Course Title: MBA, Executive Leadership
Module/Subject Title: Marketing Management
Assignment Title: Individual Case Study
No of Words: 2,665
Submission Date: 19 November 2012
Bel Brand: The Laughing Cow Challenge
Table of Contents
Electronic Assignment Cover Sheet 1
1.Introduction 4
2.SWOT Analysis 6 2.1 Analysis of Strengths 7 2.2 Analysis of Weaknesses 8 2.3 Analysis of Opportunities 9 2.4 Analysis of Threats 10
3.Positioning Strategies 11 3.1 Strategy A 11 3.2 Strategy B 12 3.3 Strategy C 13
4.Recommendation 15
5. Bibliography 16
1. Introduction
“To bring smiles to families everywhere through the pleasure if its products made with dairy goodness.” – This is the Mission Statement of Fromageries Bel, the cheese maker who operates on a global scale, in over 120 countries. Bel has more than 11,300 employees worldwide and sales of $1.8 billion.
The company’s flagship brand - The Laughing Cow, has been a worldwide success story for Bel and the brand has a global family-focused positioning.
Although the Laughing Cow has been marketed in the United States for over 40 years, up till 2003 the brand has not had the impact and success that it has enjoyed outside of the United States market. Bel brand USA did not have a consistent, coherent strategy and largely relied on ‘cut and paste’ brand promotion from other parts of the globe.
In 2003 this changed when the brand experienced huge growth as a result of being associated with the South Beach Diet craze as a low carbohydrate healthy snack.
However in 2006 as this diet craze dwindled, The Laughing Cow was at a turning point and needed to make decisions as to the type of strategy to adopt moving forward.
Through the use of the ICEDRIPS checklist I will identify the internal factors and through the use of MAPSCARE checklist I will identify the external factors that are impacting on Bel Brand USA and following on from the SWOT
Bibliography: (Accessed 27 October 2012) * Dobson, W.D., 2010 Available at: http://babcock.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/documents/productdownload/dp_2010-2.pdf (Accessed 29 October 2012) * Female Economy – Silverstein, M.J. and Sayre, K., 2009. The Female Economy. Harvard Business Review, September 2009, pp. 46-53. * http://www.bel-group.com/en/group/strategy (Accessed 13 October 2012) * http://www.belfoodservice.com/bel-group-in-brief.php (Accessed 13 October 2012) * http://www.belfoodservice.com/bel-group-brands.php#vqr (Accessed 13 October 2012) * http://www.d.parrish.dial.pipex.com/internal.html (Accessed 21 October 2012) * http://www.d.parrish.dial.pipex.com/icedrips.html (Accessed 21 October 2012) * https://www.facebook.com/#!/LaughingCowFanPage?fref=ts (Accessed 22 October 2012) * http://www.usdec.org/Products/content.cfm?ItemNumber=82322&navItemNumber=82242 (Accessed 27 October 2012) * http://www.prweb.com/releases/eurorscgchicago/bel/prweb9715347.htm (Accessed 31 October 2012) * (http://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/about/concepts/value-innovation/) (Accessed 31 October 2012) * Kotler et al., 2009. Marketing Management. 10th ed. Essex: Pearson. -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. http://www.bel-group.com/en/group/strategy (Accessed 13 October 2012) [ 2 ]. http://www.d.parrish.dial.pipex.com/icedrips.html (Accessed 21 October 2012) [ 3 ]. http://www.d.parrish.dial.pipex.com/internal.html (Accessed 21 October 2012) [ 4 ]. Kotler et al., 2009. Marketing Management. 10th ed. Essex: Pearson. [ 5 ]. http://www.belfoodservice.com/bel-group-brands.php#vqr (Accessed 13 October 2012) [ 6 ]. https://www.facebook.com/#!/LaughingCowFanPage?fref=ts (Accessed 22 October 2012) [ 7 ]. Female Economy – Silverstein, M.J. and Sayre, K., 2009. The Female Economy. Harvard Business Review, September 2009, pp. 46-53. [ 8 ]. http://www.usdec.org/Products/content.cfm?ItemNumber=82322&navItemNumber=82242 (Accessed 27 October 2012) (Accessed 31 October 2012) [ 10 ] (Accessed 27 October 2012) [ 11 ] [ 12 ]. (http://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/about/concepts/value-innovation/) (Accessed 31 October 2012). [ 13 ]. Female Economy – Silverstein, M.J. and Sayre, K., 2009. The Female Economy. Harvard Business Review, September 2009, pp. 46-53.