Metabical and TOMS case study free essay sample

Question 1 – How should Printup think about the segmentation of potential Metabical consumers? Who is the optimal target consumer? They should target women less than 65 especially (exhibit 2). They seem to be more aware than men to their weight. But most of the population (men and women) are now more conscious that losing weight is important for health. We can talk about normal customers including young and older ones. Those customers can be separated in two segments: Lose weight for health Lose weight only if it is easy 35% of normal customers want actively to lose weight and need help to do so. We can also say that younger women are more interested for losing weight to be pretty whereas older ones are interested because it is a way to be healthier. There is also the medical customer target. They can advise this drug to their patients. We’ve chosen normal customers and especially women as the optimal target for the reasons described previously. Question 2 – How should CSP identify and employ the differential advantages that Metabical offers to position itself in the market place? First, we can say that there wasn’t a lot of competition in the market at that time which represents an opportunity for CSP. Moreover, it is an easy way to lose weight, a key point that most of customers are looking for. More than that, there is a support program that CSP have developed to help and support people during their losing weight period. In addition, it is a cheaper drug than those which already exist on the market. Moreover, CSP want to make its product reimbursed as it is in order to improve people’s health so that people will not have to pay anymore for this drug. There is also the fact that there is a real social crisis in the US due to overweight and it is necessary to change things. People will be more aware to lose weight in order to avoid rejection from others. There is a real discrimination about overweight people. Question 3 – Given the positioning strategy you chose, what would be your communication strategy and IMC mix for each of your target audiences? Since Metabical is a new product, so they should let consumers know what they can do and what are their advantages. Maybe they can stress their safety and effectiveness in their advertisements. If the budget allows, they can give some sample sack to the people who tend to lose their weight, which I suppose can let them know the effect of Metabical clearly. As a company producing weight loss drug, they can put ads on health magazines, which can target people who are worrying about their obesity may influence their health. Promoting to the health care providers can also be a good choice for Metabical, because these people can recommend their products to the people coming to consult health situation. Furthermore, they may also creative a websites to promote their products. In this website, they can describe their products in detail and answer the questions from consumers. Because there are also a lot female using weight loss drug just for beauty. So maybe Metabical can establish a club to teach women how to make them become beautiful, like how to make up or how to wear properly. And In the process of teaching women, they can use their products as a support. In addition, since they should let consumers realize that losing weight is very difficult, but they can help them. So they can make ads on some sports magazines or programs that tell people if they try to lose weight only by sports or diet, it would be hard and time-consuming. In one word, Metabical should let their potential know that if people are unsatisfied with their weight, Metabical can help them. And they should also target those who care about their health or pursue beauty. Case study: TOMS: One for giving Model Question 1 – Discuss the growth of TOMS Shoes: its operating model uniqueness, product and brand awareness. Claire 1. Operating model uniqueness The operating model of TOMS is â€Å"One for One† operating model. That is for every pair of shoes sold a pair was given to a needy child through shoe drops in developing countries. TOMS formed shoe-giving partnerships with humanitarian organizations knowledgeable about the communities they operated in. Through these partnerships the communities that would benefit the most from the TOMS approach were identified. On seeing the many problems faced by the many communities TOMS worked with, TOMS decided to unleash the potential of the One for One model to address the other human needs that were still unmet. Later in 2011, TOMS launched its One for One line of eyewear. For each pair of glasses sold TOMS worked with qualified optometrist to provide better vision to people from underprivileged countries. TOMS wants to be more than just a shoe company, it’s a one-for-one company. 2. Product and brand awareness With the TOMS, customers can generate something for someone else while also advancing their own fashion. When customers purchase shoes, they can let TOMS finish out the final mile of their own good intentions. It is a model where the consumers can continue to reap satisfaction as the shoe gets worn. Hence the shoe drops or giveaways increased customer satisfaction and loyalty thus being the integral component of the company’s competitiveness. 3. Growth of TOMS Shoes The main reason behind the success of TOMS operating model was its focus on giving. The story behind the brand and its focus on giving made its customers as its marketer thus making it easy to retain good employees and attract good partners. Besides, the reason for the mushrooming growth of such startups was the social media which made it possible for social entrepreneurs such as TOMS to spread their message at a low-cost. Social media also enabled these entrepreneurs to enlist the help of their customers as their marketers. Question 2 – What would be the motives of customers for buying TOMS footwear? Analyse how TOMS model may create both positive and negative attitudes among customers.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A motive is a construct representing an unobservable inner force that stimulates and compels behavioural response and provide specific direction to that response.† Customers buying Toms’ shoes are moved by a hedonist motivation, which is doing something good for society, rather than an utilitarian motivation which could be buying safe wearing shoes. If we take a look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: buying a simple tennis shoes could be identified as a safety need whereas buying Toms’ shoes is a self-actualization need as customers are fulfilling a desire to be useful and helpful. It is helping them achieve their aspiration for being a better person. â€Å"Attitudes are associations between a given object and a given summary evaluation of the object; associations that can vary in strength and, hence, in their accessibility from memory.† Potential positive attitude toward TOMS: customers thinking that TOMS helps people who need the most (evaluation of TOMS). Those will be willing to buy TOMS shoes. Those will feel empowered by â€Å"consum’action†. Potential negative attitude toward TOMS: customers thinking that TOMS business is jeopardizing local producers of shoes and that he cashs in on poverty (marketing of poverty arising questions of ethics). Those will engage in negative WOM. TOMS shoes are seen to be too fashionable, those consumers feel to be brainwashed. Question 3 – Is TOMS a truly welfare venture profit or a profit motivated initiative in sheep’s clothes. Discuss and justify There are some critical advices about TOM Company. Some people perceived TOMS  as a profit-motivated initiative. In fact, by giving shoes to poor children local people remain dependent from external resources. From their point of view, TOMS initiative give to poor countries a short term solution to lift of poverty. As far as we are concerned, we think that TOM is a social welfare venture because of all these good initiatives in poor countries: - ­Ã¢â‚¬  Shoes distributing trips organized by TOM - ­Ã¢â‚¬  Partnership with humanitarian organization knowledgeable - ­Ã¢â‚¬  Repeatedly shoe distribution in poor area to provide shoe permanently to children In 2010 the company has distributed 1 million pair of shoes in Argentina, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Guatemala, Haiti, South Africa and the US. Moreover, TOMS shoes are made in Argentina, this is a source of job creation for the country. It helps Argentina development.