our opportunity to increase profit by cutting costs, and the mere nature of alcohol, an intoxicating substance nonetheless (even though our ingredients posses beneficial properties).

It is thanks to this “label” that we could position our product in self-awareness markets such as “Whole Foods or Trader Joes,” presenting Black Forlorn Vodka as “the healthier choice” while granting us "opportunities which are favorable factors or trends in the external environment that the company may be able to exploit to its advantage" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 55).

However, we do recognize the fact that the fast paced lifestyle of our targeted market is ever-changing. Although the chance is minimal, the threat is present at all times. After all we live in a world of fads, being the biggest thing for one moment and yet unmemorable on the next one. The nature is that "these threats are unfavorable external factors or trends that may present challenges to performance" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 55).

Objectives

There are several objectives of utter importance pertaining to the relationship between Black Forlorn Vodka’s mission statement and its overall objectives. The nature of this is due to the fact that "the company needs to turn its mission into detailed supporting objectives for each level of management." (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 41).  

The overall objective of Black Forlorn Vodka therefore is: to create a following of cult, providing a profitable line of customers distinguishing themselves as a new breed of thoughtful drinkers. The importance of intellectually based business through research and design are imperative to the improvement of profits for “marketing strategies and programs must be developed to support these marketing objectives." (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 42).

We recognize the importance of using not only the most carefully crafted ingredients, but also the most exquisite ones. Black Forlorn Vodka’s customer following recognizes these quality oriented product of the smallest detail and are therefore willing to pay for it. That being said, reducing costs is not an option. Our success depends on the aggressive promotioning and advertising. These public relations along with our marketing effort will put Black Forlorn Vodka in everybody’s mind; from DJ venues, to grocery stores, the scope is on full range.  

Business Mission Statement

In achieving a mission statement, which consists of “a statement of the organization’s purpose—what it wants to accomplish in the larger environment," (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 39). The following must be successfully proposed first. What is our business? Black Forlorn Vodka is a specialty alcoholic drink that breaks away from all preconceived standards of what vodka represents. Its sober flavor complements its natural black tint, the grains used for its production are known by scholars as “superfoods,” possessing an incredible amount of beneficial properties. 

So then, who is our costumer? Black Forlorn Vodka is projected towards the knowledgeable drinker, looking for a memorable experience. The contemporary young adult searching for the next big thing is our targeted market, and the black vodka market is virtually untapped. Our costumers value the interweaving of two worlds; the traditional and naturally flavored vodka, and the pure and crystalline vodka achieved through extenuating processing. 

Enclosing, "mission statements should be market oriented and defined in terms of satisfying basic customer needs. They should be meaningful and specific yet motivating... emphasizing the company’s strengths in the marketplace." (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 41). Therefore, the resulting mission statement is the following: “to provide an outlet to the conventional world by selling the most defiant, proudly elaborated and innovative vodka to the unconventional consumer.”

Week 7 EOC: Final Project

Black Forlorn Vodka: the unconventional remedy - Not the same old transparent dreadful liquid. Suffering from the everyday chemical poisons? Black Forlorn Vodka is all about its naturally dark color, achieved with the Black Cumin Seed, a miraculous gift known for its beneficial properties for millennia. Characterized by its rich, serene, and aged flavor with a hint of cocoa liquor and Dead Sea salts; Black Forlorn Vodka stands on its own, setting a new standard departing from all the usual fruity and citrus flavors.   

The black vodka market is literally untapped; its alluring color holds this vodka prominent with its sophisticated features. There are only a handful of manufacturers dedicated to black vodka. Bladov is the largest and most common manufacturer in North America and its signature is the use of the tree black Catechu, giving its vodka a peculiar taste.

Another popular manufacturer is Frucko-Schultz, black vodka of Czech origin. The vodka is also naturally colored, except they use an organic polymer otherwise known as humines. Other European black vodka companies include Znaps, and Eristoff. However these two are not into the flavored black vodka side for the industry, for they keep their vodka unflavored, keeping a pure flavor and sticking to the roots of old school vodka concepts.

Week 6 EOC: Movie Promotion

May 13 2013 is supposed to be the official release date of another great post-apocalyptic epic featuring Will Smith, with his son Jaden Smith tagging along.  “After Earth” was written by Will Smith, the screenplay was written by Gary Whitta, and is directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The later having catastrophic features in presentations, however the screenplay is G. Whitta’s own, plus an actor of such trajectory such as Will Smith can overturn any impending negativity.

As the promoter I do not wish to simply dump the movie and expect it to be the next big hit. Instead I would raid the airwaves, specially the Internet, and any possible interactive content by saturating them with very cryptic images and archaic soundtracks to have the people guessing until they are sitting down in the movie theater.

“The effectiveness of traditional mass media remains very important, but its dominance is declining. In its place, advertisers are now adding a broad selection of more-specialized and highly targeted media to reach smaller customer segments with more-personalized, interactive messages. The new media range from specialty cable television channels and made-for-the-Web videos to Internet catalogs, e-mail, blogs, cell phone content, and online social networks. In all, companies are doing less broadcasting and more narrowcasting.”

The targeted market is going to be young adults, the hardest age group to reach because of the increasingly surprising attention deficit; therefore, unless something keeps reinventing itself, it will pass by as “forgettable”. Millennials. (also called Generation Y or the echo boomers).  They number 83 million, dwarfing the Gen Xers and larger even than the baby boomer segment. This group includes several age cohorts: tweens (aged 9–12), teens (13–18), and young adults (19–32). Part of this reasoning comes from most of the big hits nowadays being rated PG-13.
 

After the mystery has been engraved, I would have spots in all major scientific and sci/fi networks, web sites, and even radio showcasing look-alikes of the best-known news channels re-enacting the prelude to the film and/or the end of humanity, as we know it. At the same time and in the same manner I would have presidential press conference’s showing a look-alike enacting an embracing crisis time and an impending doom. “The American marketing system has been accused of adding to several “evils” in American society at large. Advertising has been a special target—so much so that the American Association of Advertising Agencies once launched a campaign to defend advertising against what it felt to be common but untrue criticisms”.